Everything started going down the drain March 1, said Andrew Perutz, president of Nimlok Chicago.
That was weeks before restaurants shut down. Children were still attending school, and Chicagoans were still crowding onto trains, schlepping downtown and sitting next to unmasked co-workers. The state had only just announced its third confirmed case of COVID-19.
But already the coronavirus pandemic had sent the convention industry screeching to a standstill. Nimlok, which builds exhibits for conventions that showcase clients’ products, had to find something to do outside of its “main bread and butter,” Perutz said.
“How do you pivot? If you assume the worst-case scenario, what do you do?” he said. “Worst-case scenario is we don’t see trade shows in the country until a vaccine comes. … We have to think creatively.”
The Des Plaines-based company figured out that the same materials it uses to make trade show displays can be repurposed for social distancing measures, Perutz said.
The company started making sneeze guards, dividers to install between desks in offices, extensions for cubicles and other build-outs meant to protect people from each other.
“We’re really trying to go after offices right now because once everyone opens up, everyone is going to want to make sure their employees are safe,” he said. “You are going to need these measures that prevent people from getting within 6 feet of each other.”
The new venture started seeing momentum by mid-May, an uptick that coincided with news that the Chicago area is on track to move into the next phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan by May 29.
The area’s progress could still be derailed, but moving into the next phase would mean offices, retailers, manufacturing facilities and salons could reopen with certain restrictions.
Perutz hopes to build the new side of Nimlok’s business as the world reopens. It already signed up clients such as a doctor’s office, a hair salon and a park district that wants standing walls between cubicles in open-floor plans and a sneeze guard in reception.
Perutz’ goal is to have sales of Nimlok’s protective equipment bring in 50% of the revenue the company normally sees during the summer months, which is typically its slow time.
Nimlok has lost 90% of its revenue with the temporary demise of conventions, and it doesn’t appear those will start back up any time soon, at least in Illinois.
Conventions cannot be held again until the fifth and final phase of Pritzker’s recovery plan. To reach that phase, a vaccine must be developed, a treatment option must be readily available or no new cases can arise over a sustained period. There’s no telling how long that might take.
Nimlok, which employs about 20 full-time workers, received a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped buy some time, Perutz said. The company is also planning to serve virtual conventions and trade shows, as the industry shifts online.
For now, the company has no choice “but to go full force” with the protective gear, he said.
“Hopefully it’ll save us in the long run,” Perutz said. “My goal is keep people going, keep the machine going so that when this thing starts up, you just turn the engine and you’re ready to go.”
Twitter @AllyMarotti
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Chicago-area companies and workers to face harsh realities about their paychecks and their place in the local economy. The Tribune is reaching out to hear, and share, their stories.