SafeSource Direct Honored with National CiCi Award for Community Impact
March 17, 2022
Broussard, La. March 17th, 2022 - SafeSource Direct, LLC, the manufacturer of high-quality, American-made personal protective equipment (PPE), was recognized for its community impact by Trade & Industry Development magazine as part of the 16th annual CiCi Awards.
“The success of a community is directly linked to the employers that make that community a home. The location of a new facility or the expansion of an existing one can have a profoundly positive effect on a community,” the award announcement read.
SafeSource Direct is not only having a major impact in the Acadiana region of Louisiana, where the new company headquartered and opened two facilities in 2021, it is contributing to the health and safety of the entire nation.
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment, or PPE, was limited in availability. With an increase in global demand and because most PPE supplies originate overseas, the U.S. was faced with supply shortages. SafeSource Direct, a joint venture of Trax Development and Ochsner Health, was founded, in part, to address this.
“COVID-19 brought to light our nation’s dependence on foreign countries, primarily China, for PPE,” said Justin Hollingsworth, SafeSource Direct’s CEO. “By manufacturing right here in the U.S. and selling directly, SafeSource Direct will be positioned to eliminate the lag times, uncertainty and frustration that plague international manufacturing and shipping.”
SafeSource Direct products include nitrile gloves, Level 1 and Level 3 ear loop and surgical tie masks, surgical gowns, non-sterile gowns, bouffant head covers, shoe covers, and soon, N-95 respirators. Beyond producing this PPE in the U.S., it is also producing the raw materials needed for manufacturing to ensure a domestic supply is always available.
SafeSource Direct is manufacturing PPE at a new 400,000-square-foot facility in St. Martin Parish, La. and a retrofitted 80,000-square-foot facility with a new 200,000 square foot addition in Lafayette Parish, La. Both sites, though in different parishes, fall within the city limits of Broussard. SafeSource is investing a total of $150 million in the two sites, and the projects will create a combined 1,221 new direct jobs and result in an estimated 992 indirect jobs.
About SafeSource Direct
SafeSource Direct LLC is an American manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE) dedicated to keeping our nation’s healthcare and other essential workers safe on the job. At SafeSource Direct, success minded team-members use innovation and automation to provide high-quality American-made PPE at prices competitive with those of foreign suppliers. Headquartered in Lafayette Parish, La., SafeSource Direct operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Broussard as well as in neighboring St. Martin Parish. Positioned near the Mississippi River, rail lines, and interstate highways, it is well positioned to distribute PPE to the nation. To learn more about how SafeSource Direct is laying the groundwork for sustainability in the healthcare industry, visit SafeSourceDirect.com.