Every dog owner has struggled with the wet mess that is left behind when their dog is finished drinking from the water bowl. RPM Inc. has a solution. They’ve created a water absorbent mat to go under pet bowls that has a waterproof bottom to protect your floors.
The company was founded in 1980 and has operated out of Savage, Minnesota since 1999. They manufacture a large variety of waterproof and water absorbent products for the pet, gardening, kitchen, garage and automotive, baby, and hunting markets. These products are manufactured under their Drymate brand name.
Mike Bachman, co-founder of RPM, began the company by producing products that were given away as free gifts for other companies’ promotional offers. In 1997 RPM acquired a manufacturer that produced waterproof products for schools. One of their products was a waterproof blanket that was different than any other product on the market, and Bachman thought it was phenomenal.
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He began by selling the blankets to movie studies that would give them away as free promotions to boost the sales of low selling movies. Once RPM attained the company that made the blankets, Bachman and Nick Sovell, his business partner, decided to step up from a business that provided promotional gifts for other companies, to a business that sold its own products directly to retailers.
The pair began thinking up ideas for other waterproof products for the home that would benefit consumers. They use their patented Zorb-Tech fabric which is made of a soft, felt-like, non-woven material that is equipped with a waterproof backing. The fabric has a unique ability to absorb and trap liquid while still keeping the floor, or other material, underneath it dry.
The Zorb-Tech fabric is machine washable and can be dried in the dryer. It can also be cut to fit certain areas because it doesn’t fray. It features a non-slip backing and can absorb 5 times its weight in liquid, all the while remaining waterproof. It also dries very quickly through a wicking process.
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All Drymate products are made of more than 50 percent post-industrial and post-consumer recycled products. The most successful line that the company has created is its pet line which includes dog placemats, crate and kennel pads, and cat litter mats.
Bachman says that recently the pet product line has grown by leaps and bounds and the company is doing a lot of private label work for many major retailers as well. RPM Inc.’s products can be found in major retail stores like Petco, PetSmart, Home Goods, Target, Pet Supplies Plus, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wal-Mart, Cabela’s, and Gander Mountain.
