Jun 11 2020
Two Minnesota small business owners in the throes of the current COVID-19 reopening phase are relieved to know the air circulating throughout their hair salon and family restaurant has been thoroughly filtered and sanitized by Iso-Aire™ clean air technology. Developed in St. Paul by Ducts & Cleats, Iso-Aire safeguards indoor air quality with healthcare-grade components now available for the commercial mainstream market.
Annette Bing of Family Salon in Cannon Falls, Minn., and Joe Nasseff of St. Paul's Joseph's Grill partnered with Ducts & Cleats to utilize Iso-Aire systems at their business locations, making a sound investment in protecting their employees, customers and livelihood.
The placement of three Iso-Aire units inside Joseph's Grill, 140 Wabasha Street South, and one unit in Cannon Falls' downtown Family Salon, 139 4th St North, is the result of a partnership forged with St. Paul business owner Chuck Albers, of Ducts & Cleats. Albers and his team worked with a local mechanical contractor to install the clean air technology as an opportunity to help fellow small business owners who have been hit hard by the pandemic shutdowns. Bing and Nasseff are utilizing the powerful Iso-Aire units at their storefronts as Minnesota continues to cautiously re-open with strict guidelines and mandates.
Albers and his team developed Iso-Aire to address COVID-19 and decrease the risk of contamination of other droplet and/or airborne-based infections in healthcare settings. The device utilizes powerful components to eliminate up to 99.99% of potentially harmful contaminants including microscopic particulates such as Coronavirus particles measuring .12-.1 microns in diameter. Iso-Aire units are installed in hospitals here in Minnesota as well as on the East and West Coasts, but these small business locations mark a first for commercial use.
"Many business owners are barely hanging on as COVID-19 brought Main Street commerce in towns like Cannon Falls and cities like St. Paul to a halt," explained Albers. "Iso-Aire serves as a clean air solution that can help small businesses in knowing airborne contaminants are captured and destroyed through a multi-filtration process. That peace of mind - for both business owners and their customers - is invaluable reassurance as we continue to support our local businesses safely."
"This is a win-win for us and our neighborhood," explained Nasseff, owner of legendary Joseph's Grill, who implemented a phase-one patio dining opening on June 1 and starting today offers partial indoor seating. "We will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of our customers and employees who are family to us. As Governor Walz and his team confirmed the go-ahead to open our indoor restaurant and bar starting today we have clean air technology in place."
Albers and his team developed Iso-Aire in early 2020 at the request one of Minnesota's leading healthcare facilities in response to COVID-19 to ensure a secure and safe environment for patients and employees, particularly in stringent isolation room settings. Realizing the technology could be adapted for commercial use in environments requiring safe-distancing and clean air quality, they re-designed the unit slightly making it versatile to accommodate a variety of settings such as business offices, dental clinics, schools, senior living centers, churches, salons, and restaurants.
"The Iso-Aire unit offers assurance on many levels," said Bing, who has owned Family Salon for more than 25-years. "In a tight-knit community we know our customers and their health and safety is our top priority as we slowly adjust to this new normal. During challenging times, we lean on one another to pull through, and we have Chuck and his team to thank for working with us to ensure the air we breathe here is safe."