EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine May 2020 | Page 22

SPONSORED BY HALIFAX HEALTH
USA Fit Manufacturing
Volusia County Businesses Lend A
Helping Hand Amid Covid-19 Pandemic
by Aaron London
While consumers are bracing for a likely Covid-19
induced economic recession, companies are
scrambling to find new ways to do business or new
business to do.
For Volusia County business owners, the challenge of
uncertainty is balanced by a determination to go beyond thinking
outside the box to survive the present and plant the seeds for future
success.
At FitUSA Manufacturing in Ormond Beach, owner Troy Olson
is always on the go. His athletic apparel company has shifted to
producing masks and personal protective equipment, or PPE.
“We’re moving really fast,” he said. And a big part of that
movement is hiring more workers to meet the growing demand for
protective equipment items.
“Each day we’re bringing in anywhere from three to five people,
depending on their background and our needs,” he said.
Like most business owners, Olson said the need to shift
priorities came quickly.
He said in early March he met with Ormond Beach officials
about the situation and as a result found himself on a conference
call with state officials.
“When I called I realized I was on the phone with a senator,
and I believe the governor was on there,” Olson said. After running
through current information and responding to inquiries, there was
time for one last question and Olson jumped in.
“I told them I retooled my factory and can make masks now,” he
said. “Within two minutes I was on the phone with Halifax Health.
By noon the next day we had prototypes in front of them and by 4
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