THE STORY BEHIND
REACH RIGHT
The Back Bending Problem
If you’ve ever shoveled snow you know that in a short period of time, your back will inevitably start to hurt from repeatedly bending over to either apply downward force to push and scrape the snow or by lifting and throwing the snow.
From The beginning
My name is James Pladson, I was born and raised in Fargo and for as long as I can remember I’ve always had a knack for seeing how things work and how to improve them. I’ve lost count of how many ideas I’ve had that later show up in a TV commercial or on a store shelf.
My dad owned rental properties around town and one of my jobs was snow removal. Which we all know is hard on the back so I tried all kinds of ergonomic shovels and attachments which helped but they always felt awkward and either couldn’t be transferred or were hard to attach and adjust. That got me thinking about making a handle that I could easily attach and transfer between all my different long handle tools. After thinking it through for a bit, I sketched out my idea, I went to Hobby Lobby and got some Styrofoam panels, cut out the pieces, stuck them together with toothpicks, taped it to a broom, and BOOM I had my first prototype!
A Better Prototype
Inspiration From James' Father
In 2019 my dad passed away. My dad was my hero and instilled the entrepreneur spirit in me. He loved the idea and encouraged me to keep pursuing it every time we talked. His last wishes to me where for me to take care of my mom and sisters and to finish the handle. About a month after his funeral, I started working on a new design for injection molding but I still needed a better way to attach it.
I tried everything I could think of…. Snowboard rachet straps, ski boot buckles, hose clamps, you name it, but nothing worked like I wanted it to. finally, in 2021, I was mounting my camera to our boat to film the kids surfing and noticed the T-C style clamp and how quick, easy and secure it was to use! I quickly implemented that into the design and after using the new prototype, I knew I found the solution and was ready to bring it to market.
Going to Market
In 2022, I approached Mike Rydell, a good friend and seasoned businessman to invest in and help build out this new business! He agreed and just in time too because I wouldn’t have got through this last year without him and Guy Nelson. The 3 of us traveled to 6 different trade shows last year, we made a lot of great connections and received a ton of validation! We won the SIMA 2023 Dean Fischer Innovation Award for best new product; we met Spencer of SB Mowing who loves using Reach right and is now influencing it to millions of followers on Social Media.
But the National Ergo Expo in Las Vegas was by far the most successful. Industry leaders of Work Safety, Risk Management and work comp insurance companies really got what Reach Right was about and are excited to help implement Reach Right in their industries. Thank you, Crystal, for that recommendation!
I’m pleased to say that we are now in every county in ND, All 50 states and we are Proudly made in USA and assembled right here in Fargo!! Future goal of a Reach Right in every home and business in America.
