Magid is Honored by the Loyola Family Business Center for its Work in the Pandemic
The Company’s Efforts on the Front Lines of the Pandemic Kept Faulty Masks Off the Market and Supplied Needed PPE to Customers and Charities
ROMEOVILLE, IL, JULY 2021— The Loyola University Chicago Family Business Center and their sponsors BMO Harris and Katten recognize 12 family businesses, including Magid Glove and Safety, for their heroic contribution to safe jobs, meeting customer demands, and keeping employees safe throughout the pandemic. The center is dedicated to advancing the work and impact of family businesses and the families that own and manage them.
One winner, Magid Glove and Safety, headquartered in Romeoville, is a fourth-generation, family-owned business founded in 1946. Magid leads the safety industry with revolutionary innovations in PPE, a team of safety experts, skilled in-house manufacturing, and a worldwide network of suppliers. The company sources and develops everything you need to keep industrial workers safe.
When Covid-19 first hit, Magid sales took a dive. That lasted less than two weeks before it was apparent that Magid could shift what they were doing and start making some Covid-19 related products to keep their employees going and to provide needed protection for the health care industry. Magid, being in the safety business, was well suited to provide PPE during the pandemic.
According to Greg Cohen, CEO Magid Glove and Safety, “There is no playbook for this. It was so new, we were writing the rules as we went. We really felt this was our opportunity to help. We were one of the few companies with the true ability to analyze and test some of the masks coming into the country. We were finding that only one or two of 10 or 20 samples coming in were good masks, and we really wanted to get the word out.”
Magid partnered with ABC News and offered a free testing service for N95 and KN95 masks. They were able to weed out the bad masks from the good ones and they prevented what could have been millions of masks being put on first responders and the public, who could have unknowingly been put at risk of contracting Covid-19. Magid then partnered with multiple organizations, Google being the primary one, to provided masks and other Covid-19 related products for the community and other organizations. The company also partnered with the CDC Foundation, the Anthony Rizzo Foundation, WHCA/WiCAL and Kareem Abdul Jabbar and his management company, Iconomy, LLC, to provide protection for the public and at-risk members of our community.
According to Anne Smart, Director of the Loyola Family Business Center, “We are privileged to witness the personal and at times emotional commitments they make to their employees, their communities and the sustainability of their businesses. The economic and public health crisis brought about by the pandemic tested everyone. In the midst of the crisis, we have been impressed and bolstered by stories of courage, integrity, and leadership demonstrated by the best family firms.
Cohen added, “We’re honored to receive the Loyola Family Business Center’s Hero award. At Magid, safety is not just our job. It has been our legacy for 75 years now. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to help our community, first responders, and employees during the pandemic and thank Loyola, BMO Harris, and Katten for supporting communities and family business.”