Wanaka inventor targets US markets

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Wanaka painter Brett Stanley demonstrates his Rolla-Wipa, which he and a marketing team of (from left) Tristan Blyth, Tiffany Firth, Graeme Vallance, and Carol Little are hoping will hit the jackpot at a Las Vegas hardware convention this week. Photo by Matthew Haggart.

Mr Stanley, accompanied by a marketing team of four people, is trying to get his "simple" invention signed up by American hardware distributors.

The Las Vegas trade expo attracts more than 2000 companies competing to market their hardware products to the more than 38,000 distributors and manufacturers who attend.

Mr Stanley said he came up with the idea for his invention about 10 years ago.

He described the Rolla-Wipa as a "simple" plastic sleeve, which is used by painters as a "more effective, timely, clean-up and paint-saving tool".

"Like most good ideas, it was born out of necessity," he said.

It had been a very long "but fantastic" journey to get his idea to a finished product.

"This trip to Vegas is just another step on what has been a huge learning curve for me."

Mr Stanley spent about three years researching whether his idea faced any competing patents before he registered and trademarked the Rolla-Wipa for several countries around the world.

He contracted a Christchurch manufacturing company about eight years ago to produce the original plastic prototypes, before securing a distribution deal for New Zealand, then Australia.

Sales for the Rolla-Wipa run at about 10,000 a year in New Zealand and about 20,000 for Australia.

They retail for about $8, a price he says is set by distribution companies.

He siad the Rolla-Wipa had not made him a fortune "yet", but he was well aware that things could change if he secured a distribution deal to supply the large and lucrative United States market.

"It's certainly got more potential than Lotto to make me rich," he said.

The Wanaka Painting company owner said he was relying heavily on his marketing "team of talkers" and hoped their "Kiwi approach" would be a point of difference at the expo.

His sales team is being led by Wanaka identity Carol Little, who "is worth her weight in marketing gold," Mr Stanley said.

Also on the trip are Wanaka builders Tristan Blyth and Graeme Vallance and saleswoman Tiffany Firth.

"Most of my work will begin once we return home and I follow up on all of the contacts made," he said.