8 MiMfg Magazine August 2020
PREMIUM
ASSOCIATE
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Spotlight
Daniel Obie
Manager
BigTimePPE.com
Member since May 2020 • Learn more at bigtimeppe.com
Six months ago, many
businesses and certainly most
individuals could not have clearly
defined personal protective
equipment (PPE). Now, it is a
part of daily life. Masks, gloves
and hand sanitizer are as much a
part of our regular routine as cell
phones, wallets and car keys. But
with so much PPE being allocated
for specific use, many manufacturers
continue to struggle with locating
what they need when they need it.
That’s where companies like
BigTimePPE.com come in.
You wouldn’t think it, but
BigTimeBats.com transitioned
from being a sports memorabilia
business to BigTimePPE.com
which now focuses on PPE in
only a few short months. Why?
Because they saw an unfulfilled
need and they had the resources
and experience to fill it.
“When we say we’re a family
business, we mean it — it’s me, my
mom and my dad,” said Daniel
Obie, manager of BigTimePPE.
com. “For 20 years we were only
BigTimeBats and we had built a
pretty strong system for distribution,
sales, advertising and marketing —
we are a trusted brand. When
COVID-19 hit, sports were one
of the first things to stall and we had
to reimagine what we could be.”
Based in Mundelein, Illinois,
Obie and his family knew they
could effectively provide FDAcertified
PPE to manufacturers
by using their existing contacts in
a different way.
“We all saw early on how PPE
was in short supply and high
demand,” Obie recalled. “Individuals
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and businesses couldn’t locate
the necessary amounts to meet
requirements to stay in operation.
What was available was mostly
directed to federal stockpiles and
even hospitals and first responders
were having to rely on poor
substitutes. We thought we
could help.”
With their breadth of knowledge
in how to get the word out, the
new PPE-focused business set
about providing some interesting
products for businesses in need
including a diverse variety of
mask offerings from NIOSH N95,
three-ply disposable masks and
KN95 masks to new options
including a medical grade
children’s face mask.
Obie also advises manufacturers
looking to acquire PPE to ask
crucial questions in their search:
• Is the company I’m buying
from reputable?
• Once I get the product, is it
something I can look up on
the FDA website?
• What’s the price point?
If it seems too good to be
true, you should worry
about its legitimacy.
“People need to feel safe in
the workplace and with the right
PPE in place, your team can worry
less,” said Obie. “FDA-certified
PPE is out there and available to
the manufacturers that need it —
if you are asking the right questions
and connecting with the proper
suppliers, you can obtain the
PPE you need at a reasonable
cost and have the confidence to
push to full production.” 6
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