INNOVATIONS: Goop dreams

by Allison Kaplan
Pioneer Press/Buylines
September 5, 2001

Gene Luoma of Duluth headed out to the garage in search of some sort of tool that would allow him to unclog a sink without having to stick his hand in the gross goop lurking below. He found a broken plastic sled and cut off a piece of the jagged material. He stuck it down the drain, and -- zip! -- the clog was removed, and a product was born. The Zip-It you'll now find at Wal-Mart, Menards and soon at Home Depot does not come directly from Luoma's broken sled, but it's not a lot fancier. The patented Zip-It is a 20-inch strip of durable plastic with serrated edges and a small handle. Why didn't you think of it? The Zip-It sells for about $2.