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PRODUCT INFORMATION Overview |
It was a seemingly uneventful errand, something he did every week, but one particular visit to the drive-thru of Gary Drivstuen's bank sparked a brainstorm. Drivstuen - who at the time operated a group of convenience stores and car washes with his son, Rod - watched as he had so many times the deposit container zip through a tube from the drive-thru teller into the bank. Later that day, he walked into his house and almost tripped over the hose from his central vacuum system. He was reminded once again, how much he and his wife Sharon disliked packing their central vacuum hose from inlet to inlet, up and down the stairs, and then trying to shove it in a closet when finished vacuuming. At that moment, he remembered what he had seen earlier at the bank and thought to himself, "Is it possible to use the suction from the central vacuum system to pull the hose back into the central vacuum pipe, just like the pneumatic tube pulls in the deposit container at the bank?" That day in 1999 launched Drivstuen and his son on a long entrepreneurial journey that tested their resilience and determination to bring their company, Hide-A-Hose Inc, to fruition. The business, which manufactures and markets a retractable hose system for central vacuum units, has doubled sales every year since debuting the product in 2003 and has built a network of more than 200 dealers across the United States, Canada and abroad. Central vacuum systems are found in millions of homes across the country. Homeowners benefit from the cleaner air made possible since these units are located outside of the living space and do not re-circulate allergens and dust mites. Central vacuums are also quieter and three to five times more powerful than portable vacuums. Even with those perks, many people who have central vacuum systems in their homes don't like the necessity of lugging a long bulky hose from inlet to inlet, and finding a place to store the hose when they are finished. This is what motivated Drivstuen to take his idea and transform it into a viable product, which became the Hide-A-Hose Retractable Hose Central Vacuum System. “Simply put, our system solves the problem of what to do with the hose when you are finished vacuuming; we make vacuuming easier,” said Rod Drivstuen, who is president of Hide-A-Hose. His father is now retired and helps in an advisory role. With the Hide-A-Hose unit, the vacuum hose is stored inside the wall. Each inlet has a hose hidden within the central vacuum system's tubing. "Our product increases the convenience of having a central vacuum system," Drivstuen explained. "When you are ready to vacuum, you pull out the length of hose you need (up to 50 feet), attach the appropriate tool and begin vacuuming. When you are done, the suction from the central vacuum unit retracts the hose back into the wall and out of sight. Since the necessity to move hoses around the house is eliminated, longer hoses can be used, thus reducing the number of inlets needed by half." Drivstuen says that Hide-A-Hose "took a giant leap to the next level" earlier this year when the company announced strategic partnerships with H-P Products, Cyclo Vac and Tip Top Parts to distribute the retractable hose system. "These strategic partners have the marketing clout to help us grow, and they also believe that our system will help them sell more of their core products," Drivstuen said. "After all the rejection we encountered in the early stages of transforming this from an idea into a product, it was gratifying to know that these respected leaders in the central vacuum industry see our potential and provide us the means to realize that potential." Hide-A-Hose has traveled a lengthy distance since its start-up years. The company has moved its headquarters from Drivstuen's 1,000-square-foot basement to a 3,000-square-foot facility in Monroe, 30 miles northeast of Seattle. Along with Hide-A-Hose's new distribution partners, the company is aggressively increasing its dealer network nationwide. "Homeowners are fascinated by our system, so it is important that we attract dealers to demonstrate it at home shows," Drivstuen explained. "Ours is a consumer-driven product. Homeowners tell builders what they want, and once builders see extensive interest from consumers, they are motivated to install our system."
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