Winnipeg owned-and-operated company gives back to community while filling void
They reach clients on six continents, but they’ve never lost sight of what’s truly important to them: supporting their local community. Rick G. Duha of Duha Group, an industry-leading manufacturer of innovative colour marketing tools, chats with the HSC Foundation about how they are supporting HSC Winnipeg’s health care heroes, one bottle of hand sanitizer at a time.
HSCF: Why did you choose to support the HSC Foundation COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund?
RD: There’s a great need to support the frontlines during this global health crisis, but it can be challenging for those in the business community to understand where support is needed most. By partnering with the HSC Foundation, we can ensure that funds are going to the most urgent priorities.
HSCF: How does it make you feel to donate to this initiative?
RD: The Duha family and all our team at Duha Group have benefitted from Winnipeg’s amazing community, thanks to operating our family business since the 1940s. As Winnipeggers, we need to unite now more than ever. Finding a way to support the HSC Foundation’s initiatives is one small way our team can give back to this wonderful place we call home.
HSCF: Why would you encourage others to donate to the HSC Foundation?
RD: Organizations like the HSC Foundation are so connected with the needs of the health care community and are well-positioned to understand where funds have the largest impact on both immediate and long-term requirements for our city and province.
HSCF: How did your business pivot to hand sanitizer and what did you learn from that change?
RD: We were fortunate to be on the list of essential services, therefore able to stay operational over the last several months. We were looking to purchase hand sanitizer to keep our team safe while they were working and, like many other businesses, trying to keep our doors open. We discovered that much of the global commercial supply of hand sanitizer had been (for good reason) allocated to the medical and health industry. We realized that our process for dispensing paint meant that we had the equipment to bottle and distribute hand sanitizer, and so we began creating an ingredient supply chain for large batches of hand sanitizer to bring to the market and raise funds for an amazing organization.
HSCF: For how long will you be selling hand sanitizer?
RD: We have seen a strong need for this in the Winnipeg business community, especially with Manitoba’s first phase of re-opening plans. This is not our core business and we have no intention to stay in this business long term, but as long as there continues to be a shortage of commercially available hand sanitizer and a strong demand in our community, we will continue to provide it.
All proceeds of Duha Group hand sanitizer support the HSC Foundation.
Click here to make your purchase.
