Windham inventor creates innovative new ‘Snow Sling’

By Ed Pierce

A Windham inventor is back at it and optimistic that his latest innovation will find a use in the world.

Inventor Michael Lyons shows a prototype of his 'Snow
Sling' creation  which he is selling the patent rights to. 
The device uses a foot lever to toss snow for you
without wrecking your back. COURTESY PHOTO 

Michael Lyons grew up in Windham and graduated from Windham High School in 1977. He is the founder of Rogue Industries in Standish and known for his patent and design of the front pocket wallet but now he’s at it again, this time focusing on making the tough task of snow removal easier.

He’s created a new type of snow sling which with the push of a foot lever tosses the snow for you without wrecking your back.

According to Lyons, the idea for the snow sling came to him years ago as he worked late into the night through a Nor’easter snowstorm.

“Nothin’ special,” Lyons said. “Maybe 8 to 10 inches of wet snow.”

His plow guy had blown a hydraulic hose and couldn’t show up to plow for him, so, Lyons grabbed a snow shovel and went at it.

“I knew enough to take frequent breaks from the shoveling,” Lyons said.

It ended up taking more than two long hours to clear the entire driveway and parking lot before he could make it home.

He had also forgotten to bring his snow boots, so he shoveled the entire time wearing wingtip shoes.

“Not having boots may have added to my cumulative effort, but something fortuitous happened after the first hour,” Lyons said. “The shoveling was exhausting, and I started imagining that there had to be a better way to do this without electricity or gas.”

After finding himself straining while working with a small, traditional snow shovel, Lyons thought that the snow scoop had originally been invented for storms exactly like this. Yet that scoop was heavy, cumbersome and not ergonomic.

“I thought to myself what if a snow scoop could be designed which had a mechanism so that the snow could be flung without having to lift it,” he said.

That idea launched an eight-year journey involving testing, creating a prototype and finally building what he named as a “Snow Sling.”

Lyons says coming up with the idea for the device was the easy part.

“The testing of it was actually fun. But the design iterations took the talents of no less than three engineers, each with a different skill set,” he said.

Before starting Rogue Industries, Lyons ran a small publishing company and had injured his back. His doctor told him that his back issues were attributed to him sitting on his bulky wallet, causing problems with his spine. With that, Lyons then set out to find a wallet that would comfortably fit in his front pocket but had no luck. So, he decided to design his own wallet, one that was curved and would comfortably fit in his front pocket.

“We kind of accidentally went into the design world of leather goods,” says Lyons. “Our original design was one wallet and one collar; now, we have more than 100 stock keeping units. We went into women’s tote bags, belts, crossbody clutches, coasters, and many more high-quality designs.”

Through the years Rogue Industries has developed a stellar reputation for its products and last year his company was asked by designer Ralph Lauren to produce 3,000 leather belts for Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Rogue Industries now produces products for 500 stores, including LL Bean, The Vermont Country Store, and Hammacher-Schlemmer.

Now with his latest “Snow Sling” invention tested and proven, Lyons says the next step will be to find someone with both the vision and resources to take this new product from a proven prototype to full-on production.

Recognizing the uniqueness of this design, the Maine Technology Institute became one of the early backers of this new creation, he said.

“Many companies originally started with a simple idea and then built from that,” Lyons said. “LL Bean created their iconic boots, Singer with an automated sewing machine, Orvis with a novel fly-fishing reel. This snow scoop has the very real potential of being that seed concept for an entirely new business venture. It won't be easy, but it could be an interesting and rewarding journey.”

Lyons and his fiancé, Mary Anne Hildreth, currently run two companies together, Rogue Industries and Tower Publishing, and they have decided that adding a third business into the mix would take too much time away from their family. So, the patent for Lyons’ new invention, the “Snow Sling,” is now available for either an outright purchase or a license.

He says it’s an opportunity to introduce an innovative new product to the market and that doesn’t happen often. To discuss this further, call Lyons at Rogue Industries, 1-800-786-1768. <