3 million masks ordered by Massachusetts were confiscated in Port of New York, leading to creative alternative Seizure led to operation to obtain masks from China Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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ANYMORE. BUT I DO KNOW IS THAT SOMETIME AROUND THE TIME THAT WE HAD OUR 3 MILLION MASKS WE HAD ORDERED THROUGH BJ’S CONFISCATED IN THE PORT OF NEW YORK. AT THAT TIME IT BECAME APPARENT THAT USING A TRADITIONAL APPROACH WAS NOT GOING TO WORK. AND JUST STARTED CALLING EVERY BUDDY I COULD THINK OF WHO MIGHT HAVE THE ABILITY TO HELP US ACCESS N95 MASKS, WHICH WERE CLEARLY VIEWED AT THAT TIME. IT WAS 3 MILLION MASKS THAT WE LOST IN THE PORT OF NEW YORK. THAT WAS CLEARLY GOAL NUMBER ONE. IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT CALLING PEOPLE WHO HAD CONNECTIONS TO OR RELATIONSHIPS IN ASIA. WE WERE ALSO CALLING PEOPLE WHO HAD RELATIONSHIPS IN EUROPE, PEOPLE WHO HAD RELATIONSHIPS IN CANADA, PEOPLE WHO HAD RELATIONSHIPS IN MEXICO. ONE OF THE BEST PARTS ABOUT BEING IN MASSACHUSETTS IS YOU HAVE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GLOBAL NETWORKS. OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HAVE GLOBAL NETWORKS. A LOT OF OUR BUSINESSES HAVE GLOBAL NETWORKS. A LOT OF OUR CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE GLOBAL NETWORKS. IF YOU START CALLING THESE PEOPLE, YOU MAY EVENTUALLY LAND ON SOMEONE WHO HAS THE ABILITY TO HELP FIGURE OUT HOW TO ACTUALLY PUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS TOGETHER SOMEWHERE. WE EVENTUALLY LANDED ON SOME FOLKS WHO COULD HELP US NAVIGATE SOME OF THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH HOW YOU THIS IF YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE A BIG PURCHASE IN CHINA. THEN THE QUESTION BECAME, OK, WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO WE THINK AND HELP US EXECUTE ON A PURCHASE. IN THE QUESTION BECOMES, HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY GET IT BACK? I DID NOT WANT TO GO TO THE SAME EXERCISE WE HAD GONE THROUGH PREVIOUSLY WITH THE PORT OF NEW YORK. WE CONCLUDED THAT THE BEST WAY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN WOULD BE IF WE COULD FIND A PRIVATE TRIP THAT WE COULD TREAT AS A HUMANITARIAN MISSION. THAT WAS WHEN CALLED JONATHAN KRAFT AND SAID, I THINK WE HAVE A WAY TO ACCESS A PROCUREMENT IN CHINA. THAT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET IT BACK HERE. WE THINK PURSUING THIS AS A PRIVATE HUMANITARIAN MISSION IS A FAR BETTER WAY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND T

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