Michael Bechtel, Specialized Safety Products

Safety Glasses go Stylish and Break Out of the Shop,

Thanks to Moses Lake Entrepreneur

It’s possible to start a business without a plan, but not advisable.

Michael Bechtel had already successfully launched DirecRep Sales and Marketing, without a plan, but as he began to mull the idea of opening a second business, he sought the assistance of the Small Business Development Center in Moses Lake.

"He opened my eyes to a whole new world," Bechtel said of Allan Peterson, the certified business advisor located at Big Bend Community College.

As an entrepreneur, Bechtel enjoys the challenge of bringing a new product to market, but prior to working with Peterson he hadn’t spent a lot of time planning for long-term sustainability or growth.

Peterson, he said, kept him on track to get a user-friendly and relevant business plan completed, and also helped him do the market research on his new enterprise - Specialized Safety Products.

"Small business people are so busy," Bechtel said. "What do they say? It’s hard to take the time to sharpen the saw."

With Peterson, Bechtel made time to sharpen the saw and was able to get a bank loan to help finance his new company.

Through DirecRep Sales and Marketing, Bechtel works with manufacturing companies around the world to supply motorcycle dealerships, particularly Harley Davidson shops, with parts and stylish accessories - emphasis on stylish.

The "ah ha" moment that led to the creation of Specialized Safety Products happened the day a client asked Bechtel when he was going to come up with some safety glasses that were as stylish as the motorcycle riding glasses he sold.

"He was tired of his employees not wearing their safety glasses," Bechtel said.

His client figured if his employees liked the look of their glasses, they’d wear them more, Bechtel said, and he agreed.

"My claim to fame is I wear good-looking glasses," Bechtel said, and laughed. So, working with a eyeglass manufacturer whom he already had an established relationship with, they began developing a line of eyewear that met or exceeded safety standards, fit comfortably, and looked good.

Specialized Safety Products sells everything from safety vests like the ones highway workers wear to flame resistant clothing to bug spray, but its main focus is safety glasses and goggles.

Bechtel now sells about 160 styles of safety glasses, many of them in designer colors, including three different shades of pink, Corvette red, Corvette yellow, and Harley orange. "It’s pretty cool," he said. They function as approved safety glasses, but they also come in tinted lenses, and with bifocals, making them useful in the shop or around town, he said.

The plan now, he said, is to make them widely available in neighborhood hardware stores--not only in Moses Lake, but across the country. And, according to his five-year business plan, the export potential is significant.