Ep 102 | Jason Wang: How his Advisory Firm Makes Coronavirus Face Shields for the Front Line

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Jason Wang, the Founder of Cypress River Advisors spoke with me about how his advisory firm which is normally not in the business of producing PPE, was able to start the production of face shields at scale in four weeks in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort which is called Face Shields for the First Line, donates face shields to health care and essential workers.

We also talked about how they cut down on the shipping costs and minimized waste by using polypropylene a material lighter in weight than acrylic and flat packaging due to the origami design of the face shield.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• What's it been like being in Taiwan during the Coronavirus pandemic
• Jason's, upbringing and career path before he relocated to Taiwan and founded Cypress River Advisors
• What brought Jason back to Taiwan
• What Cypress River Advisors does
• How Cypress River Advisors has been impacted by COVID-19
• How this advisory firm had no prior experience producing PPE but its Face Shield for the First Line effort was able to produce and ship their first face shields in four weeks
• Why Jason decided to start Face Shields for the First Line
• How Face Shields for the First Line began with producing intubation shields and then face shields
• The origami design of the face shields and light-weight materials used to cut down on shipping costs
• What bra elastic has to do with Face Shields for the First Line
• What's been most challenging with Face Shields for the First Line
• What's been most rewarding about Face Shields for the First Line
• How Jason manages the business of Cypress River Advisors and Face Shields for the First Line
• How fatherhood has changed his outlook on life
• The future direction of Face Shields for the First Line

Related Links:

Face Shields for the First Line Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/faceshieldsforthefirst

Face Shields for the First Line donated to Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY

Face Shields for the First Line on Spotfund:

https://spot.fund/faceshieldsforthefirst

Cypress River Advisors:

https://www.cypressriveradvisors.com/

A conversation between Taiwan's Vice President Chen Chien-jen and Ellen J. MacKenzie (Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) on Friday, April 24, about Taiwan's early and effective response to the coronavirus. Chen Chien-jen received a Doctor of Science degree in epidemiology and human genetics from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1982. Chen and MacKenzie discussed the specific measures Taiwan took to control the spread of the virus and how Vice President Chen's public health training played a role.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReI6ROZNbkk&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR27S_KP92dg_hotNY0SD89V76gbPQKw-_9U76MfuXzUVo-HizO6dpslOMs

TECRO: www.taiwanembassy.org/us_en/index.html

The open source intubation shield box (aka "Aerosol Box") designed by Taiwanese doctor, Lai Hsien-yung: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vWPikcRHVE8YUmZlvgHyb2Nj6hvtxof8

Cypress River Associates COVID-19 Tracker Dashboard: https://cypressriveradvisors.shinyapps.io/covid-19/

Quick video of how to put together the Face Shields for the Front Lines origami face shield: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=207286267217061