That old saying about crisis and opportunity is a way of life for entrepreneur Don Vaccaro of South Windsor.
He saw the COVID-19 pandemic crush one of his businesses — then add new life and purpose to a second one.
“It has actually been very exciting for every milestone and hurdle,” Vaccaro said. “Being at this time in this business — to solve a problem that makes folks happy — is a great thing.”
Vaccaro’s new business is supplying low-cost N95 face masks to doctors, dentists and businesspeople, in part utilizing the staff and resources of TicketNetwork, his sidelined ticket-brokering company.
TicketNetwork, located 75 Gerber Road East in South Windsor, employed 470 people at its height, Vaccaro said. The company was doing so well buying and selling tickets to live shows that it joined other major state employers in 2019 to announce it would increase its minimum hourly wage to $15. (The company also drew some negative attention from New York Attorney General Letitia James, who agreed in July 2019 to a $1.55 million settlement in a lawsuit accusing a TicketNetwork affiliate of duping concert-goers.)