Published: October 24, 2008 11:50 pm      

BUSINESS: Local man's product idea is going national

It all started with a family camping trip.

Arnie Wolfe, president of Design Concepts in Gasport, was loading up the SUV when his oldest daughter decided to go with the family. After she added what she was bringing for the trip, there wasn’t enough room for the family of four. They had to take a second vehicle.

“He was thinking, ‘Why don’t I have a trailer?’ ” Design Concepts vice president of marketing Terrence Gallagher said. “Well, I don’t need one all the time.”

But what happens when the trailer wasn’t being used? Wolfe didn’t want one to just take up space, but rather one that served another purpose. After the camping trip, Wolfe came up with the idea of the “Tow N’ Stow,” a cargo trailer that can convert into a storage unit. The unit has 50 cubic feet of capacity, weighs about 350 pounds and can haul up to 1,000 pounds behind passenger vehicles. Once the trailer is off the road, the Tow N’ Stow can be stood up and placed against a building as a functional shed.

Shortly after the camping trip, Wolfe discussed his idea with family and friends and soon began developing a model Tow N’ Stow. Wolfe and Gallagher went to a few trade and invention shows to showcase the Tow N’ Stow. Wolfe had a little prototype of the Tow N’ Stow hooked up to a remote control car at his booth. Wolfe said a lot of people who came to the booth loved the idea. Gallagher agreed.

“It was all different kinds of people,” Gallagher said. “Craftspeople, people that went to flea markets, do-it-yourselfers, campers, sports enthusiasts. All kinds who said, ‘Oh yeah, I can use that.’ ”

Wolfe filed for a patent on the Tow N’ Stow. But there were some “ifs” he was running into, one of which was, “Would people buy it?” There was also the question of how to build one with quality materials but keeping the costs low for the consumer. To help, Design Concepts found Lippert Components of Indiana, a subsidiary of Drew Industries, a company that makes trailers and RV components.

J. Fitzgerald Group advertising and marketing agency President Jack Martin said Gallagher and Wolfe are the type of guys a troubled economy needs.

“While some may be about greed, these guys are about a great product born of a great idea,” Martin said.

Another aspect of the Tow N’ Stow that Martin praised was that they were trying to work with local companies. Design Concepts has a promotional video created with Cole Media of Lockport, and is having advertising done with the J. Fitzgerald Group in Lockport. Their promotional photography was shot by Dennis Stierer, a well-known local photographer and former US&J staffer.

“If we’re not willing to support each other locally, then who’s going to turn off the lights when we’re all gone?” Martin said. “He (Wolfe) came to us and he could have went anywhere.”

Wolfe stopped by one day to J. Fitzgerald out of curiosity. While talking with Martin, he sketched out a couple of projects, one being a design of the Tow N’ Stow on a napkin. Martin thought it was a great idea.

“Jack was one of the first people to see it,” Wolfe said.

As far as the economy is concerned, Wolfe said the downturn will probably help the Tow N’ Stow more than hurt it. Trucks are being produced as much, and people might be more inclined to do projects themselves, and they need a way to move the stuff efficiently.

To find out what locals think of the Tow N’ Stow, Wolfe said there will be a demonstration Nov. 8 at the Outdoor Store on South Transit Road in the Town of Lockport.

Contact reporter Joe Olenick

at 439-9222, ext. 6241.