Ingenuity - New Orleans City Business

P&R AccessoriesMotorcycle rider’s quest for comfort yields successful inventionIf you’re not a motorcycle enthusiast, Bakup was developed foryou may not understand the necessity ofPhillip Strother’s invention, Bakup. Buthe has an image he uses to help peopleunderstand.“Imagine you’re driving for milesin your car with no back on your seat.You have nothing to hold you up,you’re relying on the steering wheel tokeep you upright,” he said. “That’sHarley-Davidson police motorcyclesand is being used in lawenforcement.Sales of the Bakup neared$250,000 in 2003 and Strotherestimates that they will exceed$400,000 in 2004.The device is breaking groundin a market formerly dominated bywhat it’s like to drive amotorcycle with noback rest.”The Bakup is revolutionaryin that it ismade in America, fromstainless steel parts andit requires no modificationsto the bike inorder to mount it. It canName: P&R AccessoriesLocation: LulingOwners: Phillip & RhondaStrotherbe installed quickly and withoutchanges, alterations or adjustments tothe motorcycles’ frame or body, makingit more “user-friendly.” Currently itis available for BMW, Harley-Davidson, Honda and Yamaha motorcycles.New models are under development.In addition, a model of theProduct: Invented the Bakup,a backrest for motorcycles.overseas creationsthat Strother saidare made for thecheapest priceand not to satisfythe customer.“This is an All-American madeproduct,” he said.Strother saidthough locals might not understandthe need for such a device, there isa large market elsewhere, especiallyoverseas. He said that before he createdthe Bakup “there wasn’t anything on themarket I thought suitable to put on aBMW bike.”What started as an innovation meantThe Bakup back rest can fit on several makes of motorcycles and requires no modification to the bike.for Strother’s personal use has expandedto distribution in 78 BMW Dealers advantage of his invention comes fromeasy to install, Strother said the biggestnationwide. He is looking to export the the comfort it gives riders.Bakup overseas, where he said there is a “A comfortable rider is a more awaremuch larger market for motorcycle rider. A more aware rider is a safeaccessories among the larger amount of rider,” he said.bike enthusiasts.While the Bakup is user-friendly and— Nicole HaaseProcter & GambleCompany thinks outside the can for its coffee packaging inNew OrleansFolgers coffee drinkers might associatethe product with a red steel can. Now thecompany has launched new packagingfor its coffee line: the AromaSeal canister,an all-plastic container with a foil seal.Folgers, a Procter & Gamble company,claims two Louisiana connections for itsdesign. The plastic canister is manufacturedat Liquid Container LP/Plaxicon Co.of Hammond. The coffee supply comesName: Procter & GambleLocation: CincinnatiCEO: Alan G. LafleyProduct: Folger’sAromaSeal canisterlaunched at its facilityin eastern New Orleans.from the Folgers’ easternNew Orleans plant.Procter & Gamblesays Folgers is the firstroast and ground coffeesold in a plastic container.The AromaSeal canister,which replaces the traditionalsteel can that hadbeen in use since the mid-19th century, keeps coffeeas fresh as the original package.But the newdesign is easier to handle. It’s light and easyto hold and features a wide, indented handle.The design has won Folgers accoladesfrom both the packaging industry —Packaging Digest, which speculated lastSeptember that the new plastic containercould “spell the death of the steel coffeecan” — and praise from consumers, whosay the design is more convenient for elderlyconsumers or those people with arthritis.Additionally, the metal lid of the can isnow replaced by a “snap-tight” plastic lidand a peel-off foil seal, which eliminatesthe need for can openers and also meansfewer cuts or scrapes from jagged metaledges. The canister is dent-resistant andunlikely to break. Procter & Gambledeveloped the idea for the canister withassistance from several companies, whichcontributed to the completeAromaSeal package.Procter & Gamblereported a 4 percentincrease in coffee sales afterthe August 2003 launch ofthe AromaSeal canister.The first AromaSealcanisters will be sold in a39-ounce size — the sameamount as in the steel can,but measuring 6 by 6 inches, shorter andwider than the can — with Folgers’ bestsellingClassic Roast.Eventually,all Folgersmetal containers will be replaced withAromaSeal canisters.The blow-molded canister, which ismade from high-density polyethylene,is recyclable.— Faith DawsonFolgers began using the new canister for the coffee processed at its eastern New Orleans plant.16A 2004 Innovator of the Year