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Matt and Stephanie Nelson beside the sign on the old
story, which is now the manufacturing facility for
Dragonfly Tarps.
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By David
Callister, University of Idaho
Extension Educator in Butte County
Have you ever had an idea for a product and wondered if you
could turn it into a business in Arco, Idaho?
High school teachers Matt and Stephanie Nelson did exactly that with
hard work, help from the Arco Butte Business Incubation Center, Butte County
Economic Development and educational support from University of Idaho Extension
and Idaho State University. The business
that started in their basement is now a property tax paying business on West
Grand, employing five people besides Matt and Stephanie.
Have you driven down Grand Avenue and seen the “Dragonfly
Tarp” sign on the old drug store? Have
you wondered what is Dragonfly Tarp? I
recently talked to the owners Matt and Stephanie Nelson about their company.
Dragonfly tarps manufactures high quality custom tarps for
outdoor enthusiasts and others. When
asked how they got started Nelson’s answer, “It all started with a damaged tarp.”
Matt’s family enjoys white water rafting. When one of his father’s tarps had reached
the end of its useful life, he took the well-worn tarp to a canvas shop and had
a replacement made. He was not happy
with the results. After looking it over
Matt thought he could do a better job. At
the time, Matt was a student at Idaho State University and was able to use their
craft shop.
The family liked the resulting tarp and several family
members requested tarps for themselves.
In fact, every time Matt would make a tarp for himself, he would end up
selling it to someone else. By word of
mouth Matt was manufacturing five to eight tarps a year.
He started purchasing equipment to manufacture
the tarps in his basement. As demand for
the tarps kept increasing, Matt and Stephanie realized they either needed to
quit making tarps or hire some help.
After hiring their first employee they continued
manufacturing the tarps in their basement.
It soon became clear that the basement was too small. After meeting with the Arco / Butte County
Business Incubation Center Board of Directors, the business was moved into the Arco
Butte Business Incubation Center (BIC). The
BIC was able to accomplish their mission by providing Dragonfly a suitable
manufacturing space at a subsidized cost while the business was getting on its
feet. Business continued to grow by word
of mouth with twenty-five tarps the first year in the BIC and sixty tarps the
next.At this point they were out growing the space in the BIC and
looked at renting an additional space in the BIC. About this time the old, recently upgraded, Lost
River Drug building became available.
Last year they manufactured 120 tarps, including international orders, and
now employ 5 individuals.
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| The "dragonfly tarp" that was the companies first product |
Nelsons reported that some of the keys to their success
included the following: First, having the help of the BIC during the switch
from a hobby to a business provided a transitional space where the business
could grow. Second, having a product
that meets the needs of a specialized market with strong word of mouth
marketing. Third, having a product that sells
beyond the immediate community helps bring outside dollars to Arco and provides
a better opportunity for growth. Another
key to Dragonfly’s success is having a high-quality product that sells itself. Both for bigger customers who want
additional tarps and for small customers who want a product as good as their
friends.
Dragonfly Tarps has become the tarp of choice of white-water
tour operators.
Stephanie reported, “They
are bigger, lighter and easier to set up than competitor tarps.”
Matt added “Dragonfly Tarps also do better at
withstanding the wind.”
The Nelsons no
longer rely only on word of mouth for their tarps to sell.
One of their marketing strategies is to
attend trade shows where they demonstrate their products.
They also market their tarps on their website:
dragonflytarps.com. Building a presence on social media is their
next step in their marketing plan.
Their product line has grown as well.
They started out making free standing tarps
for white-water companies.
Now some of
their freestanding tarps are meeting the needs of other groups, such as shelters
for track and cross-country teams while not running.
In addition to free standing tarps, they now
sell overland rig tarps which fasten to the sides of a campers, trucks, or vans.
Dragonfly also produces custom products
to meet the specialized needs of customers.
Looking toward the future, an opportunity of growth, the Nelsons
are considering is the need for tarp repair.
They are frequently asked to repair boat and pickup bed covers. It is looking like they could keep an
additional employee busy just with the repairs that are requested from the
community.
When asked “What advice do you have for someone else who
thinks they have a product to sell?” First,
do your market research and make sure others will want your product. Marketing is important, a good salesman can
sell junk, but a good product without any marketing will not sell. Second, high-quality products are important
if you want to keep customers. Third, social
media is becoming the new marketplace where you can show off your product in
action and testimonials are instantaneous.
Then look; do you have the space to do the manufacturing? Would the Arco Butte Business Incubation
Center help in the transition or startup of your business?
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Dragonfly Tarps employees: (left to right) Jennifer Schafer, Jarrie Schafer, Sandy Paz and JoAnn Schafer
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The Nelsons also commented that as more of the textile
industry moves offshore there is a need for skilled technicians to do repair
work and build custom products here at home.
Knowing how to build and fix things can provide a career for those
willing to do the work.
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Dragonfly Tarps manufacturing facility on West Grand Avenue in Arco.
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So, the next time you drive down Grand Avenue and you see
the sign “Dragonfly Tarps” you will now know what they do. Hopefully, you have learned it is possible
for a company to start and grow in Arco, Idaho.
For help with initiating
a business in Butte County, one can contact the Arco Butte Business
Incubation Center at 208-527-3060
(
http://arcobuttebusinesscenter.blogspot.com/)
and Butte County Economic Development at 208-680-1938,
The Lost Rivers Grazing Academy is a 4-day hands-on workshop for livestock operators and their advisers and consults that want to harvest and sell more of the sun’s energy through grazing, improve soil health, reduce erosion, and reduce costs, primarily on irrigated pastures.
The Academy was first held in 1994 in the Lost River Valley and has been held at least once annually since then, except when disrupted by the pandemic. The program has won state and national awards for Extension programs and is has been recognized internationally. It has been attended by agency personnel and livestock operators from all over the western US, as well as from eastern US, Canada, Mexico and South America.
