MIDE Products’ story is simple and not unlike many other companies. Started by a brother and sister, Mike & Debbie, to make a product that they wanted, but could not find, anywhere. They figured that if they had a need for our vinyl fence hooks and hangers, then other people did also. Why not give the business world a try?
So, in 2008 MIDE Products, LLC was formed. Really just as a hobby to start, the siblings both working full-time jobs and operating the company most nights and on weekends. Although only having one great product at the time, within 9 months they had outgrown their first location, the garage and basement. This forced them to relocate to their current, much larger facility in Elkhart, IN. With tremendous help from family and friends to keep up with demand, the company has been able to grow consistently year over year.
The company has evolved from having just one product in 2008 to currently having six different vinyl fence hook and hanger lines, with variations totaling over 100 items, with more in the planning and R&D stages. MIDE Products slip-on fence hooks & hangers are available in pool supply stores to hardware chains throughout the US, totaling over 350 retail locations, along with many of the most popular e-commerce sites.
The First Product: Slip-on Pool Accessory Hooks
In the summer of 2008 Debbie had a pool installed, enclosed with an expensive white vinyl fence. She wanted to hang different items on the fence, but insisted on not putting any holes in the fence. After searching high and low with no luck, they enlisted a friend to design a “hook” that could slip-on the top rail of the fence and hold a variety items. The first try, made of steel only lasted a couple days, before the fence started turning yellow from rust. Strike one! After a few more attempts and switching to aluminum, the “Original Fence Hook”, the Slip-on Pool Accessory Hook was born. Over the past 10 years, only minor changes and improvements have been made to this first awesome products.
The Name:
MIDE Products - Comes from MIke and DEbbie
Pronounced – My-Dee (long I, long E)