Apple Rock Advertising and Promotion Inc. has been pivoting since March 2020, when COVID hit the United States like a sledgehammer. "Like most, we were taken aback by everything that was happening and hoped it would soon blow over," said Denise Lineberry, vice president of marketing for Apple Rock. Of course, that didn't happen, so the North Carolina-based exhibit house needed to find other means of keeping its doors open – and helping others do the same. Recently, the company innovated the 3-in-1 Safety Kiosk aimed at helping businesses and organizations get back on their feet and safely get back to work.

The convenient all-in-one kiosk has three primary characteristics: a thermal scanner that can take a person's temperature in less than half a second, a hand-sanitizing station, and a complimentary mask dispenser for those that forgot one. It's hard to imagine an enclosed business or organization that couldn't benefit from having visitors and employees do a quick check-in at one of these kiosks each time they enter a building or office. It even offers an embedded camera that provides real-time mask detection with a voice prompt reminding those without a face covering to put one on. And since businesses like to stay on brand, the exhibit house offers customizable graphics. Apple Rock has provided the kiosks for office lobbies, businesses, and even a police academy. "Our customers love the idea of the one-stop protection," Lineberry said. "Interest is increasing, and we believe this product will be a staple in any business for a while."

And even though this is Apple Rock's latest health-care product, the company has been providing personal protective equipment (PPE) since the moment the pandemic hit and it became apparent that the United States was woefully short on everything from masks to gowns. "We immediately started brainstorming ways we could help out," Lineberry said. "As a custom display manufacturer, we have the skill and tools to make a variety of things, and we're used to thinking outside the box." By April of 2020, a mere month after the industry shut down, the exhibit house was filling a large statewide order for isolation gowns, which it was producing using its fabric sewers. Soon the company began printing and sewing custom facemasks with dye sublimation printers usually used for booth graphics. And then it was on to Plexiglas barriers for businesses, hand-sanitizing stands, facemask holders, etc. You name it, and Apple Rock was fabricating it – and keeping as many of its employees working as possible.

That's not to say the shift to manufacturing PPE and other equipment to help fight the pandemic has been ideal or easy for Apple Rock and other industry companies. "I believe you have a choice: Get creative and pivot or close your doors. No one wants to do the latter," Lineberry said. "The pivot has allowed us to keep our doors open and our employees working, and that is the most important thing. Helping our communities in this time of need is a very close second."