THE CHRONICLE-JOURNAL
02/17/2010
Successful business ideas can be grown in Thunder Bay.
Dan Cheal, president of Dream Big Innovations, wants everyone to know that if they have an idea, they can develop and market it here, from concept to finished product, like he did. Some stores in Thunder Bay are selling his invention, the Tidy Tray high chair tray liner.
“The idea came to me when I took my daughter for a walk to a restaurant,” Cheal said in an interview. “Like many parents with small children, I got a high chair and put the tray in place and saw the tray hadn‘t been cleaned properly.
“Instead of causing a disturbance I thought it would be nice to have some kind of cover to put over the tray.”
After a year and a half of product development, with a lot of help from local businesses, he said, the Tidy Tray was introduced locally at a few small retailers. It is being sold at Wal-Mart, Zellers, Bambino Paradise, Celebrations, Global Experience, Quality Market (Centennial Square), Seasons Gift Shop, Silk and Cedar and Toy Sense.
The Tidy Tray has since gone international after getting the attention of a buyer in the U.K.
The liner, Cheal said, is designed to slip over the tray, creating a clean surface. He added a pocket on the side to hold a cup, which he said restaurants like because of the tendency of children to throw cups on the ground. The cover is washable and printed with organic inks.
The Tidy Tray has some benefits even he said he didn‘t think about, like nut allergies.
“I had a lady call me up to tell me she bought two because her son has a severe peanut allergy. I never thought about that, but they do shield children from peanut butter smeared on surfaces that might not be totally cleared off,” Cheal said.
The best part of his success story, Cheal said, is that all the product development, research and marketing was done in the city.
“I didn‘t have a need to go outside the city until it came time to mass produce the Tidy Tray,” he said. “Korkola Design Communications helped with the concept. Alan Dickson Photography took the promotional shots in all my advertising.
“Even our website was developed by Sencia.”
When he decided to market Tidy Tray internationally, Twin Cities helped him navigate the global business market, Cheal said.
Lakehead University also lent a hand. The mathematics department helped him crunch marketing and sales numbers. The English department helped with wording on the packaging.
Cheal added the marketing faculty has said they‘d like to work with him as a student project.
The success of Tidy Tray has Cheal working on a few more products.
