Creating something from nothing

 

Soon after deciding to build from scratch a shopping cart to market to grocery retailers all over the world, the Long family worked with the Indianapolis-based Indesign professional design firm to design the cart’s prototype.

In 2011, the cart prototype, which was bright orange and gray, arrived at the Longs’ house, giving the family the first tangible proof of their hard work.

“That showed us this was God’s will. We are just the vehicle, and we give God the glory,” Drew Ann said.

Having a physical representation of the family’s dream strengthened Drew Ann’s resolve further, and she reached out to the nation’s largest shopping cart manufacturer, Technibilt, which is based in North Carolina.

“She brought the idea to Technibilt, and presented it to our then-plant manager,” said Technibiilt Sales Manager Alice Little. “He told her it was a good idea, but we were just not ready to embark on it yet.”

Not one to be discouraged, Drew Ann found a smaller manufacturer in Georgia to help make the product a reality. The Long family paid to help create and market the cart before it was picked up by the manufacturer.

“It was difficult at first, because he had never made a cart in his life,” Drew Ann said.

Working with the Georgia manufacturer, the Longs were able to strike a deal with the Belle Foods grocery store chain to distribute the carts in Alabama and a few other states.

From there, demand for Caroline’s Cart exploded.

 

A second chance

 

After being turned down the first time she approached Technibilt, the Longs’ fortunes changed after families and caretakers of special-needs adolescents and adults started learning about the product.

“It’s hard to get a product on the market, but we knew if a company saw it successful, they would want it,” Drew Ann said. “Technibilt called me back because people called them and told them they wanted this cart in their market.”

Little said demand for carts was widespread and nationwide, prompting the company to sign a contract with the Longs in late March 2013.

“After not getting it off the ground the first time, we started talking with her to make a cart that was safe and was the cart that she envisioned,” Little said, noting several retailers agreed to stock the carts months before they shipped. “This is going to take off once more people see these carts being used.”

About a month after Technibilt shipped the first batch of blue Caroline’s Carts in early August 2013, retailers in more than 10 states had already agreed to offer the carts.

“Signing that contract with Technibilt was like getting the Sony record deal,” Drew Ann said with a laugh. “We actually signed the contract on Good Friday, which just blew my mind.”

As each month passes, more and more retailers are jumping on board to offer Caroline’s Cart, and it will only take one large national chain to put the product in the public eye across the nation.

“All it will take is a company like a Walmart, a Kroger or a Target to sign on for these carts to take off all over the nation,” Little said. “This is something Technibilt really believes in. I really love this product.”