The New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) at Brookdale Community College, the City of Long Branch and Create Labs have come together to open the doors of its innovative Long Branch Accelerator to the community. Budding entrepreneurs looking to upgrade or start their small business presented their ideas to a panel of judges at the Accelerator opening event held in fall 2019. Ten winners were presented to a panel of judges. were selected and awarded a scholarship to complete a vigorous entrepreneurship certification program through the NJSBDC. at Brookdale.
One of the pitch winners was Bryan Alintoff, a single dad, and his son Hayden from Middletown, NJ. Their idea for a product was born when Hayden needed a pitch for his Grade 3 class competition. One night Hayden went upstairs to brush his teeth before going to bed. Bryan was tired and dreaded the messy bathroom sink.
“After Hayden or I brush our teeth, we leave a complete mess behind,” he said. I would no longer have to clean the sink every morning and every night. So I ran up the stairs and explained the idea to Hayden, and he immediately said we’ll call him the Sink Spinner.
For Hayden’s science project, they created a plastic prototype. After Hayden’s presentation, every parent expressed their need for a Sink Spinner. They loved the idea!
Together with family members Bill Bredbemmer, Lisa Bredbemmer and Dr. Renee Wild, they formed a partnership and a business. They bought a 3D printer, created 3D models, tested it, and finally got a working prototype.
“I’m the liaison and I’m learning more from engineers than I ever wanted to,” Alintoff said.
They were fortunate enough to find engineers John Vassa and Keegan Schoch, who began to design and redesign it for manufacturing. They had the working prototype, but they knew they needed an aerator and a handle as well.
The Sink Spinner Partners are proud to have reduced the aerator to 1 gallon per minute, which is very environmentally friendly, compared to the typical 2 gallons on most faucets. Plus, this product saves over 1 gallon of water per minute by slowing water flow.
The handle is essential as it is needed to switch from regular aeration mode to spin mode, so the Sink Spinner should never be removed from the faucet.
“There are trials and tribulations to starting a business,” Alintoff said.
Ten parts are needed to produce the Sink Spinner. They received offers on one of the parts to assess which factory would manufacture all of the parts. The first offer came from a company in the United States, which quoted $ 20,000 for the part with a mold. The second bid was from a factory in China, which quoted $ 1,900 for the part with four molds. They found their business.
“We wanted the whole product to be made in the United States, but the price just wasn’t competitive,” Alintoff said.
They used a company in Germany for the handle, they made it with copper in the middle, so when you move the handle up and down, it will never wear out and therefore will never break. Working with factories in Germany, England and China helped them get the highest quality product.
In addition, Sink Spinner packaging is made in the USA. A design company, Catalpha helped them with the structure of the box. Dr Renee Wild was their liaison for this part. “She had a great vision,” Alintoff said. The designer made sure the color coordination was perfect for our brand. Catalpha created the box structure and printed it, and the boxes are environmentally friendly.
“Our packaging is beautiful,” said Alintoff. “When you open our packaging, it looks like it’s in a sink. We have thought of everything from A to Z for our customer experience.
“We get our pieces from all over the world, but we assemble them here in the United States, at my kitchen table,” Alintoff said.
Sink Spinners sell for 34.99 to 49.99. At festivals, they sell for 34.99, and online; MSRP is 49.99. They also have specials and discount codes to bring the price down to 39.99, and shipping is free.
“When we launched the accelerator program, we learned a lot about the business,” said Alintoff.
“Within this program, we bring in experts in business development, financing and mentors,” said Dr. Jackeline Mejias-Fuertes, Director of the NJSBDC.
“We did everything from business plans to accounting, giving us a comprehensive and quick overview of everything we were going to need,” said Alintoff. “Classes were held a few days a week at different times, and then we met separately. Just phenomenal. We learned things that we didn’t know when starting a business, which neither of us had ever done before. Having this program was a godsend.
For a free demo of Sink Spinners, go to Made in Monmouth event at Brookdale Community College, Robert J. Collins Arena, parking lot # 6, Saturday, November 6 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Admission is free. Sink Spinners will also be available at St. Mary’s Parish Bazaar in Middletown Township on December 4th.e.
“We all remember the great presentation Bryan and his son gave on their invention ‘Sink Spinner’ in the Long Branch version of Shark Tank,” said Anita Voogt, associate vice president of strategic partnerships at Brookdale. “I was at Long Branch Day years later and who’s one of the salespeople – none other than Bryan in his Sink Spinner tent having made great strides in moving the business forward. It was a proud moment for all – I even bought one and love it!
Recently featured on NBC 12 News, CBS, Cheddar Gadgets, Sink Spinner also has a Kickstarter page.
Sink Spinner is available online, money back guaranteed at sinkspinner.com.
Soon this smart gadget will be available at Bed Bath and Beyond.
“Everyone’s head jumps when they see the Sink Spinner start to spin,” Alintoff said. “They are like, omg, this is amazing!”