Build Up CSS & Script
Build Up: Breadcrumb
Pivot Stories
From architectural millwork to designing face shields with Bednark Studio

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down, with small businesses being hit especially hard. This is a pivotal time for SMBs, and the way they respond to the pressure will determine how their business runs for years to come. Many companies are taking this difficult situation and turning it into an opportunity. In our Positive Pivots series, we’re diving deeper into what these innovative businesses have done, and what lies beneath the surface to produce this kind of creativity and resilience.

This week we spoke with Michael Bednark, Founder of Bednark Studio, to discuss how the company was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is Bednark Studio?

I started Bednark Studio in 2005, initially operating from a small garage in Brooklyn. I served as the chief (and only) project manager, draftsman, carpenter, installer, and driver. At the time, our core business was designing and building sets for film, television, and print advertisements. As the marketing industry evolved, so did Bednark. We expanded our production capabilities to deliver large-format experiential events for consumer brands and creative agencies.

Our strength is our love of solving complex design challenges by leveraging our in-house capabilities. Each project starts with our project management team and flows to engineering/drafting. Once a project is approved, our crafts people bring it to life in wood, metal, plastics, glass, and stone as well as fine and decorative finishing and printing. We also integrate lighting, A/V, and technology as required by each project.

Today, we are a fabrication powerhouse, specializing in experiential events, architectural millwork, and retail environments. With our 107 team members occupying a 65,000 square foot production facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, there is no challenge we cannot solve.

How did COVID-19 affect your operations?

Live events and real-life experiences completely went away in late February and early March. These projects were the core of our business. With a dramatic drop in projects, we made hard choices. We laid off staff and asked our remaining team to take pay cuts. With no certainty of when the virus will be under control, we are planning days or weeks in advance. This is not a way to run a business, but it is our reality.

How did you respond to changes due to COVID-19 at your company?

As we were winding down operations and planning our shelter in place plans, we realized there was a need for personal protective equipment (PPE). We decided to see what we could make or how we could assist others in production of these vital products. We had never made a product or a product in large volume. We needed to learn how to design for manufacturing, how to secure a better and larger supply chain as well as how to work with our staff to handle these new challenges.

Through the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development corporation, we were able to secure a contract for face shields with the New York City Department of Health. The initial order was for 500,000 face shields. Over one weekend, we completely transformed our business into a large-scale manufacturing operation. We secured materials through existing and new vendors, we hired a new assembly line staff, and we brought back our core staff for machining and supply chain management. The shields were well received in the field and over 90 days we supplied New York City with 2.7 million shields.

In May, we added another safety product — taxi divider partitions. We sold this product directly to Uber and Lyft drivers, while the face shields were bought by a single purchaser. The dividers brought a whole new challenge. How do we sell to individuals? We needed an app or a website where we could sell direct. Using Squarespace, we designed and built a website, set up a payment portal, and also attached a scheduling tool so that we could plan each day. We did not want to have a bottleneck of people arriving for dividers, especially in a pandemic.

Has there been a silver lining for your business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?

The quick changes we were forced to make will have a lasting positive impact on our business. The face shields were our first product and then we also designed and developed a low-cost divider for taxi and ride share drivers. Both products were born out of recognizing a need, understanding how we could add our expertise, and engaging the stakeholders so that the product would be a success.

We then looked at our existing business and clients. We have chosen to focus more on millwork projects for residential and commercial interiors. We have been bidding and winning millwork for apartment and townhome renovations as well as some office projects. We have also landed two projects that require custom interiors for elevators. This forced change, opened us to new opportunities, new thinking, and allowed us to apply our expertise and innovation to areas of the medical and construction industries that often fight change and new thinking.

Build Up: Pivot Stories
Latest Pivot Stories articles
Footer