Park and Slide fits in nicely for old friends
19th May 2009
TWO North East entrepreneurs are on the road to success after their innovative solution to an age-old car parking problem attracted worldwide interest.
Ken Riley and David Carr established their Park and Slide business to help motorists solve the frequently-faced challenge of getting two cars into a “double” garage that is actually unable to accommodate both vehicles.
And from starting just over a year ago as a concept dreamed up in a garage in Blaydon, Tyne and Wear, their product is now set to be sold throughout the UK, Europe and the US.
Enterprising Mr Riley, of Blaydon, set about designing a simple device to overcome the problem after being refused planning permission to extend his own garage.
While the space was technically a double garage, it was impossible for Mr Riley to fit two modern vehicles inside – leading to a hike in insurance premiums and increasing security concerns, as one had to be left outdoors.
The former Tarmac North-East managing director enlisted the help of Mr Carr and, together, they devised the ‘park and slide’ system, comprising two horizontal runners bolted to a garage floor.
A vehicle can be parked on a metal plate operating along the runners and simply pushed to the side of the garage, creating space for another car, or extra storage.
With the invaluable support of Matthew Rippon, a solicitor at North East law firm BHP Law, the business is now set to motor ahead after a licence deal was agreed – and the product could soon be selling across the globe.
Mr Rippon, one of the region’s leading intellectual property specialists, was part of a “business hub” of experts who helped to get the venture off the ground – taking advantage of start-up funding provided by Business Link North-East.
Newcastle-based accountants and business advisers RMT, patent and trademark attorneys Murgitroyd, who referred Mr Riley to BHP, and business consultant Ross Golightly, formerly of RTC North, have also played key roles.
Park and Slide has now signed a deal with Total Lifting Solutions, giving it the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the in-demand product in the UK, as well as non-exclusive rights in Europe.
Further talks to agree international arrangements are planned, following interest from as far afield as the US, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and throughout Scandinavia.
Interest is also growing among construction firms keen to make the Park and Slide system part of new housing developments.
Mr Riley said: “After my planning application for the garage was turned down, I was left with the choice of selling a car or trying to do something about this myself.
“I spent several weeks working on a prototype and I thought it might be a good idea to make a business out of it. David produced it and it works fantastically.
“Many older houses have double garages that could accommodate the cars being produced at the time, but 21st century vehicles are much larger and countless motorists must be facing this problem.
“With the support of such an expert team, we have high hopes that this will be a major success. There is particularly strong interest in the US for a new motorcycle turntable and slide device that the Americans are keen on for parking their Harley Davidsons.”
Mr Rippon added: “This has been an excellent example of collaboration between experts from various disciplines. Park and Slide has been able to deal with a team of people all sharing a common purpose and I wish the company every success for the future.”
Mr Golightly said: “The concept of building a virtual team of experts from different disciplines, all focused on achieving the best possible results for our client, has been a ground-breaking and successful move.”
Stephen Slater, of RMT, added: “We have been able to offer support to the company over the last year and this has been an outstanding team effort that has brought us to the point where this product really is about to take off.
It reinforces RMT's commitment to support high-growth, early-stage businesses in the region.
For further information about Park and Slide, telephone (01622) 718042 or log onto www.totalliftingsolutions.co.uk
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