'Made in Transcona' - A Tool of Convenience Becomes An Implement of Success
Transcona Views
August 2004
By Robin Chase, Views Editor
Pages 9 & 11
Two entrepreneurial brothers from Transcona have succeeded in taking an innovative hand-toolset to the home improvements market – a toolset that was invented as a means of convenience and has already begun to revolutionize the way pre-cast concrete sidewalk slabs are installed, re-leveled and removed. The toolset is called SlabSetters, the brainchild of Erwin Freiling whose two sons - Perry, 40 and Don, 38 - finally brought the implement to market in mid-April this year, about 25 years after Erwin came up with the idea.
Erwin, who worked much of his career at CN Transcona Shops, invented the hand-toolset to make the job he had of installing about 50 pre-cast concrete sidewalk slabs at the family cottage a lot easier and much less painful, Perry explained recently. Over the next quarter-century, it was only family and friends who benefited from Erwin's invention whenever they had to install or re-level their sidewalk slabs. Now, everyone can benefit.
Pre-cast concrete sidewalk slabs have always been an incredibly popular product for both home-and-commercial property owners because of low cost and wide variety of uses. "The biggest problem has always been the sheer frustration and pain involved in properly installing and re-leveling these slabs," Perry pointed out.
But with SlabSetters, "two people can painlessly and effortlessly place the heaviest sidewalk slab into the exact desired position without disturbing the critical leveling sand that the slabs must rest upon," Perry outlined. "No more strained sore backs. No more sore and injured fingers. No more wobbly and uneven sidewalk slabs. We are proud that a valuable tool like SlabSetters has been invented by Manitoba know-how and we are convinced that the consumer will quickly see the value in SlabSetters.
"Within the first four weeks of going to market, the Freilings sold over 100 sets of their product. McDiarmid Lumber (the original retail outlet) "sold out their initial order and purchased the remainder of our inventory within the second month," Perry said. "They have just recently expanded the sale of our product to all nine of their building retail centres from Yorkton to Keewatin. We are now also selling SlabSetters at Reimer Soils, Shelmerdine Nurseries & Garden Centre and Schreimer Home &Garden.
"SlabSetters was written up by a major U.S. industry-trades magazine, generating a lot of U.S. interest in the product, but the Freilings pulled off a major coup when Jon Eakes, TV celebrity on HGTV in Canada and DIY in the U.S. with his show "Just Ask Jon Eakes", endorsed the product and is selling it on his own specialty products Internet store at www.joneakes.com. In late May, the online store sold out its initial inventory and re-ordered more product.
"My plans and expectations earlier this year were that if we could sell 1,000 sets by the end of our first season, I would consider us tracking successfully," said Perry, who is President of Freiling Innovation Inc., the home of SlabSetters. "We have already made sales to retailers of 500 sets in the first six weeks. I think we will beat our target for 2004 which you can imagine is very exciting."
For further information about SlabSetters and to see photographs of the hand-toolset in operation, please visit the website at www.slabsetters.com.
Erwin, who worked much of his career at CN Transcona Shops, invented the hand-toolset to make the job he had of installing about 50 pre-cast concrete sidewalk slabs at the family cottage a lot easier and much less painful, Perry explained recently. Over the next quarter-century, it was only family and friends who benefited from Erwin's invention whenever they had to install or re-level their sidewalk slabs. Now, everyone can benefit.
Pre-cast concrete sidewalk slabs have always been an incredibly popular product for both home-and-commercial property owners because of low cost and wide variety of uses. "The biggest problem has always been the sheer frustration and pain involved in properly installing and re-leveling these slabs," Perry pointed out.
But with SlabSetters, "two people can painlessly and effortlessly place the heaviest sidewalk slab into the exact desired position without disturbing the critical leveling sand that the slabs must rest upon," Perry outlined. "No more strained sore backs. No more sore and injured fingers. No more wobbly and uneven sidewalk slabs. We are proud that a valuable tool like SlabSetters has been invented by Manitoba know-how and we are convinced that the consumer will quickly see the value in SlabSetters.
"Within the first four weeks of going to market, the Freilings sold over 100 sets of their product. McDiarmid Lumber (the original retail outlet) "sold out their initial order and purchased the remainder of our inventory within the second month," Perry said. "They have just recently expanded the sale of our product to all nine of their building retail centres from Yorkton to Keewatin. We are now also selling SlabSetters at Reimer Soils, Shelmerdine Nurseries & Garden Centre and Schreimer Home &Garden.
"SlabSetters was written up by a major U.S. industry-trades magazine, generating a lot of U.S. interest in the product, but the Freilings pulled off a major coup when Jon Eakes, TV celebrity on HGTV in Canada and DIY in the U.S. with his show "Just Ask Jon Eakes", endorsed the product and is selling it on his own specialty products Internet store at www.joneakes.com. In late May, the online store sold out its initial inventory and re-ordered more product.
"My plans and expectations earlier this year were that if we could sell 1,000 sets by the end of our first season, I would consider us tracking successfully," said Perry, who is President of Freiling Innovation Inc., the home of SlabSetters. "We have already made sales to retailers of 500 sets in the first six weeks. I think we will beat our target for 2004 which you can imagine is very exciting."
For further information about SlabSetters and to see photographs of the hand-toolset in operation, please visit the website at www.slabsetters.com.