Cherokee County

Local company playing key role in fight against COVID-19 is hiring

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Unemployment numbers continue to soar in Georgia amid the coronavirus pandemic. But there are some local companies still hiring.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden talked to the the president and CEO of a global medical device company about how his company is playing a key role in the fight against COVID-19.

Employees at the CAIRE Inc. manufacturing plant have been working around the clock since the pandemic hit. The company produces oxygen therapy equipment that countless survivors are using after they leave the hospital.

President and CEO Earl Lawson said the company has hired over 150 people and is now looking to fill another 30 positions in Georgia. Lawson said the demand for CAIRE’s products has increased sixfold in the past few months.

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“The World Health Organization predicted about 14 percent of all those who contracted the virus did require severe and acute medical treatment and then would require oxygen," Lawson said. "We are really working hard with our suppliers and we ramped up production.”

Lawson said the company took lessons from one of its manufacturing facilities in China on how to keep workers safe here in Georgia -- and how to get back up and running as soon as possible.

"We started working immediately to put a plan in place to allow us to open back up as soon as we were able to," Lawson said. “We were able to put measures in place to protect the employees , check temperatures, spread out the lines and wear masks."

The precautions seem to be working: There are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus among employees at the Georgia facility.

Lawson said the company has no plans of stopping production. In fact, they are looking for more employees to help produce oxygen machines.

If you’re interested in a job with CAIRE, click HERE.