HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — There is a family-run business out of Carrollwood that’s been making safety shields for use at checkout counters across the country.
During the past two months, Sandra Leppert and her family have prepared more than 700 safety shields in their garage.
“We have really worked very aggressively to produce these quickly, package them, and ship them, every time we get an order there is like a sense of urgency we need to get these to people,” said Leppert.
The company, Sandra Leppert and Associates, has been working with the retail industry for decades.
“Floors, building signage, custom counters,” said Leppert. “Retail stores was our true calling.”
However, when stores started closing down due to the pandemic, they were left pondering the future.
“We were struggling to see if we are even able to survive through this, do we fit anymore, are we relevant,” said Leppert.
That’s when she visited her local Carrollwood post office and came up with an idea.
“I stand in line, and I really see the reality of what’s going on, what they were using for people protection,” said Leppert. “I really felt I could help them create a safe environment during the pandemic.”
The post office decided to give Leppert a chance. The results were transparent, 15 more post offices in the area requested shields, along with several other businesses across the country.
“I really felt encouraged by the post office, it validated what I was doing,” said Leppert. “And it kind of confirmed and reinforced, yes you are moving in the right direction to start this pivot for the company.”
