Some PPE being sold doesn't provide the type of protection we insist on: Boomer Naturals CEO

Boomer Naturals CEO Mike Quaid joins Yahoo Finance’s On The Move panel to weigh in on manufacturing PPE and the importance of wearing a mask during the pandemic.

Video Transcript

ADAM SHAPIRO: You don't have to be a genius to know that you should wear a mask, but there's much more than just wearing a mask, it's what a mask might be made of, and there's even more to it than that. So let's bring into the stream Mike Quaid. He is Boomer Naturals CEO, and one of the things that, you know, your company does is you make products from all natural products, and you're also involved in helping raise, not necessarily funds, but to donate product, PPE, to schools and to hospitals, to places that are needing them. So tell us more about what you're doing at Boomer Naturals.

MIKE QUAID: Well, thanks for having me on today, Adam. At Boomer Naturals, we're an innovative health and wellness company that works with our wellness advisory board to bring products to market that enhance well-being and increase the quality of life. And as part of that mission statement, we saw the need to help the folks during the pandemic and actually got into the PPE space in April.

So our face mask are WHO CDC compliant. There are cotton-poly infused with Nano-Silver. So what that does, the Nano-Silver effectively acts as a filter, and they have tested it out at 99.95% anti-microbial, which is pretty impressive, and we're very thankful for having these partners in South Vietnam that are making our masks for us.

So part of our mission statement is to help give back. And to do that in this instance, we have designed a program called prepare and protect. So this program is one which we partner with many organizations to contribute masks to the needy. To date, we've done 135,000 masks to the New York City veterans, partnership with Native Americans, Boys and Girls Clubs across the country, and many schools.

DAN HOWLEY: Mike, what about the actual products is really driving people? Is it just the Nano-Silver? I know you have kind of a neck wrap. I guess, how do you ensure that that is as functional as a face mask. We've seen different reports saying that they're not in general. Is a different type of material that you're using? Is it the Nano-Silver that's allowing that to function properly?

MIKE QUAID: Yeah, great question. So we call those our gaiters. They're very popular, but we did not want to get into gaiter business unless we were truly giving protection. And so working with our manufacturers in Vietnam, those products are infused with Nano-Silver as well to provide the filter and protection. There are neck wraps out there that are being sold with, I'm sure with good intention, but they may not provide the type of protection that we insist on bringing to market.

So the neck gaiters that we have, once again, have the Nano-Silver. They are two layers. Three layers is too thick, but the two layers of Nano-Silver infused material will provide great protection.

- Mike, as I understand it, you're in Las Vegas right now, right?

MIKE QUAID: That's right.

- So--

[LAUGHTER]

Yes, I saw a couple of days ago, there are hundreds of protesters protesting the statewide mask mandate. We can talk about all the efficacy and all the amazing benefits of wearing a mask, but give us a pulse of your surroundings. What are you seeing on the street? How are you actually convincing consumers, perhaps the locals, that this is a vital way to curb coronavirus?

MIKE QUAID: Well, boy, it's tough to argue with the science. I heard Adam refer to it earlier, and I couldn't agree more. Certainly, people are entitled to their opinions, not only on the streets in Las Vegas where they might be voicing their opinions, but boy, it's all over Twitter. And there's some conspiracy theories being thrown out on news shows and whatnot. The way I would address this is it's awful tough to fight with science. The studies show exactly what these face masks can do. And I would say to anyone that really wants to fight this, you know, if you're not doing it for yourself, why wouldn't you do it for others?

And there's a unbelievable story that came out of Korea, South Korea last week at a Starbucks, where one woman was sitting underneath the air conditioning unit, and 54 people contracted the COVID virus as it got spread around and passed on to others. The four workers in the Starbucks did not contract it. So while that's not the most scientific study, it's something to point reference to. And if folks don't want to do for themselves, then they should do it for others.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Just want to let you know, I'm on the website right now looking at what you sell the masks for. You know, as cheap as it is-- I don't want to use the word cheap-- as inexpensive. It's $7, and you've got all kinds of different colors. You've got navy. You've got black. You've got different designs. I'm looking for my favorite soft blue blanket. I don't see something like that, but why are they so inexpensive? I would think something like the technology you're using would raise the price.

MIKE QUAID: Well, as I referenced our manufacturers earlier, we source the product from Vietnam. They're very reliable partners. They've been very good with our supply chain. And quite frankly, there is enough margin for us, given the volume we do, that we're comfortable. You're right, though. Our masks are low compared to others that offer the same type of selection and attributes. You know, besides the colors and the patterns, we've got six different sizes to ensure the proper fit. So that combined with the air loops that could be adjusted and the nose bridge to ensure a really tight fit, we feel like we are offering the best mask in America, and it's between 28 and 30 cents a day if you use it for 30 days.

ADAM SHAPIRO: All right, before we let you go, gotta let everybody know, wait, there's more. But first, Mike Quaid, Boomer Naturals CEO, we appreciate your being here. One of the things that Boomer Naturals has done is they've had this program Prepare and Protect Initiative, and they've donated some of their masks. They've also partnered with people like schools, and we've got one of the recipients of that wellness in the next part of the show.