INDUSTRY INSIGHTS Life after the IA Pitcher’s Mound
1 A
few years ago, the Irrigation Show included a special event in the exhibit hall called the IA Pitcher’s
Mound. Mirrored after the famous “Shark Tank” television show, budding irrigation inventors and innovators were invited to “take the mound” and pitch their ideas. Expert judges scored each contestant with a base hit, a home run or the dreaded strike out.
Bill Hurst pitched his new product, the ValveCommander, in 2016. ValveCommander is an AC latching solenoid pilot for valve automation. Hurst says his product eliminates the major causes of solenoid failure, including coil burnout, corrosion and the need for filtration.
Irrigation Today recently caught up with him to see how his product and business have fared since he left the mound.
40 Irrigation TODAY | Fall 2019
Tell us about your experience on the Pitcher’s Mound at the 2016 Irrigation Show?
“At the time of the presentation, the product was new with a mountain of unknowns so we were nervous to face that kind of public scrutiny. We got four out of five ‘home runs.’ The only dissenter was the president of Hunter, Greg Hunter.”
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What has happened with ValveCommander since that time?
“Hunter’s feedback was the most valuable, namely that the ValveCommander was too expensive. We pulled 80% of the cost out — and would not have been so driven to without his advice. Since that time, we were invited to Valley Ventures, an “incubator” at Fresno State University, and the feedback provided was to focus on marketing. We published a short video that has since turned into one of the most watched videos in the center pivot industry.”
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What success have you seen since then?
“The video was critical to
jumpstarting the business. We are in the process of being a qualified supplier to one of the major pivot manufacturers and are in advanced discussions with others.”
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What does the future hold?
“We finally achieved the holy grail
of a start-up, securing the tutelage of a major industry entity. They are advising us on our new product, a valve technology that essentially eliminates pressure loss and totally eliminates the need for a solenoid valve. We are doing long-term cycle testing now.”
Go to
www.fluid-pulse.com to take a look the video created about ValveCommander.
irrigationtoday.org
STRIKE OUT
HOME RUN
BASE HIT
Bill Hurst pitches his ValveCommander during the 2016 Irrigation Show.
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