Brothers in business: Students provide cleaning supplies during pandemic

Community is at the heart of the University of Dayton: It’s a lesson that brothers Will and Kyle Schmidt learned when they pivoted their small businesses to meet the needs of the University and local businesses. 

Will, a marketing senior, and Kyle, a finance sophomore, brought together their expertise to form Corvexxe. Originally intended to be a chemical distribution company, the Schmidt brothers said the pandemic made them realize the need for sanitation and cleaning supplies in their area. 

With the help of their father, who works for a hand-sanitizer distribution company, Will and Kyle began producing, selling and delivering their products. Along with hand sanitizer, Corvexxe also sells disinfectant spray, disposable masks, chemical sprayers and 500-count wipe buckets. 

Corvexxe partnered with UD in May 2020 to supply the university with industrial-size cleaning supplies for RecPlex and other locations on campus. The brothers have distributed to local businesses and restaurants in Dayton, including Dewey’s Pizza, a popular restaurant near campus. 

The company has grown to nine team members since its launch earlier this year, but Will and Kyle take care of much of the day-to-day business at Corvexxe. The Schmidt brothers handle every aspect of the business. For example, Kyle said he learned how to build websites and made his first one for Corvexxe. 

While schooling is their priority, both say their college schedules make Corvexxe stand out among other local distributors. 

“It’s not really a 9-to-5 [job] for us,” Will said. “We’re able to help our customers no matter what time it is. We’re flexible. We want to do it the right way and take care of the people who are customers that value our stuff.”

“We want to do it the right way and take care of the people.”

The Corvexxe team sells their products out of a warehouse in Springboro, Ohio, which they said makes it convenient to commute from school to work. The location is also prime for making deliveries to the Dayton and Cincinnati communities, Will said. 

When the coronavirus pandemic ends, Will and Kyle hope to continue expanding Corvexxe and distributing products that meet the needs of the community.

“The key for us is to build something that’s going to last,” Will said. “That’s going to be a challenge for us, but it’s going to be something we welcome with open arms.