Westlake Businessman Brings Invention to Food Show

Ed Spellman spent about 30 years of his career working for others.

But it was working in product design as a mechanical engineer for a medical device company where the Lakewood resident realized he could design his own products.

That has taken him to his own business, and, this weekend, rubbing shoulders with food television stars like Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay and Steve Raichlen at the Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center. Spellman will be showcasing his invention, the Grilly Goat, a tool that combines long-reach tongs and a basting brush.

The basting tongs — with the brush on the bottom — resemble a goat. 

“Stop spilling and start grilling,” Spellman said with a smile.

Going Solo

In 2003, with a dream to make life easier for others, he left Elyria-based Invacare and set out on his own, eventually starting Sackso Enterprises in Westlake.

“I don’t like the bureaucracy,” Spellman said. “I always wanted to go out on my own, and the opportunity came along to do it.”

He found immediate success with his invention of the DV-Grip, a backseat vehicle mount for portable DVD players. That product is sold at just about every major store in the US — from Radio Shack to Best Buy.

Looking for more space, Spellman left his Lake Avenue garage/workshop, and opened Sackso Enterprises.

Among other products, the company manufactures thermal plates for the computers in military vehicles and parts for medical devices.

Then along came Grilly Goat.

New Direction

The idea came about in 2007, when he was grilling in his backyard and didn’t have a brush to baste. But he had tongs.

That night he invented the prototype.

“Whenever I work on a new product, I want to make sure it’s not a knock-off,” Spellman said, noting that no one else held a similar patent. “I want to make sure it’s unique.”

When the economy tanked in 2007, he “let the idea simmer on the back burner.” 

Spellman hopes that his invention sparks the interest of some of the nation’s top grill-masters — including Flay, Lagasse and Raichlen.

The Grilly Goat set — which fastens to all Weber grills — has all kinds of accessories, including a sauce pot and the sauce pot “caddy.”

There’s also a line of barbecue sauces coming.

Randall Krzystan, director of sales for Sackso, had worked in banking until 2007, when the bottom fell out of the economy.

He went looking for a new job, he found Sackso on a Craigslist job posting.

“I like to watch materials come in as a raw product, and watch them go out as a real product,” Krzystan said of Sackso’s line of goods.

“The thought process is unique.”

You can find the Grilly Goat booth (No. 661) at the show, where Spellman will perform a couple demonstrations.

“The next step is finding some people who are interested in buying thousands at a time,” Spellman said. “This isn’t in the market as much as it should be.”