Posted by: Contributing columnist, CLARION LEDGER FEATURE, BUSINESS, August 31, 2016:
This is my final of several articles talking about “innovation deployment” or the process of taking inventions or other technologies to market through existing manufacturers, distributors or other existing businesses.
As a part of that process, Innovate Mississippi assisted and accompanied six Mississippi companies to Wal-Mart’s 2016 U.S. Manufacturing Supplier Summit, and I’ll highlight the last three of those companies this week. As I mentioned before, I love being able to tell the stories of Mississippi Entrepreneurs and being able to highlight how they are part of the fabric of Mississippi’s innovation and entrepreneurial start-up community.
As a fisherman myself, I discovered the The Fish Grip just a little too late to save my thumb from the teeth of catfish my sons caught this spring, but I now won’t go fishing without one. Essentially a specialized set of plastic pliers, the grip clamps down in a fish’s mouth—keeping the angler’s fingers safe from teeth, sharp gills and his own hook during the removal process. The Fish Grip is patented, has a special “heart-shaped” grip to secure the fish without hurting them, and is made by United Plastic Molding in Jackson.
The idea was devised by Don Norton, a Mississippi native who loved fishing for large redfish in the Gulf of Mexico. Redfish are large fish — up to 3½ feet long — and Mr. Norton noticed that both he and the fish were getting beaten up in the process. He created the original prototype and then developed it alongside Cam Hoge and his son Tucker. I use The Fish Grip Jr. all the time, so I’m happy to give a free plug for this great patented Mississippi product now coming to Wal-Mart.
Annie Beck officially became an entrepreneur in 2005. One year after her divorce, she was ready for a dramatic change. Besides having the full responsibility of taking care of four children, she says her drive was the fear of being nothing. Taking the skills obtained in 20 years of the retail world, she embraced the idea of owning her own business. After owning a Subway franchise, she grew her own business, Café Bayou, from the ground up. Café Bayou allowed her to showcase her grandmothers traditional cooking and her own self creations of culinary delight. At the time she had no idea it would become the inroad to Beck’s Confections.
As a food manufacturer Beck’s Confections can now share Annie Beck’s creations on a much broader stage. It currently offers Beck’s Final Touch Seasoning Blend along with purees and seasonal cakes and pies. By servicing a variety of local and national markets such as Kroger, Winn-Dixie, McDade’s, Sam’s Club, and MGM Grand casinos, Beck’s Confections already has good exposure, but adding Wal-Mart will enlarge its footprint even more.
In 1986, Ken Reid’s wife, Margaret, originally developed an oven glove and then went on to invent and patent Fingerslips. Fingerslips are essentially oven mitts that only cover your fingers and thumb. Their big advantage is that they can quickly be put on with only one hand. They are also magnetized to keep them handy when needed.
R2PG, the company producing Fingerslips is now working with Sykel Enterprises, Inc., which is already a very active Wal-Mart supplier. Sykel and R2PG have partnered to produce a kitchen textiles line — including round pot handles, Fingerslips and aprons made with Sykel’s licensed RealTree camo. Sykel is a licensed distributor for MLB, NFL, NHL and many colleges, so the kitchen textiles line is planned as licensed team merchandise. R2PG is currently working on developing a distribution center and manufacturing operation in Port Gibson to support these products. Considering that Sykel currently has a supply agreement for 11 million tablecloths a year made overseas, R2PG is working on reshoring efforts for this product line as well.
It’s not easy to be an inventor, and it’s even harder to take a product all the way to market. Only about 10 percent of patented products ever get produced, and patented products presumably represented the best inventions already. Through connecting inventors to existing companies that can partner with them through the process, hopefully more products can get to market and the “Innovation Deployment” process of connecting inventors to existing industry can continue to produce success for Mississippi companies.