Dog walker gets inventive
Over the years, we've been forced to become more cognizant of picking up after our pets.
While walking your furry friend, a bag is usually in one hand and the leash in the other. A Palatine publisher -- and inventor on the side -- came up with a contraption to eliminate the need for a pet owner to carry a bag filled with waste.
Tim Campbell invented the Doody Dangler, a slipknot-style contraption that attaches to the dog's leash to hold the bag of waste.
"For the price of a cup of gourmet coffee, anyone can enjoy walking their dog without having to carry a warm, smelly bag of poop," Campbell joked.
A devoted dog owner, Campbell was struck by the idea during a walk with his golden retriever, Buddy.
While circling his lakeside community, he spotted several neighbors talking. As he approached them, he noticed that all three of them were holding bags of dog doo. This got Campbell thinking that there had to be a better way.
He came up with the idea while working in his garage. He explored manufactures and conducted market research. "At first I tried to over engineer the concept. Then I made it very simple. It's a practice idea that solves the problem," Campbell said.
He first came up with the idea about 15 months ago. In the beginning of 2007, he sent out his first shipment. The product, selling for about $5, can be purchased at nearly 100 retailers, many of them online stores.
"It's going over really well," Campbell said. He just sold over 10,000 of the gadgets.
He added that it has been a true family project. His wife, Susan, named the product and his children, Ryan, 11, and Caitlyn, 12, have seen the initial concept all the way through. The family has been living in Palatine for nearly 10 years.
Campbell, 41, now operates Imagine-It Corp. from his home while working full-time for an area publishing firm. He hopes to come up with additional creative, innovative and fun products. Susan works as a teacher's assistant at a nearby school.
For more information, call (847) 732-8124 or check out www.doodydangler.com.
Specialist designation: Nurses Charlene Adamski of Chicago and Pam Camposeo of Carol Stream were recently awarded the national credential status of home care coding specialists, diagnosis, by the Board of Medical Specialty Coding.
The new payment system has made coding a critical function in order to determine accurate reimbursement and drive quality outcome improvement for a home health-care agency.
The women work with Family Home Health Services and its division, Family Centered Hospice, with offices in Addison.
Fudge brownies: Art McGinn, owner of Roselle-based Custom Direct marketing firm, is attempting to market with sweetness.
McGinn is handing out Little Debbie brand fudge brownies with information about his firm at the Metra commuter stations in Schaumburg, Roselle and Medinah.
"We're not a big downtown agency, with a big overhead, a big staff or the attitude to match. We're a small group of dedicated design, production and marketing pros with national experience," McGinn said. For more, check out www.ChooseArtie2007.com.