Inside Edition

Tuesday was a pretty exciting day at Folbot. We were featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal regarding the effectiveness of social media (Twitter, Facebook and such) in a business context.

Click the photo to see the text of the article

It was great to be identified as a successful user of this form of communication and we were thrilled with the half a page of exposure in a major “old media” outlet.  We were also really delighted with the photo of Jackie Siddall, a Cooper owner in Toronto, and her getting such star exposure (you may remember Jackie from her now famous blog posting, “How Twitter Made Me Buy A Boat“).

So how does a manufacturer of folding kayaks in Charleston, SC get such treatment? Well, it takes a lot of effort to get the attention of a reporter.

We work with a wonderful public relations firm in Charleston — Touchpoint Communications.

They in turn work with a great organization called the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, which is tasked to attract business to the Charleston area.

Part of the CRDA’s strategy of showing what a great place Charleston is to live and work in is to is help shine the  spotlight on companies already doing business here.

They in turn work with Development Counsellors International, whose specialty is marketing places — they work with states, regions, and cities to attract visitors and investment.

So all those groups working together managed to get the attention of Sarah Needleman, the writer for the Wall Street Journal. Simple, huh? You’d think just making really cool folding kayaks would be enough.

The WSJ article also shows the power of the traditional media. Once the article was published (both in the paper and on their website) Folbot’s website activity significantly jumped, I received tons of emails and tweets about the article (you can follow me at @DAvRutick, and Folbot at @Folbot), people joined the Folbot Facebook page and others got in touch with Jackie via Twitter (@JackieSiddall) about her Cooper, and a number of other blogs discussed the article. It’s pretty cool that an article in a newspaper about using social media can drive such activity in the “new world.”

And around it goes.

Stay tuned… our next big media hit is coming soon. It’s a good one.

David A.

Canoecopia — The Trip In Pictures

Rather than regale you with a detailed travelogue of Folbot’s fantastic trip to Canoecopia, I thought I would tell the tale in photos.

This way to Canoecopia.

Traveling required some specialized luggage.

It was going to be a BIG show.

All our materials were waiting for us...

So we hoisted the Folbot flag and got to work.

Set up took a while...

But things started coming together quickly...

And turned into a pretty sharp display.

During the set up I even got interviewed on camera by Madison.com, the website for the state newspaper of Wisconsin.

The morning of the show, we had breakfast with Joe Jacobi -- Executive Director of USA Canoe/Kayak, and an Olympic gold medalist.

After breakfast we were so excited we got there a tad early.

They let the public in and it started to get busy...

Then it got REALLY busy.

The Folbot booth was rockin'.

The Citibot assembly video was very popular.

By the end of the day, EVERYONE was really tired.

Some of the other exhibitors were really interesting. I'll let you figure this one out yourself.

Lots of interesting folks dropped by to check out Folbot.

Finally, after three days, it came time to break things down...

The Folbot crewed worked hard and fast...

Finally, everything was back on the pallet.

The Folbot Crew -- me, John and Bill -- were tired, but happy

Bye Canoecopia, see you next year!

Although exhausting, Canoecopia was also exhilarating. We met an incredible number of wonderful people and added quite a few to the Folbot family.

I want to specifically thank John Burch, a Folbot customer, who not only urged us to attend Canoecopia, but came up from Chicago and worked with us to help share the wonders of Folbot with the world. We really appreciate all his help, knowledge and hard work.

One other exciting thing that happened during the show was that I spent a lot of time on the phone with a reporter from the Wall Street Journal talking about Folbot and social media — check out the results of those conversations in today’s Wall Street Journal!

Look for us back in Madison next year. What a great time!

David A.

Canoecopia Sale

Just in case you can’t make it to Canoecopia this weekend (at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin… March 12th – 14th), we wanted to share the show’s sale prices with everyone.

The sale applies to base boat prices and runs through Monday, March 22, 2010.

Please order online anytime or call us toll free (800.533.5099) between 8:30 and 4:30 Eastern time.

Or, we’ll see you at Booth O128!

David A.

Spring Cleaning

As part of our effort to look a bit spiffier for the TV cameras, we have been doing some cleaning and rearranging out in the Folbot factory.

While we run a pretty neat shop, it’s a pretty old facility. A little research showed that the windows hadn’t been cleaned for at least a quarter century! It’s amazing how those cobwebs can accumulate.

Fortunately, there were only 55 windows to clean. But, with a little effort, now you can actually see through them.

Wow... there are trees out there!

We also moved some things around to better make use of the space. We took down some racks and made quite a discovery underneath — crossframes for the old wooden kit boats!

They had been hidden under there for at least 22 years.

I wonder what we’ll find next?

David A.

On The Road… Part Two

As I recently wrote about Folbot heading to Canoecopia for next week’s paddlesports show, I thought I would share what it takes to move all those folding kayaks, racks and other goodies.

Those 24 cartons collectively weigh almost 1000 lbs!

Our friends at Hook USA were so impressed with what it takes to get everything  to the show, they wrote about it on their blog. While they did not jump at the chance of accompanying us to Madison, Wisconsin in March, they were kind enough to offer their services if we ever go to a kayak show in the Bahamas. Thanks, guys.

We hope you come visit us at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison — March 12th – 14th. It should be a great show.

David A.

Oh Canada!

While Folbots are not heavily used in the Winter Olympics (although Joe Jacobi, the Executive Director of USA Canoe/Kayak suggested on Twitter that it would be good to use them in a halfpipe event — you can follow Joe at @JoeJacobi), we all had such a good time watching that we wanted to express our thanks to Vancouver and Canada for being such fantastic hosts.

As a dual citizen of both the US and Canada, I had lots of rooting interests (how ’bout that hockey game?). But in the end, as usually happens, we were all winners — with the world coming together to celebrate our common interests rather than fighting about our differences.

Thanks for the fun and the memories Vancouver.

David A.

On The Road…

As we announced in December, in less than two weeks we’ll be heading to Madison, Wisconsin for Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddlesports event.

We’ve been working hard to make sure that our display is going to eye-catching, engaging and informative. We even went so far as to test the set-up for our exhibit in our showroom here in Charleston to make sure it all works well.

Every model of Folbot will be on display, and we’ll also have boats in bags, frames to look at and goodies to give away.  The show runs from Friday, March 12th though Sunday, March 14th. We look forward to seeing lots of members of the Folbot family and adding many more.

See you there!

David A.

Cleaning Day

With Folbot having been in the same facility for about 57 years, things tend to pile up. In anticipation of the TV cameras arriving in the near future, we decided it was time to get some of the big pieces of equipment that haven’t been used in years out the door.

Here’s a row of some oldies, but goodies:

We also moved out an old Radio Frequency Welding machine (which was used to make sponsons and flotation bags for the kayaks):

If you look into the back of the RF machine, you’ll see why:

And away they went…

Thanks guys… we appreciate all the help.

David A.

2010

Despite the recent storm systems that left 49 of the 50 U.S. states with a measurable snowfall (quick… which was the state that did not get any snow?), the big rains Down Under, windstorms in the Middle East and more snow in Denmark than Greenland, we see 2010 shaping up as a pretty good year for paddling. With the economy improving and some pretty exciting things in the works, 2010 is also going to be a great year for Folbot.

One thing that is really exciting is the Citibot’s inclusion in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s Smart Home: Green + Wired that is being created in partnership with WIRED Magazine. This is a really cool project where they have crafted a house out of recycled and renewed materials, and it features the latest in energy and resource efficiencies. Basically, the Smart Home combines sustainability with cool gear and gadgets. As one of the cool things, the Citibot is hanging in the Smart Home’s garage.

The Smart Home: Green + Wired will be open from March 4, 2010 until January 2, 2011.

And it gets better!

The DIY Network’s show, Garage Mahal, has filmed an episode focusing on the garage in the Smart Home. Thus, the eye-catching orange Citibot will be seen by over 22 million viewers (over the life of the episode).

Tune in on Fridays at 10:30 (eastern) to see Garage Mahal. We’ll let you know when the Citibot episode (as it is now widely referred to) will be aired.

It’s going to be a great year.

David A.

Reason #387 To Get A Folbot

This incident recently appeared in the Police Blotter in local Charleston newspaper, The Post and Courier.

Kayak collision probed by police

Charleston police on Jan. 19 took a report concerning a “hit-and-run” collision between a car and a kayak. A 59-year-old man told police he was driving on the James Island expressway when a kayak blew off the top of a another car in traffic and landed on his vehicle.

The driver reported he was about two car lengths behind the other car when the kayak took flight. The complainant gave police the license tag number for the car, which was last seen taking the Harbor View Road exit, the report says. The car and driver were not located.

If they had a Folbot folding kayak, this never would have happened.

Look Ma, two kayaks... no rack!

Carrying your kayak in your trunk is not only safer, but also increases your gas mileage by about 5%. The environment and the drivers around you thank you.

David A.