When Jack Mason went out for Mexican, he had no idea he'd leave with an idea that would change his life.
Gazing out the restaurant window, the Savannah River Site electrician spotted a trailer hitch-mounted cargo carrier leaning against a fence. The carrier wasn't different from the rigid metal platforms he'd seen many times before mounted beneath the bumpers of trucks, SUVs and minivans.
On this day, though, he saw the cargo carrier in a new light.
"It was a good idea that was really useless," he said, recalling the event that happened two years earlier. "It was a one-piece carrier that didn't fold."
Mr. Mason envisioned a lighter, more versatile cargo carrier - one that could be folded and stored when not in use; in other words, a more marketable carrier.
Many carriers are rigid and can weigh more than 50 pounds, but Mr. Mason hoped to design something that anyone could handle with ease.
Mr. Mason started working with his brother-in-law, Steve Threet, to turn the idea into a real product. During the next 26 months, the two brought in other partners, developed and marketed their idea, had their product manufactured and formed a company called Everthere Carriers LLC.
To start, Mr. Threet and Mr. Mason built a model out of wood that a small Aiken manufacturer used to construct a prototype.
"They took our numbers and massaged them a bit. They had an understanding of the things they needed to do," said Mr. Threet, who spearheaded the project.
After a few design quirks were worked out, the first version was made - at a cost of about $600.
The prototype allowed Mr. Threet and Mr. Mason to bring their idea to life.
"When we were showing it to people, we could see their receptiveness," said Travis Mason, Mr. Mason's brother, who was brought on to the company to help with marketing.
Because their Aiken manufacturer wasn't capable of mass-production, the partners searched the Southeast for a company that could build, package and distribute the Everthere Carrier in higher volumes.
"We didn't have the money to build our own fabrication shop. We knew we needed to find a manufacturer who could build it for us," Mr. Threet said.
They settled on Metcam Inc., but the Alpharetta, Ga., metal fabrication gave the partners some homework before starting production.
"They were looking for design drawings. We looked at each other and said, 'Design drawings?'" Mr. Threet said.
The partners had some rough plans but nothing that could be fed into a computer machining system. The detailed plans had to be done before the company could even give the partners an estimate.
When the designs were completed during the summer of 2003, the partners put in an order for 10 carriers.
"We took those and gave them to people we knew. We said, 'Test them, see how you like it, use it, abuse it, and let us know what you think,'" Mr. Threet said.
The carriers were a hit.
"We realized the idea was catching on pretty well; people liked them," he said.
The 26-pound aluminum carrier is rated for 300 pounds, but professional testing by a Duluth, Ga., company showed the carrier could hold more than 1,000 pounds.
After some modifications, an order was placed for 100 carriers, which cost the partners nearly $20,000, Mr. Threet said.
"It was a huge step, and we were scared to death," he said.
During the spring of 2004, they raised $150,000 by selling stock in the venture to family members. Mr. Threet and the Mason brothers then began marketing the product.
"You could have the best idea in the world. but if it's not marketed, then it doesn't matter," Mr. Threet said.
The partners started with a campaign that targeted online equipment distributors.
They found success with several sites and sold 100 carriers within four months.
One of their newest distribution channels is The Sportsman's Guide, a popular mail-order outdoor supply company with a national presence. Six Everthere Carriers were sold the first day that the company's January catalog was released, bringing the company's total sales up to about 700 so far.
Everthere also sells through Quadratec, an accessories company that targets Jeep owners.
The early success helped build the partners' confidence, and they soon began approaching major national supply and equipment companies.
"We got visibility and started to develop a track record," Travis Mason said.
The Everthere partners said they are in talks with two national retail chains but declined to disclose the names of the companies until deals are complete.
The partners also are at work on having the carrier's accessories, such as bags - currently manufactured in small numbers - mass-produced for sale to the public.
Additionally, the company is waiting on its patent approval.
Locally, Everthere has a display at Trucks & Moore, a truck accessories company on Bobby Jones Expressway.
"It's a neat product. We've had a good response," said Larry Moore, the owner of Trucks & Moore, which has sold more than 100 carriers since it started stocking them about a year ago.
Beech Island resident B.J. Bolt, who works with Travis Mason at Kimberly-Clark Corp., bought a carrier from Mr. Mason about a month ago.
"I like the way it folds up," he said.
"I've been wanting to get one and just didn't want one of those things sticking out the back of my SUV all time."
When he's not using it for odd jobs, hauling trash or bringing a deer back from a hunt, Mr. Bolt keeps the carrier folded up behind the back seats of his Chevrolet Suburban, he said.
Its light weight is a benefit, according to Mr. Bolt.
"My wife can use it," he said.
All of the partners' work so far has been tough, and expensive, but it also has been a great experience, Mr. Threet said.
"If this were to fall through tomorrow, with what we've learned, this would have been worth it," he said.
Everthere Carriers
Location: MartinezStarted: Company officially was formed in August 2003; was conceptualized in late 2002.
Its product: A lightweight aluminum carrier that plugs into a trailer hitch and folds out to provide a cargo platform.
Company line: At 26 pounds, the carrier is much lighter than those of its competitors. It also folds up and is easily carried and stowed away, something that's not currently offered by other companies. Company officials are patenting the design feature.
Cost: About $250 (price varies)
Reach Adrian Burns at (706) 823-3352 or adrian.burns@augustachronicle.com.
Building a Business
Building a Business is a new, yearlong series in which The Augusta Chronicle follows the progress of a local start-up company, Everthere Carriers LLC, as it attempts to take its fledgling product to a national market. The following is the first story. Updates will be made monthly.
• Series will follow company's journey
• Area men get education in business as they mass-produce novel carrier
• Go to manufacturers, designers with ideas
• Trade show marketing is success for local business
• Patent process is easier with help
• As sales grow, Everthere is turning into full-time job
• Product's success is dependent on testing
• Local business picks up by latching onto Internet
• Company revamps Web site to draw business
• Everthere settles into new offices
• Negotiating lease can be challenging
• Family support is important to fulfilling dream
• Work-life balance is one key to success
• Licensing lets buyers tote interest
• Logo-product partnership is beneficial to both sides
• Everthere Carriers staff works together for success
• New hires ease burden of increased workload
• Everthere Carriers takes new product to health exposition
• Preparation is important at trade event
• Firm wrestles with issue of foreign labor
• Cheap overseas work has its drawbacks
• Everthere Carriers bids farewell to productive 2005
• Everthere Carriers has come a long way
• Q&A with Everthere's Steve Threet
