STICKING WITH SAFETY

Avery Dennison donates social-distancing floor graphics to area polling locations

“We were pleased to have this opportunity to support our local communities. ” — Mariana Rodriguez, senior director and general manager, graphics solutions with Avery Dennison

Too much safety is never enough.

With the Nov. 3 general election certainly affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic, Lake County Elections Board Director Ross McDonald and his staff are taking all possible precautions to make voting as safe from risk as possible.

And thanks to Avery Dennison’s donation of multiple

printed floor graphics materials — traditionally utilized in many high-traffic environments for wayfinding or promotional purposes — additional, effective social distancing indicators now serve to protect voters when they cast their ballots.

The manufacturing company will be providing floor markers to 56 voting locations in Lake

County, as well as 295 locations in Cuyahoga County and 33 in Geauga County.

Mariana Rodriguez, senior director and general manager, graphics solutions with Avery Dennison, said, in total, nearly 10,000 social-distancing floor graphics will be donated.

Seven company employees on Oct. 22 installed the markers at the elections board while additional polling locations will have their respective employees install them.

McDonald initiated the request for the graphics with the assistance of Mentor Economic Development Director Kevin Malecek. “We knew we had to come up with a solution to maintain social distancing at the polls for this election and as I was considering how we would procure floor markers, I recalled seeing Avery Dennison’s Graphics Team on LinkedIn and seeing these amazing car wraps they were producing,” McDonald said.

“Knowing this, I saw an opportunity to reach out to see if floor markers were within their capability and it went from there. Soon thereafter, Mariana Rodriguez and I spoke regarding the project.”

After speaking with McDonald and understanding the support he was seeking, Rodriguez said it was an easy decision for the company to sponsor the graphics.

“We were pleased to have this opportunity to support our local communities, and we agreed to donate both the materials and production costs,” she added. “We also decided to extend the offer to Cuyahoga and Geauga counties as well.”

The graphics material is Avery Dennison MPI 2903 Easy Apply film with a slipresistant overlaminate, dubbed “DOL 2060.”

“Because this is a pressure-sensitive adhesive material, the installation is pretty simple,” Rodriguez said.

“The Easy Apply technology allows for bubble-free installation after the liner is removed. Proper installation has the user applying the top edge of the graphic

“We are proud to claim Avery Dennison as a hometown business and we are grateful for their contribution to the election process.” — Lake County Elections Board Director Ross McDonald

to the clean floor surface, then you slowly peel back the liner and squeegee the graphic to adhere to the floor.”

The adhesive also allows for its removal when the life of the short-term graphic is completed.

The entire sponsorship project costs the county nothing. According to the manufacturer, a customizable, 12-inch, vinyl floor marker typically falls in the range of $5 to $12 apiece.

The Lake County Elections Board has received 1,400 markers, McDonald noted, adding the floor graphics will add a bit of extra time for the polling location set-up crews.

“However,” he said, “the markers will likely save us time versus our alternative solution of using green painter’s tape to create an X on the floor.”

Another challenging element, with just 11 days until the election, was the tight timeline.

Nevertheless, the company was able to turn around the floor graphics design and material selection in fewer than 24 hours, and then arranged for the production of the finished product. “Everything happened extremely fast,” Rodriguez said. “This is a very exciting opportunity for Avery Dennison, and in particular for the graphics business, to be able to support our local communities and to keep people safe while they are at their polling place.” McDonald echoed the sentiment.

“We are proud to claim Avery Dennison as a hometown business and we are grateful for their contribution to the election process,” he said.

CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD Lake County Elections Board Director Ross McDonald, left, works with Mariana Rodriguez of Avery Dennison while installing social distancing floor graphics at the Lake County Administration Center in Painesville on Oct. 22.

CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD Avery Dennison has donated nearly 10,000 floor graphics to polling locations and elections boards in Cuyahoga, Geauga and Lake counties.