In the wake of a nationwide crisis, the owner of Allentown's Cityline Construction, Tom Williams, Sr., sourced and purchased 30,000 gallons of MediClean Germicidal Cleaner, a medical-grade sanitizing solution, to donate to those on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19.
Cityline Construction was founded in 1983 and specializes in rebuilding residential and commercial properties damaged by fire, water, storm and other causes of destruction. As an emergency service provider, Cityline is a life-preserving business permitted to continue operations during COVID-19 restrictions in Pennsylvania. “In addition to what we do on a daily basis, my team and I have worked on three major disasters—9/11, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy,” says Williams. “There was no doubt we needed to do our part during this current disaster—COVID-19.”
Along with the actual sanitizing solution, Williams also sourced and purchased one-gallon plastic bottles and 55-gallon drums from all around the country. He then hired independent trucking contractors to expedite the delivery to Allentown.
The total donation value, including labor and materials, is estimated to be around $300,000. “As an emergency service provider, we often work alongside local police, fire and EMS personnel,” says Williams. “After learning that many of our first responders do not have adequate virus-fighting protection during this pandemic, I knew I needed to do something to help keep them safe.”
Prior to receiving the first truckload of MediClean, Williams and his team emptied and disinfected Cityline's Allentown warehouse and turned it into a production facility for the sanitizing solution. They ran overhead water lines and built custom bottle mixing and filling stations that would allow essential workers to fill up to 10,000 gallons per day while remaining socially distant during the process.
To spread the word, the Cityline team reached out to the Lehigh County Communications Center to alert them that the sanitizing solution would be available to local first responders at absolutely no cost. They also reached out to Emergency Management teams in surrounding counties. Soon, calls from local hospitals, nursing homes, government offices and task forces started coming in.
Product distribution began on Thursday, April 9, and by Tuesday, April 14, all 30,000 gallons were packaged and distributed to first responders in 13 Pennsylvania counties, including Lehigh, Northampton Bucks, Berks, Monroe, Luzerne and Montgomery. These first responders received enough product to last up to four weeks.
