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01. When the going gets tough, the heroes get going

TriNet celebrates the unsung heroes who are using their resources and expertise to bring innovative solutions to their communities and the nation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published: Feb 3, 2021

Earlier this year, when many businesses began shuttering in response to the pandemic and others had their employees setting up shop at home, small and medium-size businesses stepped up to support their communities in this time of need.

Many companies, TriNet included, have been through national and international crises over the years and have responded with grit, determination and humanity—each time. TriNet is dedicated to making solid business and hiring decisions to ensure it does not have to lay off employees. It also advised customers to consider alternatives, such as furloughs versus layoffs, to allow employees to keep their health benefits.

Small and medium size businesses do so much for this country. They are the backbone of our economy and employ the majority of our workforce. We all have a role to play in fighting this pandemic and we are honored to help our SMB customers, including medical personnel. They are the true heroes, putting the health and safety of others before their own while working to combat COVID-19.

Burton M. Goldfield, President and CEO of TriNet

TriNet witnessed many heroes among its own customer base who extended their businesses to answer community and global needs.

The pandemic has resulted in global shortages in supplies, slow distribution of resources and high costs for COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Silicon Valley company, Mammoth Biosciences, has taken their tool for finding and replacing DNA a step further, using it as a search engine for biology and creating a new class of diagnostic tests. Mammoth has used their system to develop a platform that can provide test results in as little as 30 minutes using only materials that hospitals and labs typically keep in stock. This enabled higher testing volumes of patients in a more efficient and scalable manner.

Beyond Air, a medical device and biopharmaceutical company, recognized the need to provide a treatment for those suffering respiratory issues as a result of the pandemic. The company allocated significant resources to accelerate production of their respiratory solution and recently reached an agreement with the FDA to test the system in a clinical study with COVID-19 patients. They are now taking all necessary measures to quickly make this solution widely available so that healthcare providers have access to nitric oxide therapy as a potential treatment.

Nonprofit Hot Bread Kitchen already had an incredible mission to create economic opportunity for women and entrepreneurs so they can build better lives for themselves and their families. When COVID-19 hit, the non-profit distributed emergency stipends to women in the food industry and emergency grants to more than 50 food businesses.

Other stories included a distillery making hand sanitizer, a 3D print manufacturer producing PPE and a social justice organization helping to stop the spread of COVID by hiring 1,000 additional workers to conduct robust contact tracing. Together, these businesses are showing it’s anything but “business as usual” right now. They’re making a difference by converting their businesses to help out in times of need—using the same skills, tools and expertise they use every day—and TriNet is proud to stand with them.

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