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. <

Windham triathlete to represent U.S. at world finals in Spain

By Ed Pierce

Known as one of the most grueling athletic competitions ever conceived, those who compete in the Ironman Triathlon are tested by a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile run completed in that order for a total of 140.6 miles. Many of the top Ironman competitors internationally will gather for the 2023 World Triathlon Olympic finals in Pontevedra, Spain in September and among those elite athletes will be Dr. Denise Allen of Windham.

Dr. Denise Allen of Windham will compete in the 2023
World Triathlon Olympic finals in Pontevedra, Spain in
September as a first-time member of Team USA. She picked
up the sport after being involved in an accident 10 years ago.
COURTESY PHOTO   

Allen qualified as a participant for Team USA at the USAT Nationals in Milwaukee Wisconsin in August 2022 and it will be her first time competing as a member of Team USA.

How she came to be involved in Ironman and Triathlon competitions in the first place is an unusual story though.

“In 2013, I was hit by an SUV in Windham while out on a long training ride. The crash left me with a fractured sacrum, multiple soft tissue injuries and a mild traumatic brain injury,” Allen said. “After weeks in the hospital, months of brain rehab, surgery, and years of physical therapy, I was ready to race competitively again in 2020. The pandemic pushed pause on that plan but provided an opportunity to amplify joy in sport. In 2022, I launched an aggressive race season, resulting in the title of Ironman All World Athlete, qualifying for and racing in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in St. George, Utah, as well as qualifying for Team USA.”

Born in Portland, Allen grew up on her family’s farm in West Cumberland, learning the core values of working hard, doing what you love and being of service to others at a young age. Her extended family still maintains the original Allen Farm off Swett Road in Windham. U.S. Marine Corp Sgt., Jim Allen, the first Windham resident killed in action during World War II and for whom the Field-Allen School was named, is a distant relative.

CAREER

She’s lived in Windham for the past 14 years. Previously, Allen graduated from Greely High School in Cumberland in 1989 and attended Columbia University in New York City, where she earned a Doctorate degree in Health Education specializing in health behavior and positive psychology. Allen has spent 25 years active duty as a call company and paid per diem national registry paramedic, and a ProBoard certified firefighter for the Towns of Windham, Naples, Cumberland, Falmouth. She’s wrapping up her 29th year as a National Board-Certified Health and Science Educator for students in grades 7 to 12 with 25 of those years teaching at Greely High School and four years as an American College of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer and Wellcoach.

Originally a marathon runner who competed in multiple Boston Marathons, Allen transitioned to triathlons in 2010 and that’s how she came to be involved in Ironman competitions.

“I compete in all triathlon distances, but prefer long course triathlon,” Allen said. “I have completed three full Ironmans, 15 half-Ironmans, and numerous sprint and Olympic- distance races. I am currently focusing on the 70.3 (half-Ironman) triathlon distance of 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 run. The 70.3 distance allows for work-life balance, and I can be competitive.”

She said that triathlon training is her keystone habit because it sets in motion a series of other health enhancing behaviors such as nutrition, sleep, and time spent outside.

“Training promotes the release of endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. These neurotransmitters create the biology of joy that enables me to show up as my best self in work and with friends and family,” Allen said. “The most challenging aspect is time management. I often say work gets in the way of my workouts. Time training for a triathlon is the equivalent of a part-time job. Sometimes it's hard to find a balance. On those days I have to give myself the grace to say, ‘training may not be what I want today, but it's ‘good enough.’ I’ve learned to embrace the 80/20 rule when life gets busy and to complete 80 percent of the training goals for the week. The key to getting results is consistency and commitment to the small stuff and these two behaviors are not mutually exclusive. It is generally the attention to this small stuff, such as strength, physical therapy exercises, nutrition, and ice baths that help to keep me consistent in my training.’”

According to Allen, before her bike accident, she would have said that running was her favorite and her top strength of the three disciplines, but post-accident, ironically, biking has become her genuine strength as she is an average swimmer.

“80 percent of my training is completed on a treadmill, in a pool, and on a bike trainer,” she said. “It’s safer inside. Training inside means that I can focus on the workout, the metrics, and nutrition without the worry of getting hit by a distracted or agitated driver.”

WORKOUTS

Now in training for the 2023 World Triathlon Olympic finals in Spain, Allen starts each day at 3:30 a.m. completing her morning workouts in her basement before work.

“After work there may be a second workout,” she said. “I complete mobility exercises every day with strength and conditioning two to three times a week. Weekends are for long workouts and double or ‘brick’ workouts. I try to get outside on my bike before everyone gets on the roads. Windham roads are very busy, and many do not have bike or pedestrian-designated lanes. Fortunately, my peak training occurs during summer vacation, giving me the flexibility to train with others and in different locations.”

The seed of her passion for an athletic lifestyle was planted in Allen at a young age, growing up on the family farm.

“Farm life gave me a strong sense of why functional health and fitness are so important and an abundant appreciation for nature. I was my absolute happiest running around barefoot in nature. This passion fueled my participation in cross-country running in middle and high school,” she said. “Later, this same passion inspired me to explore studies in natural sciences, health education, health behavior and positive psychology. These studies put into context what I had inherently known since childhood: an active, natural-life style is medicine that heals, facilitates joy, and promotes longevity.”

She says she’s excited to travel to Spain representing the U.S. in the 2023 World Triathlon Olympic finals. The athletes who will represent the U.S. in Spain have to pay their own expenses, and so Allen is now actively raising funds for travel, lodging, bike transport, uniforms, nutrition, insurance, and the Team USA and World Triathlon fees. Anyone wishing to help can contact Allen at drdeniseallen@gmail. com for a link about how to contribute, as a gofundme has been set up. Search Team USA - Triathlete to find the link. People can also follow her journey to Spain on Instagram at drdeniseallen.

But most of all, Allen says she’s grateful to have the opportunity to compete.

The triathlon community is full of high frequency humans that inspire me. It works because we share a similar training and sleep schedule, early to bed, early to rise,” she said. “Racing is an opportunity to meet people from all over the world and make new friends. I have met so many amazing people during my travels. I am inspired by all of them. I also love exploring and racing in the variety of natural landscapes.” <