The dawn of powerful, portable computing meant that one device cantake the place of the Rolodex, file cabinet and desk drawers. Thelaptop bag and its contents has become the primary instrument ofthe modern knowledge worker, but it doesn t really have a goodstorage place in the office. Scott Sikkema, principal of Grand Rapids-based design firm ViableInc., aims to change that with his new locally made creation, elBagPed. As the name implies, el BagPed is a pedestal designed to hold abackpack, briefcase, or laptop bag in a home or office workspace. Standing a foot and a half off the ground and sold under theWorkiture brand, el BagPed is meant to be just the right height foreasy access to bags and belongings that deserve a more dignifiedspot than the floor.
The product launched this past summer. The impetus for this product line was that I was kicking my bagover all the time, said Sikkema who, at the time of theproduct s conception, was spending his workdays on shop floors. In response to this, he built a simple caddy that was the precursorto el BagPed, and which still sits in his office today. While theoriginal stand is decidedly less fetching than the product that isnow on the market, people began to take notice of it and inquiredas to where they might find one.
By the time he started Viable in 2008, the wheels were in motion toproduce the apparatus for a larger audience. While he sawenthusiasm for the idea, Sikkema didn t exempt himself frombuilding a business case for the stand. Twenty prototypes went totest users around the country. We went through a thorough market analysis and business-planningprocess, and we had an overwhelmingly good response from testers, he said. Information gleaned from follow-up interviews with testers providedthe validation needed to proceed to the formal design and tofinalize the business plan.
The finished el BagPed products are sourced entirely in WestMichigan. The base is made by a Wyoming plant, and the fabric shelfbeneath where the bag sits comes from a Kentwood company. The benchis made of cold-rolled steel, a product that Sikkema calls a renewable, green metal that doesn t take much energy torefine. Buyers can chose from one of four powder-coated finishesand 18 fabric designs. He tapped the expertise of designers from Viable s sister company,Via Design Inc., for help with fabrics and design configurations.Sikkema is the CFO at Via Design, which is headed by his sister,Valerie Schmieder.
Sikkema said that the el BagPed design has worked well in coffeeshops, restaurants, and even high-end commercial restrooms, but theprimary use has been home and commercial office space. Incidentally, Ira Glass, the public radio personality and host ofThis American Life, is among the owners of el BagPed products.Sikkema said he owes the connection to a former intern. While it s still early to speculate how sales will grow, Sikkemasaid el BagPed has been featured on design blogs and is gaining aloyal following from customers that buy them. People will by one, then they ll buy another one, he said.
Once people get the category, I think it s going to takeoff. The original el BagPed retails for $199 and is sold exclusivelyonline at . This month, Sikkema will add ascaled-down, wooden version of el BagPed to the product lineup. TheZeeland-made piece will sell for $89. Besides el BagPed, Workitureoffers Flip, a product intended for lounge spaces and libraries.
Itcan hold a bag or, when flipped over, be used as a stool. Flip ispriced at $299. These are products for the new mobile office worker, saidSikkema. He hopes to add more products geared toward knowledge workers inthe coming years. While he hopes consumers will find the product sothat he can continue to grow the company, he realizes that he facesthe main challenge that most people likely aren t familiar withthe concept or its function.
One of our challenges is that people don t realize they needthese yet, Sikkema said.
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