Mentor, Ohio – Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions in Mentor, Ohio, sponsored the donation of approximately 10,000 social distancing floor graphics to the boards of election in three Northeast Ohio counties to help keep people safe when they come to vote on Election Day and at early-voting locations. Installation has already begun at some of the 384 polling locations across Lake, Cuyahoga and Geauga counties.

The idea came from Ross McDonald, director of the Lake County Board of Elections.

“I knew from LinkedIn that Avery Dennison had a very robust graphics business here,” McDonald said. “And so a light bulb went off as I was doing research for social-distancing markers. Until I spoke with Avery Dennison, we were going to make X's on the floor with green painter’s tape.”

McDonald reached out to the economic development director of the City of Mentor who connected him with Mariana Rodriguez, senior director and general manager of Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions North America. The company employs 2,500 people at its Mentor and Painesville locations.

“After speaking with Ross and understanding the support he was seeking, it was an easy decision for us to sponsor these graphics,” Rodriguez said. “We were pleased to have this opportunity to support our local communities. We agreed to donate both the materials and production costs and decided to extend the offer to Cuyahoga and Geauga counties as well. Safety is always a priority at Avery Dennison, but especially so now, during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The floor graphics designate the recommended 6-foot social distance based on the CDC guidelines. The graphics material is Avery Dennison MPI 2903 Easy Apply™ film with a slip-resistant overlaminate, DOL 2060. DOL 2060 is UL 410 Standard Certified for slip resistance of surface materials.

“The graphics from Avery Dennison are a vast improvement over the alternative,” McDonald said. “It’s a quick installation, which saves us time, and there’s a consistency and visibility that you could never get using painter’s tape. And we were able to customize what we wanted printed on the material. In addition, Avery Dennison’s donation of the floor graphics saved Lake County over $15,000. They really stepped up to support a safe election process this year.”