Prestige Ameritech, Surgical Mask and N95 Respirator Manufacturer

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Supply Chain Ignorance

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LATEST FROM PRESTIGE AMERITECH

Prestige Ameritech is the largest domestic manufacturer of surgical face masks in the United States.
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Private Label Products

PRIVATE-LABEL PRODUCTS
What can we do for you?While Prestige Ameritech manufacturers and markets its own products under ProGear® and other brand names, we are also the trusted private-label and contract-manufacturing partner of many other medical companies.Innovation, automation, speed-to-market and uncommon customer service make Prestige Ameritech a great business partner.The Prestige team is skilled in developing, improving and manufacturing medical products made from non-woven fabrics, films, elastics, tapes and other webs. The products that we manufacture tend to be flat in nature.Below is a representative list of products that we can manufacture for your company. Call us today to discuss your new product or product improvement.Surgical Masks (Tie-On; Ear-Loop; Masks with Visors; Anti-Fog; Sensitive Skin; Custom-Printed; Nasal Strip Mask)RespiratorsFace ShieldsIce PacksWound Care DressingsWound CoversSkin ClosuresTube/Catheter HoldersTracheostomy Tube Holders

Press Releases

PRESS RELEASES
11.08.2010Prestige Ameritech Unveils US-Made N95 Respirator as Flu Season BeginsNORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas - Prestige Ameritech has received NIOSH and FDA approval to market its new N95 Particulate Filter Respirator and Surgical Mask in time for the 2010 Flu Season. The new respirator will be sold by Owens & Minor and other distributors. Prestige Ameritech was recently awarded contracts for N95 respirators and surgical masks by the Premier and Med Assets Group Purchasing Organizations.The ProGear® N95 Respirator has the highest fluid-resistance rating available, a larger-than-normal filter area for easier breathing and speaking, soft stretch-knit headbands for increased comfort, and a convenient dispensing method."We're going to show the healthcare industry that respirators don't have to be bulky, uncomfortable or expensive to be effective," said Dan Reese, President of Prestige Ameritech.Prestige Ameritech's new N95 Respirator is another step toward its goal of placing America's surgical mask and respirator supply back under American control. Much of America's surgical mask and respirator supply is currently imported. 11.06.2009Prestige Ameritech Reopening Former Kimberly-Clark Surgical Mask Factory to Fight H1N1, Create US JobsNORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas -Prestige Ameritech is turning a vacant, former Kimberly-Clark surgical mask factory into a Global Pandemic Preparedness and Response Center. The 220,000 square foot facility, on 17 acres in North Richland Hills, Texas, will open by January 31, 2010. Besides supplying America's hospitals with their normal supplies of masks and respirators, the center will help the US and other countries build surgical mask and N95 respirator stockpiles for use during the H1N1 and future pandemics. Stockpiling reduces the likelihood of mask and respirator shortages during global emergencies. America's hospitals are currently experiencing a pandemic related mask and respirator shortage.Many of Prestige Ameritech's 200 employees once worked at the facility when it was operated by Kimberly-Clark. In 2006, Kimberly-Clark closed the factory when it and the rest of Americas major mask makers discontinued making surgical masks in the US. By securing America's mask supply with American made masks, Prestige Ameritech hopes to create another 200 jobs in the next few years."Prestige Ameritech will provide US healthcare systems with a secure, high quality American made surgical mask and respirator supply that cannot be diverted by foreign health agencies during global emergencies," said Dan Reese, Prestige Ameritech's founder and CEO.

CONTACT

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GENERAL CONTACT INFORMATION

PHONE: 817 427 2700

FAX: 817 886 2733

7201 Iron Horse Blvd.,

North Richland Hills, TX 76180

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Steve LaBracke

Your ProGear® Representative is:

Steve LaBracke

SteveL_prestigeameritech.com

630-291-9709

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Mike Bowen

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Mike Bowen

mbowen_prestigeameritech.com

817-898-0037

GENERAL CONTACT INFORMATION

PHONE: 817 427 2700

FAX: 817 886 2733

7201 Iron Horse Blvd.,

North Richland Hills, TX 76180

Videos

Videos featuring Prestige Ameritech

Gov. Perry Speaks at Opening

Dan Reese Speaks at Opening

NBC's Coverage of Opening

Prestige Ameritech - WFAA Channel 8 Exclusive

Prestige Ameritech - NBC 5 - 11/08/2009

Prestige Ameritech - The 33 News

Lou Dobbs on US' foreign mask dependency: 'It's crazy'

CNN

Prestige Ameritech - Cavuto - 04/28/2009

Gov. Perry Speaks at Opening

Dan Reese Speaks at Opening

NBC's Coverage of Opening

Prestige Ameritech - WFAA Channel 8 Exclusive

Prestige Ameritech - NBC 5 - 11/08/2009

Prestige Ameritech - The 33 News

Lou Dobbs on US' foreign mask dependency: 'It's crazy'

CNN

Prestige Ameritech - Cavuto - 04/28/2009

CNN's Jean Meserve asks: Are there enough flu masks?

Articles

ProGear Products

About Us OUR MISSIONIn the past few years, all of the major surgical mask companies except Prestige Ameritech have relocated their mask manufacturing plants outside of the United States. As a result, during a killer pandemic foreign border closures, work stoppages, transportation breakdowns and decisions of foreign health officials can disrupt America's vital surgical mask and respirator supply. Prestige Ameritech is the only major surgical mask manufacturer with domestic manufacturing facilities.Prestige Ameritech is committed to placing America's mask supply back under American control. Buying Prestige Ameritech's American-made masks will make certain that you have the safest supply available - now and in the future.

Prestige Ameritech's 17-Acre Forth Worth, Texas World Headquarters

FAQ

FAQ

What type of company is Prestige Ameritech?Prestige Ameritech is a manufacturer of surgical masks and other disposable medical products. Why is Prestige Ameritech in the US when the trend is to outsource manufacturing?Foreign government health officials now control 90% of the US mask supply. The people of Prestige Ameritech and many health care leaders believe that Americas mask supply should be under American control.Is Prestige Ameritech publicly traded?Prestige Ameritech is a private company.Does Prestige Ameritech have plans to become publicly traded?Not at this time.Is Prestige Ameritech seeking investors?Not at this time.

Pandemic Response Statement

Prestige Ameritech's Pandemic Response Statement

During a pandemic or national emergency, Prestige Ameritech's policy will be to: 1. Supply masks and respirators to our current customers.2. Add new customers only if and when our existing customers' needs are met.

Where Do Masks Come From

Q: Where do surgical masks come from?
A: Greater than 90% of the US surgical mask supply is imported.On which country's health officials and condition will your organization rely during the next pandemic?

Surgical Mask Seller Country of Manufacture3M Healthcare* ................................... AMD-Ritmed, Inc. ............................... Cardinal Healthcare ............................ Kimberly-Clark Health Care** ................ Mölnlycke Health Care ....................... Medline Industries, Inc.* ..................... MediChoice ........................................ Precept Medical Products, Inc. ........... Prestige Ameritech ............................. Tronex Healthcare ..............................
ChinaChinaMexicoMexicoChinaChinaChinaMexicoUSAChina

Pandemic Preparedness Center
During the H1N1 pandemic, Prestige Ameritech formed the Global Pandemic Preparedness and Response Center to provide a secure source of surgical masks and respirators during national emergencies and pandemics for our current customers. A vertically integrated, US based manufacturing facility gives the GPPRC control and security that companies with foreign manufacturing cannot offer.The GPPRC features:A 220,000 square foot mask and respirator manufacturing facility located on a seventeen acre complex in North Richland Hills, Texas.In-house engineering. The company builds and maintains all of its proprietary, automated mask and respirator manufacturing equipment on site.In-house slitting allows the company to quickly modify material widths for manufacturing flexibility during emergenciesIn-house material spooling provides longer master rolls of raw materials for longer, non-stop production runsIn-house manufacturing provides the elastic needed to make the ear-loops for isolation masksAll US raw materials means that no foreign government can confiscate the company's raw materials during global emergencies.Stockpiling services. The company currently stockpiles pre-purchased masks for the US government. This large supply of mask is instantly available in an emergency to protect federal government workers. For a monthly, quarterly or annual fee, the company will provide pandemic mask and respirator storage for hospitals, as well. The company has constructed the GPPRC so that it can quickly become what the federal government calls a warm-base operation. A warm-base operation is formed when the federal government partners with a manufacturing company to build and maintain manufacturing capacity for quick ramp-up of production of medical supplies during emergencies. The company is not currently acting as a warm-base operation, but has all the components with which to do so with little notice -- large facility, machine building capability, US materials, locally-trained workforce, etc.

Company History

COMPANY HISTORY

Not long ago, Tecnol Medical Products, Inc. domestically manufactured about ninety percent of America's surgical masks. In 1997, Tecnol was acquired by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Subsequently, Kimberly-Clark moved mask and respirator manufacturing to Mexico. The rest of the major mask manufacturers then moved to China, Mexico, Columbia and elsewhere.In 2005, former employees of Tecnol and Kimberly-Clark began Prestige Ameritech in order to re-secure the US mask supply. They believed that the death of mask manufacturing had caused a national security issue: during pandemics, America's mask supply would be at the mercy of foreign health officials charged with protecting their own countrymen. Besides the obvious risk of confiscation, conditions and infrastructure issues within the exporting countries could disrupt supply. In 2009, the mask shortages created by the relatively mild H1N1 pandemic highlighted the fragility of the US mask supply. Prestige Ameritech quickly increased its output and provided masks to many US hospitals that could no longer get their foreign made masks. During this time, business increased enough for the company to obtain and reopen the vacant 220,000 square foot Kimberly-Clark mask and respirator factory in which Prestige Ameritech's employees had previously worked as Tecnol and Kimberly-Clark employees. It is now the site of the company's Global Pandemic Preparedness and Response Center.As of 2011, the company sells a full line of US-made masks and respirators to hospitals across America, has acquired contracts with major hospital group purchasing organizations, has sold millions of masks to several departments of federal government, has an agreement to stockpile masks for the federal government, and manufacturers masks for other companies. Prestige Ameritech's engineering department designs and constructs the high speed machinery that manufactures all of the company's products. During global emergencies, the company can quickly add production capacity. The company's growth comes from hospital systems and government agencies that desire the security of a domestically made mask and respirator supply and Prestige Ameritech is the only major domestic manufacturer of surgical masks in the United States.Prestige Ameritech classified as a small business.

Supply chain ignorance is bliss
Mike Bowen, the Executive Vice President of Prestige Ameritech speaks frankly about America's insecure mask supply chain:In recent years, S.A.R.S., Avian Flu, and H1N1 caused great concern at their beginnings, but were soon controlled or were not as deadly as first feared. The next time, the world may not be as fortunate.A string of governmental pandemic warnings has made many apathetic toward pandemics and pandemic preparation. Like the villagers of The Boy Who Cried Wolf tale, we have become numb from hearing multiple warnings about terrors that haven't materialized. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the arrival of a global killer pandemic isn't a question of if, but of when. Just because there have been false alarms doesn't mean that it is safe to let down our guard.As part of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21, HHS conducted a study in 2007 of America's ability to respond to pandemics. One of the gaps HHS identified was America's new dependence on foreign surgical masks. More than ninety percent of America's surgical masks are imported. Less than ten years ago, ninety percent were made within the continental United States.For a moment, try to imagine that America is in the midst of a killer flu pandemic -- the type that health officials fear the most. People are dying, hospitals - including yours - are overflowing, and the morgues and funeral homes can't keep up. At a time like this, can a foreign-based mask supplier open a closed border? As her countrymen are dying, will a foreign health official let life-saving masks leave her country? Will foreign police forces, already overwhelmed with pandemic related issues, prevent mobs of desperate people from breaking into mask factories? US-made masks are competitively priced with the imports. Inertia is the only thing stopping your healthcare organization from having a secure mask supply. Where are your masks made?

Instructional Videos

ProGear® N95 Respirator Donning Instructions

ProGear® N95 Respirator Fit-Test Failures and Remedies

Wiffle Ball and Prestige

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