RED BLUFF, Calif. - A local manufacturing company in Red Bluff came up with an innovative way to stay open.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, QRC, Inc. in Red Bluff which normally makes racing parts, quickly switched gears, helping businesses open up safely.

“You know we were pretty much going along pretty much with our racing season during the winter and winding down in Red Bluff and the coronavirus took place,” says Darryl Fogarty, sales manager for QRC.

The manufacturing shop went from making parts for racing karts to making sneeze barriers for local businesses.

“It’s just taken off and you know, it’s been pretty much our focal point since we were unable to go racing and our business was pretty much shut down from that,” says Fogarty.

QRC says they never thought they’d be making sneeze barriers, but it’s what has kept their business going.

“It’s been able to kind of help keep things flowing, so it probably turned out to be more than we anticipated,” says Fogarty.

QRC has distributed its product throughout various locations around the area in places like Redding, Red bluff, and Corning.

“They’ve been great. All of our checkers love them, it’s keeping the distance between you and the customer at six feet,” says Bill Patchen, owner of Nu-Way Market in Los Molinos. “Plus, if someone were to sneeze or something like that, there’s definitely a barrier in between."

It was actually Nu-Way Market in Los Molinos that reached out to QRC in need of sneeze barriers, ultimately launching the company’s production.

“As we transition back to getting our employees back, it’s going to take time, it’s going to take steps, but I think this all helps,” says Fogarty.

QRC has been in the business of making parts for racing karts for over 30 years.