Parksville Company Creating Innovative Product For Schools, Restaurants
Eco Space Dividers General Manager Jason Howlett completes a new unit
PARKSVILLE – Some swift thinking by Eco Space Dividers is providing innovative solutions that could help schools and restaurant increase seating capacity, while providing protection from the COVID-19 virus.
Jason Howlett is General Manager of the new start-up company, and he notes that they have been working on a line of products that includes wood dividers with shoulder-height plexiglas tops to keep students and diners in their own units while studying and eating.
“My kids and teacher friends have concerns about going back to school, and it got me thinking about how to solve that problem,” says Howlett. “My business partner and our production team had some great input. I’m excited to get in front of the school groups to see what kind of input they might have.”
Howlett says response to the new product has been very positive thus far.
“The design is simple and easy to understand,” he observes. “It meets the needs of today’s community. There is a lot of uncertainty in the community right now, and physical changes will help to ease those concerns.”
At the moment, the focus is on schools, but restaurants are a natural consideration for other uses. With the Eco Safe dividers, restaurant seating capacity can be increased, while accommodating physical distancing. Anticipated government restrictions on the number of customers allowed in an eating establishment at one time could seriously inhibit the restaurant’s ability to be profitable, and Eco Safe could be one solution that will help restaurateurs, while protecting customers.
“My thought is that kids will need some additional support to help them follow the physical distancing guidelines as we adapt to the new normal,” Howlett says. “Kids need to feel safe and secure at school so parents can go back to work and help kick start our economy.
“We are planning to reach out to retail outlets, grocery stores as well as restaurants and see if we can adapt our product to meet their needs,” he adds, stating the products are ready for sale immediately.
