LAKE FOREST, Calif.–A company primarily known for its marketing services to credit unions has pivoted quickly and gotten a provisional patent on a new type of mask members can wear inside credit union facilities.
The masks are designed to address a critical issue many credit unions face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic: how to have members reveal who they are for the sake of security, while also wearing a mask to protect employees and other members.
Called “EasyMask,” the masks are made of paper and are now available from WestAmerica. The masks are available for as little as 29 cents each depending on the number purchased, are intended for one-time use, and are biodegradable and recyclable. Credit unions have the option of customizing the masks with a logo or message.
The masks are meant for short-term use as a means of helping to minimize the transmission of germs, and are not intended to act as a respiratory device. The masks are similar to a pair of glasses, in that they are secured by two paper legs that tuck behind a person’s ears.
Germ of an Idea
Mark DeBellis, president of the financial services team and corporate vice president of marketing and business development with WestAmerica, said the company pivoted quickly as many of its financial institution clients were dialing back on their marketing efforts while facing the new economic and health realities of the coronavirus pandemic. Internally, WestAmerica considered a number of different responses, before hitting on the idea of the disposable masks, given the need for personal protection in a market in which supplies have been limited and even scarce.
After hitting on the idea of the paper masks, DeBellis told CUToday.info the company had a patent search conducted and has since been granted a provisional patent. It is using vendors and suppliers it has used in the creation of various printed marketing materials as well as its own expertise in the area to manufacture the masks. The masks are being manufactured in the U.S.
WestAmerica has also created a dispenser for the masks that allow members to take one as they enter a CU facility. “It’ easy; it’s self-serve,” said DeBellis.
Protecting Employees
DeBellis stressed the paper masks are not designed to replace medical-grade masks, but instead to reduce potential spread of the virus from someone coughing, for instance. In addition, the masks help to stop someone who may use a common pen or touch a common surface in a branch from touching their own mouth or face.
There is also the issue of protecting employees who are in the branch or office and are exposed to members all day.
“In the back of the house there is the question of how do we serve and protect our employees in this new normal,” DeBellis said.
There is also another issue at play, according to DeBellis, which is the credit union brand and acting in the best interests of the member. He said the EasyMasks are an “inexpensive” way of showing that brand in action.
For info: www.mywestamerica.com