GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Austin and Alex Pollock have been busy guys since we first told you in August about the product they invented, in honor of someone very special to them.
"Our grandfather in 2022 tripped over his oxygen tubing, and that trip sent him to the hospital. So we created a solution to the oxygen tubing, The Reel Mate Remote, which organizes the oxygen tubing as an individual moves around their living area, keeping that tubing out from under their feet and their walker," Austin said.
According to the Pollock brothers, people on supplemental oxygen collectively experience more than 570,000 falls each year. After our original story aired, 13 ON YOUR SIDE viewers told us on social media how much they and their loved ones could use a product like the Reel Mate Remote.
The Pollock brothers started receiving a lot of messages too. As word continued to spread, people started asking how they could get one. At the time, the brothers weren't ready to distribute the Reel Mate Remote. But in September, they got a little help getting their product to market, after winning $20,000 at the Start Garden 100 pitch competition in Grand Rapids.
"That's super helpful for getting our manufacturing off the ground to fulfill people that hopefully are joining our waiting list," Austin said.
"We partnered with DISHER, and redesigned the reel with them, designed it more for easy assembly, and to manufacture it at scale. So we're sitting on the steps to go through that manufacturing process and package them up and get ready to sell."
Final assembly is happening in Grand Rapids, and the Pollock brothers say they're proud that the product they've created is being made in their hometown. They hope to start fulfilling orders for people on the waitlist by the end of November, which fittingly enough is COPD Awareness Month.
"You can go straight to our website. There is a button in the top right to join the waitlist. You can also go to the products page as well, where there's a section highlighted in bold that says 'Join The Waitlist.' Just fill in your email and we'll get in touch with you as soon as we can," Alex said.
In January, the Pollock brothers will also take their product to the largest tech trade show in the world, CES in Las Vegas, to show off the Reel Mate Remote. But they say the real thrill is getting this product to people who need it.
"It's definitely overwhelming at times, but it's a mission that we have such a passion behind, and that passion never fades," Alex said.
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