State gives $1M to Fall River PPE maker for expansion

October 22, 2021 : Boston Business Journal, by Grant Welker

MassDevelopment has given a $1 million equipment loan to a Fall River maker of personal protective equipment to expand its productions and add 150 jobs.

The recipient is Merrow Inc., a eighth-generation family-owned and -operated company founded in 1838. The textile and apparel company was the largest maker of American-sourced reusable and disposable medical-isolation gowns nationally during the pandemic, according to MassDevelopment, the state agency that issued and announced the funding aid on Thursday.

The company, which has 235 employees today, expects to add 150 more in the next three years.

The state’s equipment loan will allow Merrow to modernize its manufacturing operations, including an expansion of its facility and the purchase of new machinery. The funding is part of the federal CARES Act.

Merrow, which includes a sewing machine affiliate, specializes in making technical-sewn products and as one of the state’s largest producers of PPE is a member of the state’s Manufacturing Emergency Response Team.