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5 Dubois County manufacturers announce plans to comply with Covid-19 vaccine mandate

ByLocal Sources Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kimball International, OFS Brands, Indiana Furniture, Versteel, and Jasper Group today jointly announced their plans for complying with the Covid-19 vaccine mandate as providers of furniture products to the U.S. federal government.

The Federal Government issued an executive order on September 9, 2021, which requires
federal contractors, subcontractors, and their employees to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or
have an approved religious or medical exemption by December 8, 2021.

“We fully respect that our collective workforce may have different perspectives related to
COVID-19 and the vaccine, but we must comply with these requirements as a part of our federal
contracts,” said Max Verkamp, president and CEO of Indiana Furniture.

“The federal government has been a long-standing and strategically important customer to each
of our businesses,” said Scott Schwinghammer, president of Versteel and Ditto Sales, Inc. “Our
organizations have spent decades building expertise in providing furniture solutions for a vast
array of federal government environments including offices, medical and educational centers.”

Each company will begin working with employees immediately to verify compliance or discuss
potential exemptions to ensure the government’s requirements are met by December 8.

“As leaders of long-standing businesses in Dubois County, it’s important for each of our companies to share our plans to comply with this mandate with our hometown communities,” said Kristie Juster, CEO of Kimball International.

“Our communities depend on our ability to make the decisions that ensure furniture manufacturing remains strong for generations to come,” added Mike Wagner, president and CEO of Jasper Group.

The companies remain committed to prioritizing the health and safety of all employees.

“We may work for different companies, but we’re all a part of one community,” said Hank Menke
president and CEO of OFS Brands Inc. “We need to look out for the people of our communities
so all of our businesses here in Dubois County continue to thrive.”

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63 Comments

    1. Can’t/shouldn’t the workers be responsible for their own safety? If these companies were worried about their workers’ safety, why did it take the government forcing the companies to do it? Why didn’t they do it before?

  2. Well, looky here. I think many factories may be shutting down due to no workers. Or what going to happen is people will lose the right to have a say so. congratulation. You are letting people tell you what to do. When it comes to a vaccine that has had little to no study done and you ar going to push that into a humans body. Come on. if this is the case why not just inject everyone with some other deadly virus and let that choose who lives and Dies.

  4. Looks like this so called news source fits right in with “mainstream” I posted TWO replies earlier and apparently you did not agree and so you did not publish it. What’s the matter? Did my comments make you feel uncomfortable about what is REALLY taking place?? The truth will come out – sooner or later.
    Our Constitutional Rights and Freedoms are being destroyed and you are playing along with their lies.

  5. All I can say is they are screwed. They can’t get workers now and by forcing people to do this , against their constitutional rights they won’t have any workers and will be paying a lot of unemployment . Stupid is as stupid does.

    1. What constitutional right? A business isn’t forced to employ you and you aren’t forced to work there. Period, end of story. If you want more actual rights as it applies to employment I suggest you vote democrat in the future.

  6. This subject seems to getting a lot of publicity and is an extremely hot button for many. I can see points made by both sides, but would like to know why those who are so adamantly opposed to the COVID vaccine view that so differently from having your kids get the required shots before they attend school? I can’t remember the last time i read an article or saw a fight break out over those required immunizations.

    1. I will speak to this one and ask these 2 questions….

      How long have all those vaccines been around?

      How long as the Covid vaccine been around?

      1. From a Connecticut Department of Public Health pdf and the CDC:

        “These mRNA vaccines are
        a result of decades of work.
        Lessons learned from earlier vaccine research
        informed strategies for developing COVID-19 vaccines.

        Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle
        East respiratory syndrome (MERS) are two diseases
        caused by coronaviruses closely related to the virus
        that causes COVID-19. Researchers began working on
        developing vaccines for these diseases after they were
        discovered in 2003 and 2012, respectively. One MERS vaccine
        (MVA-MERS-S) successfully completed
        a phase 1 clinical trial in 2019.

        mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu,
        Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV).
        As soon as the genetic code became available for SARS-CoV-2
        (the virus that causes COVID-19), scientists began designing
        the mRNA for the vaccine, which provides instructions for
        cells to build the unique spike protein for SARS-CoV-2.”

      2. Here’s a good one for you. Go ahead and look up how long the polio vaccine was tested. The mRNA vaccines have gone through more studies and research. Don’t believe what Facebook tells you lol

      3. That’s the same question?

        Vaccines have been given for hundreds of years. We all had them as children. Many deadly diseases have been eradicated. No one questioned those? They just did it.
        This vaccine is no different. It has been studied over 10 years. It has been cleared by the FDA and the CDC as a safe and effective vaccine It’s the only way out of this pandemic.
        Please listen to the scientist.

    2. For me it’s simple, it took time and alot of research for the immunization. I feel that if more research was done then many may Say yes. I want it. Kind of like flue shot. I don’t get that. At first it was said to be a one time thing. Then a few months later it’s a 2 thing and now . It’s you have to get annually.. the more research the better it is. I have also known people to get the shot and with in a few days they have passed away. Caused was side effects of coding shot. He was a healthy person and more. I also know too many people who have to the shots and are now having side effects. I also know of people who have had it and nothing. For me it just needs more research.

  7. Life is a continuous series of choices…some are harder than others. Vaccinated or not vaccinated? Your personal choice. Job or no job? Your personal choice. Make your choice and move on. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

  8. This is much more than just about getting a “shot”. This is about our Freedom to choose WHAT IS RIGHT FOR OUR BODIES AND WHAT GOES INTO OUR BLOOD. After MUCH research on some of the ingredients of this “shot”, I am well aware that this is NOT A VACCINE. This injection is creating spike proteins throughout the body and passing the blood brain barrier. It is also creating Antibody Dependent Enhancement. If the Government were that concerned about saving human lives, I doubt that they would be in full support of killing babies and using fetal cells when making these “shots”.
    Can anyone out there give a detailed list of EVERY INGREDIENT that is in these shots and if there are ANY NEGATIVE Short term or Long term effects from it?? Did you know that ABSOLUTELY NO ONE IS LIABLE for any negative effects or death that can occur? Putting your Faith & Trust in the Government instead of God is where you went wrong.
    Now, I will see how much Freedom of Speech I have here whether or not this gets posted.

    1. “This is much more than just about getting a “shot”. This is about our Freedom to choose WHAT IS RIGHT FOR OUR BODIES AND WHAT GOES INTO OUR BLOOD.”

      Does this mean you are also pro abortion? It’s a woman’s freedom to choose what is right for her body if we go by your opinion.

      1. This “vaccine” debate isn’t even close to the same thing as abortion. There is another tiny life (whether you admit it or not) involved with an abortion.

  9. What mandate? That was only a press release, there are no current rules that say anything about mandates besides government workers.

  10. There’s so much passion with this topic, what are those of us without said passion to think? Again, how and why is this different than the shots kids get before going to school?

    1. Brian, if you are unable to understand why people are passionate about this topic, I urge you to educate yourself before asking other people about their opinions. There are many foul people in this world. They will try to use you as their tool. Be smart. Be educated.

    2. Because those vaccine’s have been around for a long time and we know the side effects and they are actually vaccines and actually stop you from getting whatever virus you are getting vaccinated for. This is not a vaccine all it’s supposed to do is make it less severe but that is actually not happening either and no one knows the side effects or even what’s in it so yeah it’s very different

  11. A lot of people then who choose to leave there jobs that means more jobs for people that’s did the right thing.protecting there family’s and others trust in science people getting ready to go on ventalaters wish they got the shots. Like one said life’s to short for arguments over something that needs to bed done.

  12. To the people that will choose to lose their jobs because they are stubborn and don’t understand science I have a silver lining for them:

    Now that so many people are now working from home the need for office furniture is going to be WAY less. Correction it IS already WAY less. So your job was probably going to be eliminated anyway. The downside is if you don’t get vaccinated for covid 19 your odds of getting extremely sick are/or dying go WAY higher. It’s a fact. I am sure they will continue to ignore facts because…you know…FREEEEEDUM!

    1. Yes, FREEDOM!! This country was founded on its peoples right to choose what is best for them. Freedoms given by God, not the government. It should be everyone’s right to choose to receive or deny this vaccine. I’m not arguing your points about about odds or chances of getting sick or dying because if you are vaccinated, why do you even care what someone else does. If someone doesn’t want a vaccine, they are taking their own chances with their own body, not yours, not anyone else’s. Mind your own business and your own health and move on. How many McDonald’s cheeseburgers do you and other Americans eat? They are not good for us, so they should me mandated as illegal, right?

      1. Greg

        The longer people don’t get vaccinated the more likely it is for the covid to mutate. it has already. so far the vaccine is effective against the variations. But it’s important everyone gets vaccinated to prevent mutations. So yeah it’s totally not like eating a cheesburger from McD’s.

        This is about money. Kimball and office furniture are going away. It’s just a matter of time. But if Kimball loses their GSA accounts they are really screwed. So Kimball can’t afford to have all their Billy Bob’s not getting the covid vaccine, and risk losing government money. Because the government accounts will just go to Steelcase.

        1. Then get the booster. Leave other people alone. I’m definitely not a scientist, but it seems like that this is not going away anytime soon. It is impossible to vaccinate every single individual, so mutations will always be present.

          Yes Jeff, you are correct. It is about money and the Federal government knows this could seal the fate of many companies. This is a textbook example of government overreach. Threatening to pull accounts from businesses to make people get a vaccine. Can you honestly tell me and yourself that this isn’t about control? I’ve enjoyed our conversation, it’s been enlightening. But, you’ll never convince others to get vaccinated with that attitude as I’m sure you’ll never be convinced as to why others do not want to receive it. Have a fine day sir.

    2. People at risk should consider the vaccine, but what about the individuals who have already had Covid and recovered? Science says they do not need to be vaccinated. You can look it up if you like. Cleveland Clinic study over 52000 participants, a massive study. This study has also been replicated numerous times. Nobody seems to comment on this.

      1. Do not spread misinformation. I will clarify your comment for you. The study you mentioned DOES NOT take into account the mutation of the virus. For example, every year a flu shot is required because the virus mutates. If you had covid-19 you do indeed have a high immunity towards future infection, however you do not have that same immunity towards the variants. It has been shown however that the vaccines do in fact work against the variants in preventing the spread of variants, serious health trauma and death. So, THAT is why previously infected people need to get the vaccine.

        1. Who spread misinformation? I support the vaccine for at risk people. You either didn’t read the study very clearly nor did you read the replications of the study. You justify it however you wish.

          1. You are spreading misinformation. The facts are the following, having COVID-19 does not protect you from getting COVID-19 variants in the future and having extreme adverse effects from the variants. The vaccine however has demonstrated over and over again to protect people from have to be hospitalized and death due to COVID AND the variants. The term “at risk” is misnomer.

  13. So after people get vaccinated and get sick are these companies going to pay for their time off and possibly hospital visits?

  14. Just because these current employees are forced to get this “so called VACCINE” that will be probably be required yearly; and if so will they have to get this “Vaccination” yearly? What will these companies do when they can’t find workers who are “vaccinated” to replace the ones who quit or retire? What about their family members who live in the same household that aren’t required to get the “Vaccination” and choose not to just because they don’t want to ? I’ve already attended a funeral of a friend who died of Covid19 and was fully “vaccinated”. Everyone is still a carrier regardless if they’re “vaccinated” or not. Does these companies life insurance policies cover the death of Covid19 complications, because some policies don’t cover all expenses due to natural causes only accidental. Are all these questions going to be answered that everyone is asking?

  15. Uh oh. Freedom hating Jeff just got involved. Things are about to get really stupid. Jeff, your statements are a slap in the face to every veteran whom ever served. Something tells me you have never served anyone but yourself. You are allowed the right to speak freely due to the sacrifices made by others. Yet you mock others for trying to exercise their freedoms. There is a word for people like you. Hypocrite. Thats what you are. You are a bag of hot air. Please feel free to move to Afghanistan. I’m sure you will find the Taliban’s meaning of freedom more to your liking.

    1. The United States hasn’t fought a war for our freedom, our country or the potental of our freedom since WWII. Everything after that point has been fought for corporate interest or political gain. And before you say, Afghanistan was a war on terrorist, false if that was the case Donald Trump wouldn’t have signed deal/treaty with the same group we fought to oppose.

  16. This Chinese virus thingy along with installing Biden and company in the White House is the greatest scam pulled on America ever. This scam makes Bernie Madoff look like a pup.

    1. It doesn’t matter where the virus started. Calling it “Chinese virus” just shows you follow trump and his racist ways.

      The “Spanish Flu” started right here in the gold ole US of A. How would you like it if the Chinese called it “the American Flu”?

      1. Wouldn’t bother me one iota. American flu is just as good as calling it the Spanish flu. Now for your choice of using the word racist. This implies you are a racist considering GOD made only one race i.e. the Human race. Ergo you must be anti-human race. No ones color should define them it’s all about an individuals character. Chinese are a people not a race, Spanish are a people not a race. American is a people not a race. Got it? You are most welcome for the free educational lesson.

  17. It’s about the money and not losing government business. Read the fine print…

    “Each company will begin working with employees immediately to verify compliance or discuss
    potential exemptions to ensure the government’s requirements are met by December 8.”

    If like many companies, they will sign exemptions as quickly as they come in to avoid losing workers yet keep in compliance to remain to sell to the government. If it was anything else, they would have been pushing this months ago.

  18. This is all about the bottom line, businesses are being mandated to vax/exemptions. From my perspective, these businesses are just complying to eliminate the fines associated with the mandate. They do business with the Federal Government, so they either can pay the fine (and reduce profit/pay) or offer and incentivize getting the vaccine or submitting a exemption. From what I have heard the exemption is a simple form to complete (no head of church signature, no lengthy explanation of your reasons or religion needed) and will likely be filed as a compliance step to check off the box and make the current federal administration feel accomplished.
    If you have strong convictions about the mandate, then you should choose to work for a employer that is not doing business with the government.

  19. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is a United States program for vaccine safety, co-managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. VAERS is a postmarketing surveillance program, collecting information about adverse events that occur after administration of vaccines to ascertain whether the risk–benefit ratio is high enough to justify continued use of any particular vaccine.
    The adverse events that take place are proven to be vastly underreported.
    – click on Covid Data
    Adverse events following the Covid Shot as of October 15, 2021
    Deaths – 17,128
    Hospitalizations – 83,412
    Urgent Care – 92,017
    Doctor Visits – 127,641
    Anaphylaxis – 7,532
    Bells Palsy – 10,179
    Miscarriages – 2,631
    Heart Attacks – 8,408
    Myocarditis/Periicarditis – 10,304
    Permanently Disabled – 26,199
    Thrombocytopenia/Low Platelet – 3,875
    Life Threatening – 18,925
    Severe Reaction – 31,753
    Shingles – 9,734

    1. From the CDC website: For public awareness and in the interest of transparency, CDC is providing timely updates on the following serious adverse events of interest:

      Anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination is rare and has occurred in approximately 2 to 5 people per million vaccinated in the United States. Severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, can occur after any vaccination. If this occurs, vaccination providers can effectively and immediately treat the reaction. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.

      Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccination is rare. As of October 20, 2021, more than 15.3 million doses of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine have been given in the United States. CDC and FDA identified 47 confirmed reports of people who got the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and later developed TTS. Women younger than 50 years old especially should be aware of the rare but increased risk of this adverse event. There are other COVID-19 vaccine options available for which this risk has not been seen. Learn more about J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and TTS.

      To date, two confirmed cases of TTS following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Moderna) have been reported to VAERS after more than 394 million doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered in the United States. Based on available data, there is not an increased risk for TTS after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.
      CDC and FDA are monitoring reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in people who have received the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. GBS is a rare disorder where the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. Most people fully recover from GBS, but some have permanent nerve damage. After more than 15.3 million J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine doses administered, there have been around 238 preliminary reports of GBS identified in VAERS as of October 20, 2021. These cases have largely been reported about 2 weeks after vaccination and mostly in men, many 50 years and older. CDC will continue to monitor for and evaluate reports of GBS occurring after COVID-19 vaccination and will share more information as it becomes available.

      Myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination are rare. As of October 20, 2021, VAERS has received 1,698 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis among people ages 30 and younger who received COVID-19 vaccine. Most cases have been reported after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), particularly in male adolescents and young adults. Through follow-up, including medical record reviews, CDC and FDA have confirmed 963 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis. CDC and its partners are investigating these reports to assess whether there is a relationship to COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and myocarditis.

      Reports of death after COVID-19 vaccination are rare. More than 414 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through October 25, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 9,143 reports of death (0.0022%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. FDA requires healthcare providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to VAERS, even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause.

      Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem. A review of available clinical information, including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records, has not established a causal link to COVID-19 vaccines. However, recent reports indicate a plausible causal relationship between the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and TTS, a rare and serious adverse event—blood clots with low platelets—which has caused deaths pdf icon[1.4 MB, 33 pages].

    2. We won’t link to the site you included in these numbers. It isn’t an actual site associated with the HHS.

    3. John clearly has an agenda. and that agenda is to be against the covid vaccine. He’s wrong. the same website says this:
      “Reports of death after COVID-19 vaccination are rare. More than 414 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through October 25, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 9,143 reports of death (0.0022%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. FDA requires healthcare providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to VAERS, even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause. Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem. ”
      john you are hurting people. stop it!

    4. 200m + have been vaccinated in the US alone.

      Totals from your list(assuming your list is correct and from a reputable source):
      449,738.

      449,738/200000000= less than 1% casualty rate…. to be exact .22%

      Considering over 744,000 Americans have died of the virus??? Hmmm.

      Sorry, still sounds like its better to get the vaccine, bro.

  21. Uh oh, Jeff called somebody a racist AND a Trump supporter. I bet that somebody hurt Jeff’s feelings. Too bad Jeff is wrong about literally every single thing that he has stated on this page. Otherwise somebody might take him seriously.

    1. Poor Chad. His hero trump lost the election. Btw Chad when is your hero taking back the Presidency?

  22. A judge ruled yesterday that this can not happen ! Biden mandate is not legal at this time. No one can be fired until it is settled on the ones that have said they can not get a shot because of religion ! There is no company that can give a person a written notice that they are fired be cause they did not get the shot ! There will be so many lawsuits it will be impossible to handle .

  26. Ultimately we’re all dead men. Sadly, we cannot choose how. But, we can decide how we meet that end. In order that we are remembered as men.

  28. Reading this thread makes me so happy I moved out of Jasper to the other side of the country. I lived in Jasper for two and half years. I took a risk moving to a podunk town in the middle of nowhere but I thought it would atleast be the the kind of place that people would CARE about their neighbors. Instead the last nearly two years proved that this wasn’t the case. Forget the government, I’m stunned that wearing a cloth mask when you go shopping was enough to turn people into domestic terrorists. That one shot out of the twenty you’ve received since infancy is enough for you to forfeit your job. All because you couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger for your neighbor and your country. We’d all be speaking German and Japanese if this were the 40’s. Sorry, that’s an exaggeration. Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan didn’t kill nearly as many Americans as Covid has.

    So what do you all have left considering you are just as selfish as the rest of the country if not more so?The schnitzel bank? Strassenfest? Sorry if I have to pick my choices of the American dream of working myself to death, drinking myself to death, or going to a church that “preaches” love for thy neighbor daily so that I can lucky enough to die in one the pews and await the pearly gates with my hand out for my just reward. I’m going to live near a beach at least. And you all wonder why young people don’t stay here!?

    I probably lost a promotion because I wrote a letter opposing the corridor because I have a basic amount of empathy for those who stood to lose everything for Mike Braun’s business plan: but I’ve changed my mind. You could turn all of Dubois county into a parking lot and nothing of value would be lost.

    I’ll still pop in from time to time because I’ll keep this area in mind for the inevitable collapse of this country and when the locals start offering human sacrifice to Messiah Emperor Trump, I should have enough time to make my own preparations.

    1. Sorry you feel this way about Jasper but thanks for the 1 star review.

      There are some cool people here but yes few and fewer are staying for the some of the reasons you say. I myself have been a few places and Jasper isn’t the only one thats brainwashed right now. Again you are right. But don’t let the few effect they way you judge humans as a whole.

      Watching Bob M right now…..
      “One day the bottom will drop out”

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