PPE Marketplace to Support Hoosier Small Businesses
(photo courtesy: USDA/Lance Cheung)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace is expected to launch this week to provide access to Personal Protective Equipment for small businesses and nonprofits lacking the resources needed to comply with safe workplace guidance. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb says the new marketplace will serve as a resource for Indiana small businesses returning to work in the coming weeks.
The marketplace was developed by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. in partnership with the Indiana Small Business Development Center and the Indiana Office of Technology. Holcomb says the marketplace will leverage PPE manufactured and sourced by Indiana businesses.
Holcomb said, “As we look toward a safe and responsible reopening across the state, we’re working to remove barriers for entrepreneurs and small business owners that could limit or delay progress. The Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace is another tool that will help support small businesses during this unprecedented time, ensuring they are able to continue operating while providing needed safety measures to protect workers and customers alike.”
The state says to utilize the marketplace, an organization must be a business or nonprofit organization registered to do business in Indiana with the Indiana Secretary of State, employ fewer than 150 150 associates, and be an entity that must use PPE as a condition of operating in order to comply with safe workplace requirements.
Holcomb says the marketplace should serve as a backup for employers, and businesses and nonprofits are encouraged to first source and procure PPE on their own.
To date, the state says it has secured commitments for more than 7.84 million pieces of PPE with more than 2 million items already delivered to the Indiana State Department of Health for distribution.