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Friday, March 23, 2012
Dragon feasts on local man’s new Workhorse
Teens rescued after two nights in the woods Snow and cold: Group relatively unscathed after four-wheeling adventure goes wrong
Koffski’s coup: Duncan man gets backing for his adjustable work bench on national TV
Krista Siefken
News Leader Pictorial
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Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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ragons’ Den millionaire Arlene Dickinson called the Cowichan Legion Wednesday with good wishes for Workhorse II inventor Sam Koffski. Her call followed Dickinson investing $75,000 in Koffski’s adjustable, use-anywhere sawhorse/workbench brackets that could hit hardware stores — beside lumber displayed for Workhorse legs — by Christmas. “I’m on cloud nine,” Koffski, 82, said after Wednesday’s national airing of CBC’s popular Dragons’ Den — where he told the country he’s from Duncan, B.C. That’s also when Koffski and son, Sid, pitched the Den’s ¿ve shrewd dragons about breathing cash into his invention. He struck a deal with venture-capitalist Dickinson, in exchange for all rights to the Workhorse II, $75,000, plus a ¿ve per cent royalty on the wholesale price of units sold. Considering his previous Workhhorse sold about 130,000 units uunder Black & Decker in the late ‘80s, Koffski’s cranked. “There are two things I’d love to see: one is seeing the Workhorse II on the market; and if we make some money, that’s Arlene Dickinson: great. Home Depot? “Five per cent of the wholesale pprice would still be substantial.” His ddream could come true. Hi A note on the Den said Dickinson has ¿led for a patent to take the Workhorse II worldwide. She’s also talking to Home Depot brass about exclusively harnessing the Workhorse II for a certain period, noted Koffski. Drawings and a prototype have been sent to Chinese manufacturers for testing, he said. After tool-and-die work, the Workhorse would head to production. That’s the goal of Dickinson who saw merits
Peter W. Rusland
Sam Koffski shows off a prototype of his Workhorse II, which attracted the investment attention of one of the Dragons’ Den millionaires Wednesday night on CBC. of Koffski’s locking-bracket invention. “You guys don’t know anything,” she quipped to the other four dragons who passed on investing Wednesday. Snarky mutual-fund boss Kevin O’Leary was most leery of Koffski’s invention without a patent. “You have a problem accepting reality,” he told Dickinson. “You’re getting on my nerves.
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No patent — I’m out.” But Boston Pizza czar Jim Treliving was tempted to invest — realizing the Workhorse’s huge potential U.S. market — but he backed away, with his blessing. “You’ve got a good deal with Arlene who can help with Home Depot,” he told the Koffskis. “I’m happy to accept,” Koffski told Dickinson.
group of Duncan teens who found themselves stranded in the wilderness for two nights are fortunate to have survived “relatively unscathed,” police say. The ¿ve teenagers went four-wheeling in deep snow on Monday, driving a logging road known as the McLure Mainline, which is about 14 kilometres from Caycuse, northwest of Lake Cowichan. The group — including two 17-year-old girls, plus one 18-year-old and two 19-year-old males — became stranded in a remote wilderness area when their truck ran out of gas. “With no emergency equipment such as candles, blankets, appropriate clothing, food or water, they spent the ¿rst night in the truck,” a statement released by Lake Cowichan RCMP Cpl. Warren Potter said. “As there is no cell coverage in this area they were unable to summon assistance.” One of the males, however, eventually walked to Caycuse and called his father. “The father and son attempted to reach the four teens remaining, however, were unable to access the area due to the heavy snow fall.” Late on Tuesday evening, the Caycuse Fire Department, Cowichan Valley Search and Rescue and the police were noti¿ed of the four stranded teens. “Unfortunately, rescue vehicles were unable to reach the area due to road and weather conditions, and as such SAR enlisted the help of the Mid-Island Sno-Blazers Club, who attended the location the following day (Wednesday) with their snow mobiles,” the statement reads. “En route to the stuck vehicle the operators of the snowmobiles encountered two girls from the group of four, who had walked several kilometres in an attempt to get home. The girls were treated for hypothermia-related foot injuries.” The remaining two males were later rescued and taken to the hospital for routine examinations. more on A17
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