NEW ORLEANS – Before the COVID shutdown, local startup Stop & Block had installed hundreds of sunscreen dispensers at Jazz Fest, the Crescent City Classic, Hogs for the Cause and Saints training camp. Now the three-year-old company has pivoted. Its devices are dispensing hand sanitizer at local office buildings, shopping malls and other locations where people gather.
CEO Sean McCloskey said he’s set up more than 50 dispensers this week, including at Benson Tower, Lakeside Mall and 400 Poydras Tower (Regions building).
McCloskey said there’s a major shortage of sanitizer dispensers as the state moves deeper into the reopening. Touch-free dispensers are needed by offices and stores because they are more sanitary than bottles.
“With hand sanitizer being a critical component to reduce Covid-19, it’s important that as many people can have access to touch-free sanitizer dispensers as possible,” said McCloskey in a press release. “Yet, businesses are not able to get dispensers as many vendors have a one- to two-month backorder. We are happy that we can use our dispensers to provide this access to locations that otherwise would not have it.”
The first phase of Louisiana’s reopening requires access to soap or hand sanitizer as part of its guidelines. Automatic sanitizer dispensers provide a more hygienic solution than communal squirt bottles.
“It was devastating for Stop & Block when all major events were cancelled, and places like pools, hotels and tourist attractions closed, as these are primary locations for our sunscreen dispensers,” said McCloskey. “But the silver lining was that our product could be a tool to fight Covid-19.”
Stop & Block’s dispensers are touch-free, battery powered, and weatherproof. They can be mounted to a wall or a stand. The company makes two models – a larger, high-tech version that can be rented or a smaller, more traditional model that can be purchased.