Coming Clean: How a Shedding MN Dog Inspired a Slick New Tool

The plot: Boy loves dogs. Boy moves to college and misses dogs. Boy gets his own dog. Boy has newfound admiration and gratitude for mom’s cleaning skills. Boy gets down to business.

Nate Conner grew up Eau Claire, WI, with Labrador Retrievers in the house, but his clean-up duty was limited to the yard. When Nate decided to get a puppy after college, he quickly realized that cleaning up after a dog inside the house is where most of the work lies. So he set out to create a solution.

Kooper+Co. founder Nate Conner with his girl Kooper

SWD: Tell us about the inspiration behind your ShedTek Pro Pet Hair Removal Tool. We’ve got a feeling there’s a dog involved. NC: Yep, it was inspired by my dog Kooper, who’s a British Lab and a HUGE shedder. No matter how much I vacuumed and lint-rolled, her hair was everywhere: on furniture, carpet, beds (both hers and mine!), and especially my car, since I take her with me almost everywhere. I had a newfound respect for my mom and how hard she must’ve worked to keep our house and cars clean. SWD: Most people just clean as well as they can and learn to live with it.

The ShedTek, a cool new tool for cleaning up pet hair.

The ShedTek’s “rock-like” composite surface is engineered for years of use.

NC: Because there’s only so much you can do, right? But I was thinking about it a lot, and was working as a mechanical engineer when I saw a potential relationship between the shedding problem and a new technology that uses static electricity to control air pollution. I wondered if that industrial-strength power could somehow be scaled down to work for pet hair and dander. That led to the idea for my first product, the ShedBed (which I entered in the MN Cup competition and is currently in development). As I was working on ShedBed, I came across another cool new technology that gave me the idea for the ShedTek tool.

Hurley, Chief Shedder, SWD pack

SWD: You gave me one to try on my golden Hurley’s hair — which sticks to the interior of my car like glue. The ShedTek worked great! What is it made of? NC: The ShedTek’s “rock-like” abrasive surface is actually a composite of man-made materials, which are 98% recycled. Because the composite is so hard, it’s also very durable and will last for years of use. Many local auto detailers are already using this product on numerous vehicles every day! And the ShedTek is 100% sourced and manufactured in the U.S. SWD: Assuming you tested the product in this market, how did you do it? NC: We thought about where we could find a high concentration of dogs and cars, and went to dog parks. We’d approach people at their cars and ask if we could show them our “new pet hair cleaning tool.” Those that let us demo the tool were pretty excited about the result. [Related: Good Dog’s Guide to Dog Parks 2.0.] SWD: We might’ve been too embarrassed by the state of our vehicles…

Koop’s “Co.” at the Coco’s Heart 5K

NC: Some actually were, but they were the perfect target audience! And the reactions confirmed we were really onto something. We officially launched ShedTek earlier this year with Coco’s Heart, a local dog rescue. We did a week-long social media fundraiser with them, and then had a booth at both the Coco’s Heart 5k Race and at the Paws on Grand event that same week. (All profits were donated back to the rescue.) Now we’re working on new ways to promote it, and we’ve brought the ShedTek to market via our website and other retailers. [Editor’s note: Kooper+Co. has been participating in our Free Stuff Friday series, and their first ShedTek giveaway was our most popular to date.]

Kooper, the shedding machine and sweet muse.

From dog inspo to Nate’s MN Cup competition (and subsequent biz partners) to his initial manufacturing plant (the tailgate of his truck), we had to share this story about how a guy saw a need and set out to create products that will “make pets better roommates.” Because while we love their companionship and affection, they just can’t seem to learn to clean up after themselves! And ShedTek definitely helps with that. However, if Hurley could figure out how to release everything outside, then we could just harness the natural technology of the wind current.   The ShedTek Pro Pet Hair Removal tool is sold online at KooperandCo.com. Use special Sidewalk Dog code SHEDTEKSWD for $5 off and free shipping. Valid through 11/1/15. The ShedTek is also available on Amazon and at many local retailers.  [Related: So You Wanna Start a Pet Business]

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