In response to the surplus of propaganda pushing a message of fear, America's Frontline Doctors and Frontline Films™ released a video on Thursday introducing a new emblem of freedom called The Normal Symbol. Offering some much-needed "comic relief," the symbol is a more practical alternative to the Well Health-Safety seal currently being endorsed by paid influencers like Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Michael B. Jordan, and Robert De Niro, as a necessary tool in order to safely emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Well Health-Safety rating symbol is a scheme from the International Well Building Insitute (IWBI aka WELL), a group that professes to be "leading a global movement to transform health and well-being with our people first approach to buildings, organizations and communities." The WELL Building Standard was designed in late 2015 and is the money-making brainchild of Paul Scialla, a former Goldman Sachs partner and founder of Delos, of which IWBI is a wholly-owned subsidiary.
A closer look at the International Well Building Insitute reveals that in Spring 2019, Scialla, recognizing a tremendous opportunity on the horizon, remarked that the intersection of human health and green building "could be bigger than anything in real estate since the innovation of the roof." At the time, the company charged some $20,000 to evaluate a 100,000 square-foot space. With a clear plan of how to cash in on the "wellness industry," Scialla continued:
"If you believe in the wellness trend, why wouldn't you apply it to the largest asset class there is? That seems to be the way to extract the most value from it."
The Well Building Standard is modeled after the well-known LEED green building standard, which is administered by a nonprofit. Scialla's project is very much the opposite—a for-profit company that has raised $237 million with a recent valuation of $800 million. Detailing the funding behind Delos, Forbes reports that:
Backers include Bill Gates’ personal investment office and Jeff Vinik, the former manager of the Fidelity Magellan fund. The New Age celebrity doctor Dee pak Chopra sits on Delos’ board, as does actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Scialla even persuaded Rick Fedrizzi, a creator of LEED, to put off retirement to run the International Well Building Institute, the part of Delos’ business that evaluates buildings.
Partnering again with Bill Gates—and Dr. Anthony Fauci—On Oct. 26, 2020, Scialla was a feature in the all-star lineup of "leaders in business, academia, government, and philanthropy" at a Yahoo! All Market Summit titled "The Road to Recovery." In addition to Scallia, Gates, and Fauci, the speakers included Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Delta CEO Ed Bastain. According to the press release, the theme of the event centered around protection—the physical and economic necessity of working to keep people as safe as possible—with the group joining together to "offer perspective on building and refining new relationships in a time of profound generational, cultural and economic change in response to the COVID-19 pandemic." Scialla, whose projects span the globe, outlined his vision of pandemic protection:
“This year, COVID-19 has brought about a sudden awareness for all of us - the simple fact that what surrounds us matters. The materials we touch, the light we see, the air we breathe and the water we drink all have, according to the science, immediate and long-term impacts on our health and wellness. Today we spend on average over 90% of our lives inside, whether in our homes, offices, schools, hotels, stadiums or restaurants. We need to use the science – health science and building science – to make sure our buildings are used to their fullest in this fight against COVID-19 today and as a tool for safety, health and wellness long-term.”
Ready to unveil its new Well Health-Safety seal, Scalia and WELL entered 2021 laser-focused on the health and building reset opportunities bestowed by the global pandemic (targeting schools, EducationWeek is highlighting the company's services to schools). In late Jan. 2021, the company introduced a new national ad campaign promoting the "safety seal"—an actual seal a business can purchase to make customers feel protected and safe during COVID-19. The seal made its debut as businesses across the country emerged from the abyss of the pandemic to reopen to a customer base that was operating largely from a place of fear.
The ad campaign, directed by Spike Lee, featured a star-studded cast and took time to put together. IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon said the process was slow because of each celebrity influencer's rigorous opportunity filtering process. The influencers, each adequately compensated for their time, were undoubtedly effective in persuading struggling businesses to get the Well Health-Safety Rating. Hodgdon remarked:
"What's been exciting for us is that a lot of our customers who are entering in through the Well Health-Safety Rating are now beginning to upsize their commitment to achieve a full-on wellness certification, which is so important."
As reported by KHN, WELL certification is not cheap—the price for the health seal starts at $2,730 and increases to $12,600. Securing seals for multiple locations or franchises can run up to $166,000. Starter costs are cheaper if a property owner already buys the broader certification service, which starts at around $9,000 and rises to just over $100,000. Further testing services start at $6,500.
Meanwhile, the wide assortment of America's Frontline Doctors NORMAL stickers—100% propaganda-free—offer unlimited FREEDOM—and start at just $5.95. You can purchase HERE.
