The crew at Ullman Sails Newport Beach creates products to harness the wind, and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The sailmaker pivoted within days of California’s pandemic-driven stay-at-home order in mid-March to start cranking out reusable face masks using tough but breathable technical fabric, keeping its sewing machines humming and its seamstresses from furlough. The uniquely positioned manufacturer went quickly from making a few masks for friends and family to mass-production: more than 4,000 lightweight, moisture-resistant masks so far.

They aren’t rated for medical use, but shop owner Bruce Cooper, who lives in Irvine, is confident in his product for everyday wear. It doesn’t fog glasses. Hold it face-up under a faucet and note that the linen-like liner stays dry. Flip it upside down and watch the hollow for the nose and mouth fill up like a coffee mug.

They don’t last indefinitely, but they’re sturdy.

“We don’t make disposable stuff,” Cooper said, walking between his front office and the room where his identical twin brother, Ken, cuts out the mask components from 3-yard-by-1-yard swaths of cloth. “We make stuff that’s supposed to last years. To last through storms.”

To read more about the story click HERE

Order masks HERE