INNOVATORS Gold Award - New Orleans City Business

GOLD AWARD
BK Products
PHOTO BY FRANK AYMAMI
BK Products founder Bob Kuswa started creating air filters in 1996 to improve air quality, cut utility costs and remove odors.
Key innovation: commercial filters and products that
save energy in refrigerators and air conditioners, keep
the air cleaner and help produce last longer
Biggest clients: Holiday Inn, Wendy’s, Piggly Wiggly
Supermarkets
Where they’re based: Madisonville
Top executive: Bob Kuswa, founder
Year introduced: 1996
MADISONVILLE-BASED BK PRODUCTS manufactures a
number of air filters, including the Mega Fresh filter, which
extends the shelf life of cold foods, and the Mega Freeze filter,
which creates colder temperatures and better-tasting ice. The
company’s Awesome Air filters work with HVAC systems to
improve indoor air quality and promote mold prevention.
From its humble beginnings in the garage of founder Bob
Kuswa, the company has grown to serve clients and customers
worldwide.
BK Product’s filters contain 100 percent all-natural
blends of zeolite minerals, which have the ability to absorb
and release water, odor and gas molecules without any
chemical or physical change in the zeolite itself. The zeolites
used in the products are non-flammable, non-toxic, can be
recharged and never wear out. The company’s filters can be
regenerated by baking them in the oven for a couple of
hours. While they’ve been effective in eliminating odors,
they also dramatically reduce energy consumption.
“Bob invented the product years ago when no one was
worried about energy savings,” said BK Products President
Clare Kuswa. “It wasn’t a big deal back then, but today
everyone is concerned about it. It lessens compressor run
time and saves a lot of energy.”
Formerly employed in the insurance industry, Kuswa tinkered
with creating filters as a hobby 12 years ago. After a
few experiments in his garage and satisfactory testing of the
filters, he obtained patents and trademarks and put his products
on the market.
Awesome Air filter customers include Piggly Wiggly
Supermarkets, Holiday Inn, Southern University at New
Orleans, the University of New Orleans and the city of
Covington. BK Products’ filters also are used at Mandeville
City Hall and promote better air quality and higher energy
savings.
“Not only have we been delightfully cool in these last
months but also according to our director of finance, we
have saved over $1,600 in the first four months of operation
in the City Hall building alone,” said Mandeville Mayor
Eddie Price in a testimonial on BK Product’s Web site.
Some of the company’s other products include Flower
Power, which can keep flowers fresh for up to 28 days; Odor
Stop, which gets rid of smoke, grease and other odors by
absorbing them; and Mega Cold, which eliminates fogging
on reach-in coolers.•
— Craig Guillot
New Orleans CityBusiness 7A