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Follow on Google News | Liftn Buddy Success Highlighted by North Dakota Department of CommerceLiftn Buddy Success Highlighted by North Dakota Department of Commerce
By: TR Cutler The North Dakota Department of Commerce highlighted a success story in business development. Lift'n Buddy got a jumpstart in business development, thanks to North Dakota's entrepreneurial programs like Innovate ND and facilities like the Business Incubator at NDSU Research & Technology Park. According to the release, there are countless jobs in America that require heavy lifting including warehousing, manufacturing, stocking retail shelves. After seeing co-workers do continuous heavy lifting with poor ergonomics, along with the increased risk of injury, Aaron Lamb set out to improve worker safety with the Lift'n Buddy, a hand truck with vertical lift assistance. "The beauty of North Dakota is that they made resources available to us, so from the onset, North Dakota was our angel fund," explained Lamb, who noted funding from the Agricultural Products Utilization Commission and Innovate ND as helping launch the business. "At the time, those were the most important resources we had, creating a safety net so we could focus on developing the venture instead of procuring the funds to develop the venture." Lift'n Buddy is a mobile lifting device that combines the best of a standard two-wheeler's durability and functionality with automatic lifting and lowering capabilities. In early 2013, the company was acquired by Southworth International Group, a global leader in ergonomic lifting equipment headquartered in Portland, ME. Southworth President and CEO Brian McNamara, was impressed not only by the Lift'n Buddy product, but the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship fostered in North Dakota that helped launch the business. "I was very favorably impressed with this program," said McNamara, talking about the Business Incubator at NDSU. "I remember going back and telling people about the North Dakota incubator program and what it had done for this product and how it, in my opinion, is money so well spent. You take someone with a seed of an idea and you allow them to grow it, you incubate it and allow it to grow." Link to the entire story: http://www.business.nd.gov/ Southworth was founded in 1890. Southworth, headquartered in Portland, Maine, located a small manufacturing facility in Manila in 1979. Presently Southworth has three facilities in Northeast Arkansas, two in Manila and one in Leachville. Lift'n Buddy (www.liftnbuddy.com) Lift’n Buddy, a division of Southworth Products www.liftnbuddy.com Aaron M. Lamb, General Manager pr@liftnbuddy.com 701.499.5293 End
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