7 years after ‘Shark Tank,’ local invention on the market

The creator of the SweepEasy broom is finally getting his product on the market, and he couldn’t be more thrilled. It’s been nearly seven years since Pannell appeared on the ABC show “Shark Tank” and caught the attention of millions of viewers and two of the panelists with his invention.

 

“It was a good experience. I had a huge following after the show, worldwide,” Shane Pannell said. “It was crazy.”

The Rancho El Dorado resident heard from daycares, restaurants, movie theaters, pet shelters, schools, churches and school bus companies about his broom with the built-in, retractable floor scraper. He has been in talks with a janitorial company, big box stores and a local retailer. But he’s had stumbles along the way.

 

“Because of all the time that’s been between the show and now, I’ve been able to fine-tune the product and make it better and better and better,” Pannell said.

He sat down with InMaricopa to talk about what happened with his business relationships, why it took so long to get a product he was happy with to the market and why he didn’t let go of his dream. Read more in the next issue of InMaricopa Magazine, coming to mailboxes Feb. 1.