Maricopa entrepreneur overcomes hurdles, prepares to launch his product

Maricopa resident Shane Pannell, who appeared on the television show Shark Tank, is about to launch his product on the market after numerous manufacturing delays.

Pannell is the inventor of the SweepEasy broom that has a scraper to remove gunk from the floor. He said he has patented the product and has 15 claims, which would make it difficult for others to “design around the product.”

A patent claim defines the subject matter the applicant considers his or her invention, according to patentlens.net.

Pannell said he has had inquiries about his broom from around the world.

“There really isn’t a demographic this product can’t be used in,” he said, adding he has had restaurants, daycare facilities, sporting arenas, movie theaters, hospitals and schools wanting to buy his broom.

Pannell is an entrepreneur and self-proclaimed dreamer. He never went to college because he always knew he wanted to start his own business after high school.

As early as third-grade, he would buy candy after holidays – Easter, Halloween – and charge the kids at school a dollar to reach into the bag for a handful.

“I always wanted to invent – I always wanted to have my own product,” Pannell said.

He first got into the pest control business because he invented a pest-control misting system, he said. About five years ago, he sold his share of AllGuard, LLC to his partner. At that point, he worked from home trading and investing. He got the idea for the SweepEasy broom cleaning up while at home.

He pitched his prototype for the broom to the Shark Tank investors.

“The show was great – I received tons of attention from the show,” he said. 

Trying to get his boom manufactured, however, proved challenging.

He said he first tried to get his broom manufactured in China, but there were quality-control issues.

“Trying to get things done overseas is difficult,” Pannell said.