The first thing Preston Craft wondered as Covid swept through the country, shutting down schools, large companies and retails stores for months, was what a safe reopening would look like for those establishments.
Craft said he and his business partner Chisholm Weaver had many conversations about how they could make a lasting impact, and using their entrepreneurial backgrounds in retail and innovation, the pair co-founded VERTEXCare in April.
"We asked ourselves what we could do to fill a void and develop solutions... The number one thing was PPE," Craft said. "What we saw very early on is, historically you’ve had the dispensing space being overwhelming by these proprietary companies, so when the supply shortages happened everybody was really desperately looking for [hand sanitizing] solutions."
The pair quickly began developing a dispenser, and within six weeks went from concept to having four manufacturing partners and a touch-less, foot-operated hand sanitizing station prototype that was ready for market.
To use, a person simply places their hand under the dispenser near the top, and presses their foot down onto the lever at the base of the machine.
Since bringing the prototype to market, Craft said VERTEXCare has partnered with Spectrum to put dispensers in every retail location in the Southeast. Other businesses currently using the product include several local school districts, Hyatt hotels in downtown New York City and Courtyard Marriott hotels in Charlotte.
"We’ve sold hundreds locally here in the Charlotte market," he said. "On the supply side, we have stock ready to ship next-day. In a time where lead times can be weeks, our next-day delivery is huge for local Charlotte businesses."
Craft said the dispensers are fully mechanical, meaning they don't use batteries or motion sensors, making maintenance and use much easier and more efficient. Its sleek design also makes the unit visually pleasing in an office, school or retail space, Craft said. It can dispense any sanitizing solution, so customers can use any solution they want in a 16 ounce or 32 ounce bottle.
"We are providing people with a simple and safe solution where they can dispense any solution from any company," he said. "Every base unit has an adjustable pedestal inside that enables the customer to adjust up and down to accommodate different sized bottles, making it really versatile."
