Mark Cronan runs Academic Apparel, a clothing manufacturing company that's been in the family for 74 years. They usually make graduation caps and gowns, gowns for church and school choirs, and judges gowns. But because graduations are all on hold, there's no need for gowns.
Mark knew he had to do something, so on the first day of the Los Angeles Stay-At-Home order, he started making face masks and went through twelve prototypes before landing on the final design. One of the design challenges was finding the balance between breathability and filtration. A more breathable mask will have less filters, and vice versa, so Mark came up with a design consisting of a good layer of cotton backed by a "pellon."
Now under the name ACA Masks, Mark is working with six or seven new mask designs and is working with the City of Los Angeles government. You can buy a mask at ACAMasks.com, and you can also go on the site to donate masks to essential workers or other people in need.
Learn more from our interview with Mark Cronan below: