From IGC Magazine (Independent Garden Center Magazine), pages 26-27:
Potwheelz President Christina Hilt and her husband and Director of Marketing & Logistics, Verne, developed the idea for the ergonomic hand truck after recognizing the need for one in the market.
IGC Show garden center buyers voted for their favorites in the New Product Zone during the 11th annual trade show and conference in August. A favorite among IGC Show-goers, the Potwheelz Garden Dolly from Potwheelz of Gulf Breeze, FL, won the Best New Product second-place award. Potwheelz President Christina Hilt and her husband and Director of Marketing & Logistics, Verne, developed the idea for the ergonomic hand truck after recognizing the need for one in the market.
The IGC Show proved fruitful for Potwheelz, as the Hilts wrote orders and were surprised when their product won the honor.
The inspiration for the products started at home. “We do a fair amount of container gardening,” Verne says. “As we got older, it became a bit of a headache to move the heavier pots and plants around. We tried to find something that would transport them easier, but almost everything on the market required a fair amount of lifting.
Everything from computers to phones to cars is trending toward ergonomic, easy-to-use design,” Verne says, yet hand trucks had not changed over the past 20 years.”
The duo tinkered around with a few ideas before landing on the Potwheelz design. They partnered with a design company, which built prototypes to take to industry trade shows.
The product is handy not only for consumers but for garden centers in need of a better system to move large plants, landscaping rocks and other heavy products. Verne suggests making Potwheelz carts available to customers as well on a rental basis: “For them, one of the challenges when they want to buy large containers or trees is how to move them when they get home.” Product demonstration videos are available at Potwheelz’ website and Facebook page, but the Hilts says the best way for customers to see the products is while in use by store staff.
Potwheelz dollies can be ordered through the company’s distributor or at its website, www.potwheelz.com. There are no minimums, and orders usually arrive between three and four days via UPS.