Page 16 - BusinessWest February 3, 2025

MANUFACTURING & CONSTRUCTION >>
An Industry Leader — Hands Down
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FEBRUARY 3, 2025 << MANUFACTURING & CONSTRUCTION >>
BusinessWest
Excel Dryer Continues
to Push the Envelope in an Emerging Sector
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
It’s always been an uphill battle, said Gagnon, execu- tive vice president and chief operating officer at East Longmeadow-based Excel Dryer, noting that the paper industry has spared no expense, and no energy, in its quest to portray hand dryers as unhygienic — essentially blowing germs around the bathroom and on one’s hands.
But through a series of commissioned studies and diligent work to educate consumers, the high-speed hand- dryer sector was making some real progress on the battle- front. That was, until ... the pandemic.
Indeed, COVID hit many industries hard, and in differ- ent ways, from restaurants that saw business come to a virtual standstill to event venues that could no longer book gatherings. But COVID threw a huge wrench into the hand- dryer sector, Gagnon explained, resulting in several years of turmoil from which it is still emerging.
“I lost 10 years of my life those three years,” he said of the period from early 2020 to early 2023, when the dust started to settle somewhat.
And now, COVID may wind up being ... not a blessing, but a benefit for this sector thanks to all the work done to promote the health of these products, to bring indus- try players together as they had never been before, and to weather a huge storm.
“I believe the pandemic, while it took the legs out from under us, will be a giant springboard for our entire indus-
“I believe the pandemic, while it took the legs out from under us, will be a giant springboard for our entire industry globally and drive our success in the future.”
“D
county and the around the globe.
avid vs. Goliath.”
That was how Bill Gagnon chose to
describe the ongoing fight between the still-emerging high-speed hand-dryer
industry and the huge paper industry for the right to put their products in restrooms across the
Bill Gagnon stands near one of the living walls in the environmentally friendly, and worker-friendly, addition to the company’s plant in East Longmeadow.