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By Jeanna Baxter White

Davie Economic Development

More than 1,000 Davie residents are one step closer to COVID-19 immunity following a drive-thru vaccination clinic at Davie County Community Park on Friday, Jan. 15.

Despite a little rain, recipients and staff stayed dry thanks to shelters provided for use free of charge by Special Event Services (SES).

SES, which dedicated its new headquarters in Mocksville in October, is an industry leader in audio, lighting, video, design, staging, and live event production for businesses, religious organizations, and major recording artists. With live events on hold because of the pandemic, the company offered to build two drive-through shelters with some of its staging equipment that is normally used for outdoor stadium shows.

“When Terry (Bralley, president of the Davie County Economic Development Commission) called and asked me about providing something so that the nurses could be under shelter to administer the vaccine and the clinics could be held rain or shine, my answer was a resounding yes,” said Michael Brammer, SES CFO. “Terry and I had gotten to know each other very well over the past year while we were building our new facility, and he has done an amazing job of getting us plugged into the local community.

“We love that Davie County is our home now and are thrilled to be part of the community and able to give back in this way.”

After talking with representatives from the Davie County Health Department to determine exactly what was needed, Crew Chief Lawrence Lightner, who is usually touring with Billy Joel, went to work designing the custom structures. He and logistics and operations staff members Dave Cheek, Will Hatley, Jack Millsaps, and Adam Stipe built the shelters on Thursday.

Brammer said the county will be able to continue using the shelters until they are no longer needed for the vaccination clinics.

“The vaccine is what is going to put our industry back to work. The success of our business relies on people being able to gather in a large setting safely and it has been proven that achieving herd immunity through vaccinations is the only way to do that. So the more people we can encourage to do that, and the faster we can get it done, the faster we can get back to work and putting on the events that people love going to.

“Dr. Fauci recently stated in an interview, that not being able to go to see live performing arts and having that social interaction has certainly added to the doom and gloom of this pandemic, and that the live performing arts have a very positive impact on society. We want to get back to doing that as soon as we can, but in a safe way for everyone.”

Brammer encourages everyone to get vaccinated.

“When it’s our turn in line, I and the other leaders of SES will happily and confidently take the vaccine to ensure we are setting the best example for our staff and clients alike.”

County Manager David Bone is grateful to SES for their assistance.

“On behalf of Davie County, I offer our sincere gratitude to SES for their assistance with our COVID-19 vaccination clinics. I can’t express how much their generosity means to Davie County and how impactful their assistance is to our efforts. We have a wonderful, dedicated staff that has been doing a tremendous job throughout the pandemic, and SES’s assistance helps support our dedicated public health, emergency management, and law enforcement officials staffing the clinic.

“As of Jan. 10, Davie County was actually leading the state, with a 4.2 percent vaccination rate. SES’s assistance will help us continue to set the pace statewide.

“SES’s temporary shelters provide comfort from the elements to our citizens and staff. The drive-thru clinics provide the best means to administer the vaccines quickly and efficiently using social distancing best practices, and SES’s shelters allow Davie County to continue with vaccination clinics, even on rainy days. This level of corporate support speaks volumes of SES and the culture of corporate partnership we have here in Davie County.”