subject: Why I Left Corporate America in Pursuit of the Perfect Squeegee by:Al Hansen [print this page] I'm the founder of Cleret, maker of the coolest looking squeegees on the planet. It all started in 1986 when I let this big burly contractor talk me into putting fancy clear glass shower doors in my brand new bath - BIG MISTAKE!
After bathing, there were all these unsightly water spots on my new glass shower doors and puddles everywhere. And then it started to mildew and turn green and stink. My bath looked horrible, and it looked (and was) dirty all the time. To combat this, I began to wipe down my bath after each shower with my bath towel. But by the end of the week I had a mountain of towels piled nearly to the ceiling in corner of my bath. Ugh!
I was at a loss as to what to do. Then one day it hit me: a squeegeein the shower! A couple of quick swipes right after bathing and it was bye, bye ugly water spots and grunge. But unfortunately, because I had to leave the squeegee in the bath so I would remember to use it, it was also hello UGLY squeegee in my dazzling new bath. The contraption gave my bath a neo-janitorial look, I suppose, and that just wasn't the statement I wanted to make.
I got to thinking one day, "What's a guy like me doing with an ugly squeegee in my bath? I'm a little more hip and stylish that that. Why don't they make something that looks better?" Well, the cruel reality was that they didn't. I looked everywhere: bath stores, hardware stores, department storesbut I found nothing! Then it dawned on me, why not go to some trendy product designer and have them design something, you know, cool looking. Something ergonomical. And so I did!
Before I went to the designer, I talked with as many women as I could to help me with squeegee colors, shapes, sizes and so on. They flooded me with super ideas that I would never have thought of as a guy with not-very-developed sense of design.
Well, the result of my work with all those neat women who provided me with tons of ideas was the amazing, award-winning Clert bath squeegee. It was selected as the best designed new Consumer Product by the Industrial Designers Society of America. And the next time you are at The Smithsonian, you can find it on display in the Permanent Design Collection. No other squeegee in the universe has been so honored.
In the beginning, we made just fancy bath squeegees, but now we make squeegees for use on windows, mirrors, cars, boats, kitchen counters, and even horses (yes, it's true!).
Well, there you have it, the Clert story. I still can't believe I left that cushy corporate job to make squeegees. But it's been worth it! Now I get to read all those nice letters and e-mails from folks around the world who have discovered just how much fun squeegee-ing can be .... with a Clert squeegee that is!
AC-001
About the author
Al Hansen continues to run Cleret, where you can buy the best squeegees for your home, car, boat, and more online. Visit Cleret today at http://www.cleret.com/ to learn more about the squeegees' unique design and to buy a set for yourself or as a gift for a friend.
