Marines Chris Regan and Travis Elfgren were wrapping up the last few weeks of a deployment in Iraq when a spilled cup of coffee turned into nothing to cry about at all. “We were having one of our first cups of coffee in a long time, and Travis spilled his while walking back to camp,” Maricopa resident Regan said. “Then we just started talking about the need for a lid to prevent canteen cup spills.” Two years after that initial spill, veterans Regan and Elfgren, Regan’s wife Chantal and his product designer father in-law, Daniel Laflamme, teamed up to form Heavy Cover, a business dedicated to developing products for military and outdoor use. "The goal of our company is to preserve and improve the military and outdoor lifestyle," Regan said. "The smallest of improvements can sometimes make the biggest impacts." The first product the group invented is a heavy-duty rubber lid with a drinking spout that fits snugly on a standard U.S. military canteen, preventing spills and keeping the contents of the cup fresh. “We weren’t the first people to see the need for this product, but we were the first to act on it,” Regan said. The canteen cup has been a standard issue item in the U.S. military and a popular part of outdoor life since WWI. Armies across the world use two different models of the cup, one designed in the U.S. and the Crusader Cup, designed in Britain. The lid developed by Heavy Cover is designed for the U.S. cup, but Regan said a lid for the Crusader Cup is in the works. While the paperwork is done on the patent for the Crusader cup lid, Regan said the company is working on four other projects, one being a metal canteen cup lid. “When you are in the field all the time, you don’t have a lot of time to heat liquids,” Regan said. “This metal lid will reduce the amount of time required to heat liquids, and users will not have to worry about it melting.” Even with one product offering in 2008, the company brought in roughly $13,000 in sales, and early projections show 2009 will bring in about $80,000. Regan hopes as growth continues the company will make close to $400,000 in 2011. Currently a Chandler-based company manufactures the product, and all the shipping and logistics are handled out of the Regans’ Maricopa home. “Once we get large enough, we plan to have a warehouse handle the shipping and ordering,” Regan said. Despite the early success of the company, Regan said the start up costs, which were paid for by the foursome, were extensive, and the company has yet to turn a profit. “We are getting close,” he said, in regard to their profit margin. The company has landed several big accounts, most notably with Brigade Quartermasters, which has been outfitting U.S. troops with products for more than 30 years. The cup cover is also available for sale at various Marine Corps post exchanges. For more information on the cup covers or to see the product, visit Heavy Cover’s Website. |