A Business Is Launched Through The Entrepreneurship Program

New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) at Brookdale Community College, the City of Long Branch, and Create Labs came together to open its Long Branch Innovative Accelerator doors to the community. Aspiring entrepreneurs looking to re-skill or launch their small business pitched their ideas to a panel of judges at the Accelerator’s opening event held in the fall of 2019. Ten winners were selected and received a scholarship to complete a vigorous Entrepreneurship Certification Program through the NJSBDC at Brookdale.   

One of the pitch winners was Bryan Alintoff, a single dad, and his son Hayden from Middletown, NJ. Their idea for a product came about when Hayden needed a pitch for his 3rd-grade class competition. One night, Hayden went upstairs to brush his teeth before bed. Bryan was tired and dreading the messy bathroom sink.  

“After Hayden or I brush our teeth, we leave a complete mess behind,” he said, “I thought if I could automatically get the water to circle the sink basin, instead of having to wipe it with my hand while I am brushing, I would not have to clean the sink every morning and every night any longer. So, I ran up the stairs and told Hayden the idea, and immediately he said we will call it the Sink Spinner.”  

For Hayden’s science project, they created a plastic prototype. After Hayden’s presentation, every parent expressed their need for a Sink Spinner. They loved the idea!  

With his family members, Bill Bredbemmer, Lisa Bredbemmer, and Dr. Renee Wild, they formed a partnership and a business. They bought a 3-d printer, created 3-d models, tested them, and eventually had a functioning prototype.  

“I am the liaison, and I am learning more engineering than I ever wanted to,” said Alintoff.   

They were fortunate to find engineers John Vassa and Keegan Schoch, who started designing and re-designing it for manufacturing. They had the working prototype, but they knew they also needed an aerator and a handle.  

The Sink Spinner partners are proud that they got the aerator down to 1 gallon per minute, which is super eco-friendly, from the typical 2 gallons on most faucets. In addition, this product saves over 1 gallon of water per minute by slowing the water flow.  

The handle is essential because it is needed to switch from regular aerate mode to spin mode, so the Sink Spinner never has to be removed from the faucet.   

“There are trials and tribulations with getting a company up and running,” Alintoff said.  

Ten parts are needed to produce the Sink Spinner. They got bids on one of the parts to gauge which factory would manufacture all the parts. The first bid was from a company in the USA, which quoted $20,000 for the one part with one mold. The second bid was from a factory in China, which quoted $1,900 for the one part with four molds. They found their company.   

“We wanted the entire product to be made in the USA, but the price just was not competitive,” said Alintoff.  

They used a company in Germany for the handle, they manufactured it with copper in the middle, so when moving the handle up and down, it will never wear out and therefore will never break. Working with the factories from Germany, England and China helped them to have the highest quality product.  

In addition, Sink Spinner packaging is made in the USA. Design company, Catalpha helped them with the structure of the box. Dr. Renee Wild was their liaison for this part. “She had great vision,” said Alintoff. The designer made sure the color coordination was perfect for our brand. Catalpha did the structure of the box and printed it, and the boxes are eco-friendly.  

“Our packaging is beautiful,” said Alintoff. “When you open our packaging, it looks like it is sitting in a sink. We thought of everything from A-Z for our customer experience.”  

“We get our parts from all over the world, but we assemble them right here in the USA, at my kitchen table,” said Alintoff.  

The Sink Spinners are selling from 34.99 to 49.99. At festivals, they sell for 34.99, and online; the MSRP is 49.99. They also offer specials and coupon codes to bring the price down to 39.99, and the shipping is free.  

“When we started the accelerator program, we learned so much about business,” said Alintoff  

“Within this program, we bring in experts on business development, financing, and mentors,” said Dr. Jackeline Mejias-Fuertes, director of NJSBDC. 

“We did everything from business plans to accounting, giving us a full quick overview of everything we were going to need,” said Alintoff. “The classes were a couple of days a week at different times, and then we met separately. Just phenomenal. We learned things we did not know when starting a company, which none of us had ever done before. Having this program was a godsend.”   

For a free demonstration of Sink Spinners, go to the Made in Monmouth event at Brookdale Community College, Robert J. Collins Arena, parking lot #6, on Saturday, November 6th from 10:00 am – 4: 00 pm. Admission is free.  Sink Spinners will also be available at St. Mary’s Parish Bazaar, Middletown Township, on December 4th. 

“We all remember the great presentation Bryan and his son did about their “Sink Spinner” invention at the Long Branch version of Shark Tank,” said Brookdale’s Associate Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Anita Voogt. “I was at Long Branch Day years later and who is one of the vendors – none other than Bryan under his Sink Spinner tent having made great strides in moving the company forward. It was a proud moment for all – I even purchased one and love it!”   

Recently featured on NBC 12 News, CBS, Cheddar Gadgets, Sink Spinner also has a Kickstarter page.  

Sink Spinner is available online, money back guaranteed at sinkspinner.com.  

Soon this clever gadget may be found at Bed Bath and Beyond. 

“Everyone’s head just pops when they see the Sink Spinner start spinning,” said Alintoff. “They are like, omg, that is amazing!”