NewAge Industries, On Frontlines Of Operation Warp Speed, Struggling To Get Own Employees Vaccinated
SOUTHHAMPTON, Pa. (CBS) -- A local Bucks County company on the frontlines of Operation Warp Speed is struggling to get their own employees prioritized to get the COVID-19 vaccine they are helping to produce.
"This is the industrial revolution," NewAge Industries CEO Ken Baker said.
Inside the sterile walls of NewAge Industries in Southampton, team members are making the silicone tubing essential for pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
"It's really kind of the plumbing to actually put all of the ingredients together," Baker said.
Baker's father started the company back in 1954. Last April, they quickly became front-and-center of Operation Warp Speed to help produce the life-saving COVID vaccine that's now rolling out to millions of Americans, and it's not the first time they've answered the call.
"We support cancer drugs, flu vaccine, yellow fever," Baker said.
Since the pandemic began, demand for their products has doubled.
"We have a lot of team members that have been working a tremendous amount of hours over the last year," Baker said.
Something Baker says is possible because of how they're structured for success, even in a year of so many unexpected challenges.
"I sold 100% of the company to the employees so everybody in this plant is an owner in the company, and not only that, but we also share the profits quarterly," Baker said.
When Baker looks through these windows and sees what's behind it, he sees it as a production -- a production that Baker hopes his team can sustain by getting their vaccine soon.
"We are B1 right now. I think we should be A1 because if we're not making our product, the vaccine is not getting made," he said.
Demand for NewAge Industries' products isn't slowing down anytime soon, and they need workers. If you'd like to learn more, click here.
We reached out to the state health department and they released a statement saying, in part, "We definitely understand the concern from the companies whose employees are doing important work. Right now, the vaccine supply is about half of the demand in Pennsylvania where vaccine providers are focusing on people eligible in Phase 1A."
CBS3's Alicia Roberts reports.