FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wilmington, DE. – August 17, 2009 – Gary Krakowski, a local union sprinkler installer, was blown away when he found out his pet care invention, the Dog Wash, was selling in Sky Mall, an airline catalog that features luxury goods and products from specialty manufacturers.
He got the great news as an invited guest to Davison in Pittsburgh, PA, where his new product idea was developed. At Davison’s Inventionland, he saw the physical, packaged product for the first time and learned it was already on the market.
“That blew me away,” said Gary. “It was even better than my original idea!”
He got an even bigger surprise when George Davison, founder and CEO, presented him with his first royalty check.
“All right!” he exclaimed, as he stared at the giant presentation check. When asked what he was going to do now, he laughed and said, “I’m going to Disneyworld!”
After five years of working on his idea, the receipt of his first royalty check was “a blessing” and an instance of “perfect timing,” said Krakowski, who is currently out of work due to the poor economy.
He came up with his new product idea in an attempt to help his buddy, “Snake,” who had a dirty, white dog that ran away whenever he tried to give him a bath. Gary had some scraps of pipe and hose in his truck, so he decided to build a device that would enable a pet owner to contain and wash their dog. Lo and behold, his contraption worked. He saw a need for such a device on the market, so he went online and found Davison, a new product development firm that provides services to inventors, corporations and entrepreneurs. He submitted his idea and the design team went to work.
The finished product, which was licensed by Maze Pet Products, is a portable and inflatable dog washing station that is quick and easy to set up and use.
The lightweight, heavy duty unit hooks up to a garden hose and has an adjustable full spray nozzle and gentle side spray, as well as a side entry that makes it easy for dogs to get in and out.
When Krakowski started working on his idea, few people took him seriously.
“A lot of people laughed at me,” he recalled. “Oh yeah, well they laughed at Christopher Columbus, Copernicus and all those inventors too,” he joked.
Krakowski was not only thrilled with the product and royalty check, but by the royal treatment he and his friend, Scott, received at Davison. They toured Inventionland, “the world’s most creative workspace,” and met with Mr. Davison and members of the design and licensing team. Gary was impressed with the “professional operation” and the work everyone has put into his product.
Davison didn’t just develop my idea, they actually expanded on it,” he said. “I was skeptical; I never saw it coming this far. But it’s there, it happened, and I can’t believe it.”
Krakowski described Mr. Davison as “a great dude; really down to earth” who “really knows what he’s doing.” He also was impressed with Inventionland, “a hell of an operation.”The day was a little crazy but fun, with filming, photographs and a round of Iron City beers lifted in a tribute and toast to his friend and inspiration.Â
The inventor said he would like to find the family of Snake, who has since passed away, to help them out and share some of the benefits of his invention with them. He also would like to take them one of the finished product, in case they still have the dirty dog that inspired him to create the Dog Wash.
“To Snake,” he said. “Thanks for the dirty dog!”
Davison unites everyday people who think they have a great invention idea with their own personal team of creative and licensing dynamos who turn those ideas into hot new products that are ready to be licensed and put on store shelves.
Products designed by Davison have sold in stores such as Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Sears, K-Mart, JCPenney, Linens ân Things and Cabela’s. For more information, go to: www.davison.com.
Davison News & Media Contact:
Contact us online
or call 1-800-544-3327 or 412-967-0124 for those outside the U.S