Michael Kazanowski is a 2012 MSU graduate and co-founder of High Five Spirits and Gypsy Vodka. Not only can he give you a recipe for a killer quarantini, but his company now makes hand sanitizer by the gallon in its Petoskey-based storefront.
Michael and his partners at Gypsy Vodka take a community first approach to their business. They've routinely donated their hand sanitizers to hospitals, healthcare facilities, and first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 effort in the greater Petoskey area.
“We were following the COVID-19 situation pretty closely,” Kazanowski says. “We're in a small town, and everyone works with one another and sticks together. We started hearing from doctors and nurses at the hospital that they were running low on hand sanitizer. As soon as we got the green light, we were in contact with McLaren Health Systems, and they told us their dire need for hand sanitizer. They told us they had about two days left of hand sanitizer for their hospital. We didn't really think much about it. They called, and we had the equipment on hand to make the stuff, and we're like, ‘Whatever we could do, let's do it.’ So we immediately stopped production of vodka and shifted over to making hand sanitizer.
“Just seeing how appreciative the nurses are, the doctors are, the firefighters, the police people. It really makes you feel good. They’re the ones putting their lives out there on the line for us every single day, so if we can give them just a little bit of support and a little bit of protection, then that's a win in our column.”
Kazanowski talks more about his company’s community-first ethos that made making and giving away hand sanitizer a no-brainer. And he’s says they’ll keep making it as long as first responders need it.
“If we have the means to make the hand sanitizer and somebody needs it, it just doesn't really feel right to say, ‘No, we're not going to make this anymore.’ And, obviously, the need is growing and growing. We want to keep on making it. And our goal is to get it to as many people as possible.”
Kazanowski add that MSU was the right place for him coming out of high school.
“Ever since I was a little kid, there wasn't really another school I ever really thought about going to. My dad was a Michigan State Spartan. I guess I bled green my whole life. And every single moment since the day I stepped foot on campus for orientation until the day I graduated was a whole learning experience, and not just inside the classroom, but outside the classroom. And I think that's what really puts Michigan State in a category by itself. The people there, the friendships you make, the life experiences, and then, of course, the education. I mean, it was just a full-blown, amazing experience.
“Our biggest goal is to provide as much hand sanitizer as necessary for first responders, firefighters, police, hospitals, nurses, and health care workers. Anyone that is in need of it, please don't hesitate to reach out. We want to make sure we can get it to you. Our main goal is to make you have a little sense of ease when you're fighting the daily battle every single day. If we can do anything at all to help out, we're going to go the extra mile for you because you guys are giving it all for us.”
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