Kansas City Chiefs LB Damien Wilson has become an investor in Marciante and Company’s effort to manufacture and donate cloth face masks amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We met Damien [Wilson] when he played for the Cowboys,” Marciante and Company CEO Matt Marciante told Chiefs Wire. “He came by to visit our booth at Sports Con in 2018, and we stayed in touch. He came back for several more products including a new pair of boots to take on the Cowboys’ road trip to face the Rams in the playoffs.”
Marciante recently shifted gears, going from crafting typical high-end leather goods to making cloth face covers. It initially began as a way to keep employees working during the pandemic, but now it has turned into something more. For every mask purchased, Marciante and Company has pledged to donate three masks to a variety of different organizations. Thousands of donated masks have already been distributed to organizations such as the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Post Office, and a number of different churches across the United States.
What started as a friendly relationship between business and consumer evolved for Wilson and Marciante once the pandemic arrived.
“He believed in our brand, believed in the product, and was supportive of our mission from day 1 which was big for us,” Marciante said of Wilson. “My wife and I are very relational, so that personal connection is everything to us, even in business. He took initiative to share our brand with others and help bring awareness, so we saw an opportunity to make him a bigger part of what we’re building.”
Wilson’s contributions helped Marciante move their operation into a larger facility and add a full-time employee. It drastically increased their production capabilities for the cloth face covers, allowing Marciante and Company to scale up and meet demand.
“I love it and I think it’s really cool how these guys are using their resources to aid in the shortage of supplies especially when their primary service is fashionable leather goods,” Wilson said in a Marciante and Company blog post. “It’s a really cool pivot during this time.”
Together, Wilson and Marciante hope to give back to those in need in the Dallas area and all over the country. They’ll do so by ensuring everyone has access to face coverings, especially those on the front lines of the pandemic.
You can find out more about how to purchase cloth face covers from Marciante and Company here.
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