Established businessman utilizes SBDC to bring new product to market
Groover Companies of Polk County
Desi Groover comes from a long line of successful businessmen. “The pest control company was started back in 1964 by my father and my grandfather, so I’m the third generation,” he said. In 2000, he purchased Groover Exterminating, Inc., from his parents, and established Groover Companies, Inc., a separate group of enterprises, in 2001. Now he’s venturing into a completely new line of business, developing and selling the TuCan pneumatic sprayer.
“The TuCan brand is our newest invention,” Groover said. “It provides the disbursement of liquids through a sprayer but no fluid ever goes through a pump. That’s one of the things that make it different.”
The sprayer, which can be used in multiple lines of work, also has the advantage of being durable, mobile and safe. Originally designed to spray home perimeters in the pest control business, it also allows technicians to work safer and faster.
After designing the product with his brother, Groover, an experienced and successful businessman in the service industry, knew he would need additional help to launch the product.
“I reached out to the SBDC because we’ve been involved in a service type business and with the advent of our sprayer, well this is something completely different,” he said. “Now we’re trying to sell a product and I had no idea how to go effectively sell a product.”
He contacted certified business consultant Carl Hadden, of the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida, located in Polk County, for help. Hadden has since been working with Groover on the marketing, manufacturing and distribution processes.
“Carl and the SBDC have helped me significantly in the process of putting together a business plan and business model to start selling these machines. We definitely have a long way to go, but we’re definitely on the right path.”
TuCan is not currently available on the market as Groover wants to be sure the manufacturing and distribution process is set up in a manner than can handle demand. The goal is to start selling the current model in the next six months, and then branch out to develop additional models.
Hadden is excited about future possibilities for the brand. “I think there’s going to be incredible growth,” he said. “I think we have to be careful that it doesn’t grow too fast and make sure that he has everything set so that he doesn’t overextend himself.”
The pair are looking forward to continued development of the brand. “I expect Carl is going to be instrumental in every part of this process from here on, as far as completing the development of the manufacturing plan, the marketing plan – which we’re working on right now – and then the distribution plan,” Groover said. “In our particular case, the ability to use the SBDC and Carl to help fill in those gaps of knowledge to market a completely new product and go in a new direction, can only help us build and grow.”
