The Thunder Bay inventor of an innovative piece of footwear has sold her company to an American maker of personal protective equipment.
Nicole Reid, president of Yuleys Protective Footwear announced Feb. 27 her company and product has been acquired by HexArmor of Grand Rapids, Mich.
In a statement, Reid said the deal with HexArmor “just made sense” and provides a heightened branding opportunity for her boot slip-on product that would have taken years to achieve.
The footwear was the brainchild of Reid and her husband who needed a covering for his employees’ safety boots when they entered homes making furniture deliveries.
They made a prototype out of a curling gripper and eventually brought it to market.
Reid said seeing her product being “mass adopted” is a “dream come true.”
“We are delighted in Nicole’s fabulous performance in taking her product to market,” said Harvey Cardwell, a member of Ambassadors Northwest, a Thunder Bay angel investment group. “It was a pleasure working with an individual who received investment, carried the ball and then took centre stage in order to attract international attention.”
Reid will stay as Yuleys business manager.
