A venerable Chicago-area company perhaps best known for its to fit shredders is making a run near the ski-slope-shredding set and other action-sports collectors.
Itasca-based Fellowes Brands Inc. a week ago purchased startup Optrix, which makes i – phone and iPad cases, mounting skids and lens adapters that consent to users to record everything from snowboarding runs to mountain bike rainure to big waves, CEO Knisley Fellowes said. Optrix was founded here in San Rafael, Calif., in 2011.
Fellowes said he hopes to put the benefits of his company’s distribution network the actual four-year-old Optrix brand, whose home sales had been primarily online and in Western side Coast specialty retailers. The companies did not disclose terms of the deal, which they for you to announce this week.
“It’s a business honestly, that is selling well today, but there exists a much bigger upside potential, ” Fellowes said. “That’s really lab opportunity is. ”
Fellowes in any case sells mobile accessories under the Complete body Glove brand, and Optrix skids will be sold as Optrix times Body Glove, Fellowes said.
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Although Knisley Fellowes didn’t mention action camera-maker GoPro by name, he’s definitely gunning for a piece of the surging sector. San Mateo, Calif. -based GoPro, which went public here in June, closed at $91 by the share Monday, a high since its $24-per-share IPO in June. Also participating in the market last week was Polaroid, show casing Cube, positioning itself as a lower-cost alternative to the GoPro.
Fellowes, identified in Chicago in 1917 because a maker of boxes for organizing financial documents, still makes drive boxes but also makes paper shreders, air-purification equipment and mobile accents.
John Fellowes said the Optrix acquisition broadens the company’s promotions, essential for it to stay ahead of constantly changing technology.
Office products “will continually a part of our roots, ” this individual said. “But office products will alter. And traditional office products must continue to decline. ”
John Fellowes, the fourth generation to lead the company, stated that mobile accessories represent about 20% of the privately held company’s business from the U. S. and about 10 percent world-wide. He sees plenty of room to build that, he said.
The company triumphed a Chicago Innovation Award here in 2007 for a safety device of its paper shredders. Dan Burns, co-founder of the Chicago Innovation Honours, said Fellowes knows the importance of tool.
“Fellowes’ future depends on innovation” Burns said. “If they can’t come across it inside, they’ll have to go outside and have it. ”
John Fellowes stated that the company was looking to expand from the mobile-accessories space and connected with Optrix founder John Willenborg at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Companies finalized the deal Aug. 8, this individual said. Optrix operations will be ended of Fellowes’ Itasca headquarters, life style Fellowes said Willenborg will keep Los angeles as his base.
Fellowes stated that Willenborg, a motorcycle racer, arrived the idea for Optrix when he visit a race and realized this individual hadn’t brought his sports and the camera. Willenborg had his itouch with him and secured the site to his helmet, Fellowes stated that.
“He realized he could play right back his race immediately, ” Fellowes said, citing what he stated that is an advantage of the smartphone or else tablet over other action-sports vandalproof surveillance camaras.
The basic Optrix kit includes a waterproof case for iPhone 4 case, plus two lens brackets that can be placed over the smartphone or else tablet lens, Fellowes said.
Fellowes said Optrix will be marketed to our own action-sports set and “also delivers for a family who just want to location a best waterproof iPhone 4 case case on their mobile or portable phone and let kids take videos from the pool. “
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