Invention Fits Like Glove
After several hours of washing dishes at a University Club event years ago, Charlie Brown decided to find a better way to clean dishes.
“My hands were cramped from holding the scrubbing pad,” he said. “After spending 45 years in all phases of the restaurant business, I knew I had to come up with a more convenient method.”
The result is the WonderMitt, which was created by Brown and his high school buddy, Clay Jones. The WonderMitt is a split-finger glove with attachments for a variety of cleaning needs, including grooming pets.
In 1997, Brown and Jones founded Rhino Enterprises and began developing the glove in Brown’s garage.
Brown said the undertaking was a huge learning experience because neither he nor Jones knew how to begin the patent process. It took eight years to get a design patent for the WonderMitt. Another challenge was finding investors. In an effort to cut production costs, Brown and Jones outsourced product development to China. “We wanted to manufacture it in the U.S. but it was too cost-prohibitive,” Brown said.
Brown hopes to expand by demonstrating the product at restaurant trade shows across the country. He said Rhino Enterprises also is trying to build relationships with food companies, including Sysco and U.S. Foodservice.
Jones said he believes in the WonderMitt’s potential to help restaurant employees and pet owners with tough jobs.
Photo by Rhino Enterprises, LLC..
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