Julia Sacco

Special to The Lake Report

St. Davids plexiglass screen manufacturer Leslie Mann is expanding his business by creating custom screens as the pandemic continues.

Mann, who began making screens for small businesses in June, has created a prototype screen for a client operating a wellness centre.

“When she was able to be open but still have restrictions, she needed to separate herself while doing procedures. She had seen someone come up with an idea in the States so she sent me a picture and we worked back and forth and came up with the design,” said Mann.

Heather Ravelle, partner and medical esthetician at Cenoté Wellness and Medical Spa in Welland, said the prototype helps her to perform her job safely but effectively as its armholes let her complete treatments and its wheels allow her to manoeuvre around the bed with the patients having their masks off and Ravelle still in full PPE.

Once she can open her business again, Ravelle hopes they can mass-produce Mann’s prototype design with some enhancements made for the medical field. Ravelle thinks the design could be a game-changer, Mann noted.

“It needs to become more medical, as in built with aluminum or steel, something that’s sterilizing,” said Ravelle.

“(Leslie) is working on the next prototype right now so that until someone can assist me further, like a production company to manufacture them, he is helping me take them to the next level right now and we will see what happens with that,” said Ravelle.

Ravelle’s son, who is a 3D modeller, helped design a model of her desired prototype to show Mann. That dedication to detail and imagery helps him in the process of creating custom works.

The more visual information he has the easier it is for Mann to come up with the design as well as estimate cost.

He has been busy completing other custom works for locations including pizza places, restaurants, medical offices, reception desk areas and even a church.

“Since people are looking online at what’s available and all those screens are generally sit-at-the-desk type things and mass-produced, I’m catering more toward specific situations where things have to be measured and fabricated to their particular needs,” Mann said.

Mann can be contacted about his plexiglass screens at his website modelsbymann.squarespace.com, by email at modelsbymann@gmail.com or 416-315-7086.