DOING THEIR PART
Local manufacturer Ames Goldsmith producing, donating hand sanitizer
SOUTH GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » Local manufacturer Ames Goldsmith Corp., which typically makes silver and copper products, has begun producing hand sanitizer for complimentary distribution to area not-for-profits during the COVID-19 crisis.
The company has temporarily converted a portion of the manufacturing capacity at its Harrison Avenue plant in South Glens Falls to the production of the alcohol-based sanitizer, and began its complimentary distribution this week with Glens Falls Hospital and the Open Door Mission in Glens Falls.
Other area not-for-profits may be added to the distribution list in the future depending on production capacity.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing manufacturers that are not licensed for hand sanitizer production to make the product on a temporary basis, using specifications provided by the FDA, in order to address market shortages.
“Our community has a need. We have the capacity and capability. It was a pretty easy decision to make for a company that’s been part of this regional community since 1860,” Ames Goldsmith president & CEO Frank Barber said in a press release.
Between its South Glens Falls headquarters and manufacturing plant, and its manufacturing plant in Glens Falls, Ames Goldsmith employs approximately 90 local residents. The company also has plants in New Jersey, Maryland, and West Virginia, along with international facilities in England, Scotland, Taiwan and Japan, bringing its total employment to more than 350.
Ames Goldsmith typically manufactures silver salts, advanced silver and copper powders and flakes for electronics, healthcare, photography, con
ders and flakes for electronics, healthcare, photography, consumer products, and other industries around the globe. The company’s normal product manufacturing is continuing uninterrupted during this time.
“Ames Goldsmith has extensive experience working with alcohol products in our manufacturing processes, as well as manufacturing products to FDA guidelines for the healthcare industry. We have the scale to produce meaningful amounts of sanitizer quickly and safely,” Barber added. “We discussed the need with the hospital and Open Door and when they responded so enthusiastically, it was full speed ahead.”
Barber credited New York Plant Manager Mike Forcier for the idea, noting that Forcier and Mike Herman, vice president of global quality systems, have led the production effort. “I could not be happier with how these two individuals have stepped up to meet the needs of our communities,” Barber said in the release.
Forcier is a co-owner of Springbook Hollow Farm Distillery in Queensbury, which has also been producing its own line of sanitizer.
Ames Goldsmith is purchasing all of the raw materials needed for the sanitizer specifically for this purpose and mixing them utilizing spare process tanks and mixing technology present at the local plant. The company has begun producing the sanitizer in 200-gallon batches and will distribute it in one-gallon bottles.
“Ames Goldsmith has been a good friend to Glens Falls Hospital for many years, but this act of generosity goes above and beyond,” Cindy Sherwood, vice president of development for Glens Falls Hospital, said in the release. “They are truly going out of their way to make this sanitizer for no reason other than it’s good for our community. We thank them on behalf of our patients and everyone here at GFH.”
Open Door Mission president and CEO Kim Cook added, “It’s so incredibly thoughtful of Ames Goldsmith, our neighbor here in the First Ward, to step up and help the not-for-profits who are on the front lines of this battle to protect our community, which operates a homeless shelter at its Warren Street, Glens Falls, location.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our shelter residents and our staff safe, and this sanitizer is a very welcome help. We can’t let the virus in the door.”
Ames Goldsmith’s origins extend back to 1860 with the founding of the Ames Chemical Company in Glens Falls. In 1979, the business was purchased by Ames Goldsmith Corp. In 2007, the company established its global headquarters in South Glens Falls and opened a new manufacturing plant there to go along with its longtime Glens Falls plant.