Bluecoats Staff Members Retool Personal Businesses To Support Their Communities

Two members of the Bluecoats community have retooled their businesses to provide support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Greg Lagola, Bluecoats Costume Designer and Color Guard Choreographer, is the owner and designer of Gregory Joseph in New York. This designer brand that addresses the issues of sustainability and responsible manufacturing in the upscale fashion market has shifted the bulk of its business’ production to making face masks.

Two Grand St. Settlement volunteers receiving face masks dropped off my Greg Lagola.

Gregory Joseph has, to date, donated 600 face masks to two charities in downtown Manhattan: Grand St. Settlement and the Bowery Mission. Both these charities are providing essential services to their community by administering food kitchens and outreach to seniors and children at risk. There are over 1000 volunteers at these charities who have to wear face masks and Gregory Joseph is helping to make that possible so they can continue to provide their essential services to the community. In addition to the 600 masks that have already been donated, Greg Lagola plans to donate another 600 this week. 

“Once I realized the scope and magnitude of the pandemic, I realized I had to make every effort I could to survive as a company, but also to give back to my local charitable organizations, where the need is great for PPE and other services in the wake of the growing health crisis,” said Greg Lagola.

In addition to donations, Gregory Joseph offers masks on their website that can be purchased for yourself or for you to donate. For every mask purchased, the brand adds another mask to its donation stock so it can continue donating to the organizations and agencies who need them.

Greg Lagola of Gregory Joseph is also working with Scott Swaldo, Bluecoats Board of Directors President and General Manager at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton, OH to make masks for the vineyard employees as they shift the focus of their business as well.

“Scott’s masks for Gervasi are being cut and sewn now at the factory,” said Greg Lagola. “I am so happy to be able to do this for them to help them protect their employees!”

Gervasi Vineyard, under the management of Bluecoats’ Board of Director President Scott Swaldo and Director Emeritus Ted Swaldo, has shifted its production from spirits to hand sanitizer. The Canton vineyard started production as soon as they knew they were permitted to convert their distillery operation. Working with local Ohio companies, they were able to secure the ingredients and bottles needed to begin production.

“Our company has been built with a community and charitable spirit and if we could help produce an important and badly needed product, then we wanted to make it happen,” said Scott Swaldo. “Our team worked quickly and diligently to learn the process and we then focused on sourcing the necessary supplies.”

During their initial product launch at the beginning of April, Gervasi Vineyard donated over 3000 18oz bottles of the hand sanitizer to local front line medical workers and first responders. They also donated bottles to the Stark County Emergency Management Agency whose mission is to provide front line medical facilities with the supplies they are in need of. 

Gervasi Vineyard has been adapting to community needs during production. Following the initial launch, the team began producing gallon-sized bottles that were sold online to individuals and medical and essential businesses. Since then they’ve shifted to producing quart-sized containers and completed their final bottling of hand sanitizer yesterday. 

Individuals are able to purchase up to 2 quarts of the hand sanitizer, while supplies last, at one of the GV Destinations carry out food locations: Crush House, Twisted Olive, and Villa Grande. With two final online sales for corporate, essential, and medical businesses scheduled for tomorrow and Monday, Gervasi Vineyard is now transitioning back to making wine and spirits in anticipation of reopening their restaurants and events.

We love to see members of the Bluecoats Community making a difference in the world and we are so honored to have these incredible people as a part of our #BlooCrew.