©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Jill Nagy
William Farmer, chief operating officer of Creatacor Inc., is hoping to help with the coronavirus pandemic with a plan he has to build hospital beds and other things to help out in the crisis.
The company, located in Halfmoon, usually builds displays for retail stores, trade shows and other events. It is well positioned to create temporary structures for use in the crisis, building things like beds, waiting rooms and treatment areas, Farmer said.
Normally, Creatacor would be preparing exhibits for events like South by Southwest and companies like AngioDynamics, General Electric, Lego and Ikea.
“The event business is not coming back right away,” he said.
“We have a lot of temporary walls,” Farmer said.
They could be used to create a room similar to the temporary hospital in New York City’s Javits Center, he said. They also have “a very creative team that can come up with ideas quickly.”
Perhaps, equally important, he said, “We have lots of room in our facility to keep people spread apart.”
Farmer has been in touch with FEMA, other government offices, the Veterans Administration, area hospitals and others. There has been some interest but, so far, no business, he reported. He is also working with the Saratoga Economic Development Corp. and county chambers of commerce.
For now, 18 of Creatacor’s 46 employees are at home. “We are paying them to be at home,” he said.
He is hoping that the recently passed federal stimulus package will help keep the company afloat. He plans to apply for enough to pay rent and salaries for eight weeks.
The company, located on Route 146 near Routes 9 and 236, has been in business since 1987 when it was spun off from General Electric. Farmer was with the company from the beginning. The last original owner retired in 2010 and sold the company to three employees, including Farmer.