Quikcord was invented with active duty military members in mind. Founders Matthew Adams and Matthew Fioretti also set out to give back to servicemen and women.
"It is a great feeling, a long time coming, a lot of hurdles we overcame, I am very excited to be a part of it," said Fioretti, chief financial officer at Quikcord Inc.
Adams, president of Quikcord, served in the United States Marine Corps for eight-and-a-half years. He knows how important Quikcord can be in the field. It dispenses paracord and has a blade to cut it, to prevent it from being tangled. The product also features a nighttime emergency signal.
"I come from an infantry and special operations background, mountain warfare instructor, survival instructor, HRST master instructor," said Adams. "Rope work is something that just comes with the territory of being a marine and being out in the field, in the woods in Afghanistan and Iraq, you are always tying up something. Usually it's because something broke and it's an emergency, you need to move quickly and my product helps you do that."
Toner Plastics in East Longmeadow assists in the manufacturing of Quikcord. It’s where Adams and Fioretti made the donation to the Pioneer Valley USO on Tuesday. The group sends care packages to troops and will be able to include Quikcord.
"It’ll go right in the hands of the people we designed the product for," said Fioretti. "Hopefully we will get some good reviews, be there just in time for the holidays, all that kind of good stuff."
Allan Tracey, executive director of the USO, says all the items in the care packages come from donations. Tracey is also a Marine veteran and knows firsthand what it is like to be deployed.
"We have a lot of fun doing it, like you said, we laugh and giggle, and we just want to make sure we keep our military connected to family home in the country and they know we are thinking about them while they are away," said Tracey.
"I am so thankful to be here and to be with Toner and the USO to make this donation happen," Adams added.
To date, Quikcord has donated nearly 1,000 units to the Pioneer Valley USO. They are excited for our service men and women to get the product right around the holiday season.