CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A company in Cedar Rapids that normally sells sports apparel and headwear is now turning to printing and selling custom face masks to keep their business alive. Bimm Ridder Sportswear makes a lot of their money selling gear at sporting events. They have lost more than 94 percent of their business since a lot of live sports went on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dave Filip is the entire production department at Bimm Ridder. "Normally there's about 15 other people here but now it's just me,” he said.
The company had to furlough all but three workers after their Personal Protection Plan loan ran out on Friday. FIlip is fine holding down the fort by himself, but he would like to have his coworkers back.
"I hope it gets busy enough where we have to start bringing people back in,” he said.
Bimm Ridder is marketing the custom face masks to companies. They will put a company's logo on the mask. Leaders say this is just putting a band-aid on the hurting business.
"Until the sports world opens up with fans in the stands, we’re in trouble,” said Bimm Riddder President Gary Ficken. "So we will be one of the last industries to come back.”
The company has had its ups and downs in the 32 years it's been around. "We were destroyed in the flood of 2008, our whole facility, inventory was destroyed in that flood,” said Ficken. “We never thought we would go through something worse than the flood, but this virus has proven to be that.”
The hardest part is dealing with the unknowns. So until things get better. Filip will remain in the warehouse alone. "It would mean the world to me,” he said. “We want to save the company of course, but we want to bring the people back, so they can support their companies.”
Bimm Ridder can be reached at http://www.bimmridder.com/.
Copyright 2020 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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