CUDAHY, Wis. – A bold new collaboration between a New York industrial designer and a Wisconsin metal fabrication shop is producing “itsahook,” a savvy new storage solution with a playful twist.
Itsahook can be attached to a wall and provides a clever and convenient alternative to traditional hooks by providing storage for an outer garment such as a sweater or coat, as well as storage space for keys, wallets, cellphones and other items for people on the go.
“Its design ensures that hanging clothing won’t be inflicted with unsightly creases. Now you keep your wardrobe in check and your daily items easily accessible in a single, stylish spot,” said Zac Feltoon, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based industrial designer who invented itsahook.
With its smiley face design, “It’s a moment of interaction every day. You walk out the door every day with a smile. You can’t help but connect to it,” Feltoon said.
After Feltoon designed itsahook, he needed to find a manufacturer capable of quickly mass-producing his creation.
“I instinctively returned to that corridor between Chicago and Milwaukee. There are so many metal manufacturers there. However, I needed a turnkey partner, someone who could handle everything, end-to-end, from raw material to packaged product,” Feltoon said.
Eventually, his Internet cold calls in late November connected him with CR Industries LLC, a metal fabrication shop based in Cudahy, Wis.
Less than three weeks later, CR Industries has produced multiple color prototypes of itsahook and worked through multiple rounds of revisions internally and with Feltoon.
“We had the laser metal cutting and powder coating capabilities in our shop to manufacture what he needed,” said Rich Ballenger, who had acquired CR Industries at 5757 S. Pennsylvania Ave. with his business partner, Erik Thompson, last year.
CR Industries typically manufactures metal products for industrial customers.
“This is really our first foray into business-to-consumer manufacturing, and it’s very exciting,” Thompson said. “This could open some new markets for us.”
“It’s a win-win. CR Industries checked all the boxes I needed. The fact that they could begin production less than three weeks after I reached out to them shows why they are the perfect partner we needed,” Feltoon said.
Ballenger and Thompson both have the pedigrees to transform a business. Ballenger achieved a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Thompson, a Pennsylvania native who served in the U.S. military, achieved a master’s degree in business administration from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice and psychology from Dakota Wesleyan University.
The itsahook sells for an introductory launch retail price of $29.00. For more information and to place an order, visit www.itsahook.com. Itsahook begins shipping Dec. 11 – just in time for the holidays.
Additional information about the company is available at www.crifabricators.com.
