Rick Fredland

Tazlab owner Rick Fredland, with his dog, Tasman, set out to make a safer dog collar after hearing horror stories about animals being choked by their collars.
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Tazlab owner Rick Fredland, with his dog, Tasman, set out to make a safer dog collar after hearing horror stories about animals being choked by their collars.
...
Rick Fredland was worried that his dog might one day hurt himself by snagging his collar.

A dog belonging to a friend accidently hung itself after its traditional collar was snagged on a fence, and Fredland had heard countless other similar stories.

Fredland who has lived with his wife, Noelle, in Bend for two years owned his own rock-climbing store in Southern California. So he began using climbing materials to work on a dog collar that was safer.

We had no intention of being in the pet industry, Fredland says.
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With the help of a friend, Fredland and his wife, now the marketing director at The Old Mill District, decided to take the collar to market.

And finally I was like, There has to be a market for this, Fredland says. I got a friend involved who was really good at colors, and was a designer by trade, and he made them pretty.
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Tazlab is currently shopping for a U.S.-based company to manufacture his wares that, at the same time, will allow Tazlab to keep its prices competitive, Fredland says.

Tazlabs growth has been undeniable. The company, which wholesales its products to mostly independent retailers and sells direct through its Web site, has more than doubled its sales from January 2008 to the same month in 2009, Fredland says.
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But Fredland does not feel the company which has one employee beyond the owner has passed the point where it will safely navigate through the turmoil.

Still, he is hopeful.

That has definitely slowed down for us as far as orders from independent stores, Fredland says. But there is so much room for us to increase our presence that we can still grow even if our existing accounts are slower.

Fredland, a former customer service trainer for Patagonia, has borrowed much of his business philosophy from the well-regarded outdoor clothier, including a focus on customer service.

And Fredland has his eyes on the future.

For instance, after years of resisting, Fredland is planning to make his safety collars adjustable, so a retailer wont have to carry more than a dozen sizes.
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Weve just scratched the surface of where we can get this all out there, Fredland says.

"As dogs go more and more places with us they need their own functional travel kit," said Tazlab owner Rick Fredland "Our intention was to design a bag that can live in the back of your car, can be hosed off or packed full for a meeting."
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We even remembered to include a riveted hole to dispense pet waste bags," says Fredland.

Tazlab owner Rick Fredland, with his dog, Tasman, set out to make a safer dog collar after hearing “horror stories” about animals being choked by their collars. | MORE
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Tazlab owner Rick Fredland, with his dog, Tasman, set out to make a safer dog collar after hearing “horror stories” about animals being choked by their collars. Published: February 12. 2009 4:00AM PST

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Tazlab owner Rick Fredland, with his dog, Tasman, set out to make a safer dog collar after hearing ,horror stories, about animals being choked by their collars.
...
Rick Fredland was worried that his dog might one day hurt himself by snagging his collar.

A dog belonging to a friend accidently hung itself after its traditional collar was snagged on a fence, and Fredland had heard countless other similar stories.

Fredland , who has lived with his wife, Noelle, in Bend for two years , owned his own rock-climbing store in Southern California. So he began using climbing materials to work on a dog collar that was safer.

,We had no intention of being in the pet industry,, Fredland says. ,We just heard all these horror stories and started trying all these safety products, and they didn,t really work. We had a climbing shop in L.A., and I started taking webbing home and elastic and I started sewing collars for our dog.,

And Fredland,s company, Tazlab (named after Fredland,s now 8-year-old Australian Shepherd, Tasman), was born.

He fitted the collars with an elastic piece that stretches the collar if a dog gets its collar stuck. That allows the dog to slide free of the collar without choking.

With the help of a friend, Fredland and his wife, now the marketing director at The Old Mill District, decided to take the collar to market.

,And finally I was like, ,There has to be a market for this,,, Fredland says. ,I got a friend involved who was really good at colors, and was a designer by trade, and he made them pretty.
...
Tazlab is currently shopping for a U.S.-based company to manufacture his wares that, at the same time, will allow Tazlab to keep its prices competitive, Fredland says.

Tazlab,s growth has been undeniable. The company, which wholesales its products to mostly independent retailers and sells direct through its Web site, has more than doubled its sales from January 2008 to the same month in 2009, Fredland says.
...
But Fredland does not feel the company , which has one employee beyond the owner , has passed the point where it will safely navigate through the turmoil.

Still, he is hopeful.

,That has definitely slowed down for us as far as orders from independent stores,, Fredland says. ,But there is so much room for us to increase our presence that we can still grow , even if our existing accounts are slower.,

Fredland, a former customer service trainer for Patagonia, has borrowed much of his business philosophy from the well-regarded outdoor clothier, including a focus on customer service.

And Fredland has his eyes on the future.

For instance, after years of resisting, Fredland is planning to make his safety collars adjustable, so a retailer won,t have to carry more than a dozen sizes.

Tazlab owner Rick Fredland, with his dog, Tasman, set out to make a safer dog collar after hearing “horror stories†about animals being choked by their collars. - Melissa Jansson / The Bulletin
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Tazlab owner Rick Fredland, with his dog, Tasman, set out to make a safer dog collar after hearing “horror stories†about animals being choked by their collars.

Rick Fredland was worried that his dog might one day hurt himself by snagging his collar.

A dog belonging to a friend accidently hung itself after its traditional collar was snagged on a fence, and Fredland had heard countless other similar stories.

Fredland â€" who has lived with his wife, Noelle, in Bend for two years â€" owned his own rock-climbing store in Southern California. So he began using climbing materials to work on a dog collar that was safer.
...
With the help of a friend, Fredland and his wife, now the marketing director at The Old Mill District, decided to take the collar to market.

“And finally I was like, ‘There has to be a market for this,’†Fredland says. “I got a friend involved who was really good at colors, and was a designer by trade, and he made them pretty.
...
Tazlab is currently shopping for a U.S.-based company to manufacture his wares that, at the same time, will allow Tazlab to keep its prices competitive, Fredland says.

Tazlab’s growth has been undeniable. The company, which wholesales its products to mostly independent retailers and sells direct through its Web site, has more than doubled its sales from January 2008 to the same month in 2009, Fredland says.
...
But Fredland does not feel the company â€" which has one employee beyond the owner â€" has passed the point where it will safely navigate through the turmoil.

Still, he is hopeful.

“That has definitely slowed down for us as far as orders from independent stores,†Fredland says. “But there is so much room for us to increase our presence that we can still grow â€" even if our existing accounts are slower.â€

Fredland, a former customer service trainer for Patagonia, has borrowed much of his business philosophy from the well-regarded outdoor clothier, including a focus on customer service.

And Fredland has his eyes on the future.

For instance, after years of resisting, Fredland is planning to make his safety collars adjustable, so a retailer won’t have to carry more than a dozen sizes.

BEND, Ore. (AP) - Rick Fredland was worried that his dog might one day hurt himself by snagging his collar.

A dog belonging to a friend accidentally hung itself after its traditional collar was snagged on a fence, and Fredland had heard countless other similar stories.

Fredland - who has lived with his wife, Noelle, in Bend for two years - owned his own rock climbing store in Southern California. So he began using climbing materials to work on a dog collar that was safer.

"We had no intention of being in the pet industry," Fredland says.
...
With the help of a friend, Fredland and his wife decided to take the collar to market.

"And finally I was like, 'There has to be a market for this,'" Fredland says.
...
Tazlab is currently shopping for a U.S.-based company to manufacture his wares that, at the same time, will allow Tazlab to keep its prices competitive, Fredland says.

Tazlab's growth has been undeniable. The company, which wholesales its products to mostly independent retailers and sells direct through its Web site, has more than doubled its sales from January 2008 to the same month in 2009, Fredland says.
...
But Fredland does not feel the company - which has one employee beyond the owner - has passed the point where it will safely navigate through the turmoil.

Still, he is hopeful.

He said orders from independent stores have definitely slowed down, but "there is so much room for us to increase our presence that we can still grow - even if our existing accounts are slower."

Fredland, a former customer service trainer for Patagonia, has borrowed much of his business philosophy from the well-regarded outdoor clothier, including a focus on customer service.

And Fredland has his eyes on the future.

For instance, after years of resisting, Fredland is planning to make his safety collars adjustable, so a retailer won't have to carry more than a dozen sizes.
...
"We've just scratched the surface of where we can get this all out there," Fredland says.

BEND, Ore. -- Rick Fredland was worried that his dog might one day hurt himself by snagging his collar.

A dog belonging to a friend accidentally hung itself after its traditional collar was snagged on a fence, and Fredland had heard countless other similar stories.

Fredland -- who has lived with his wife, Noelle, in Bend for two years -- owned his own rock climbing store in Southern California. So he began using climbing materials to work on a dog collar that was safer. "We had no intention of being in the pet industry," Fredland said.
...
With the help of a friend, Fredland and his wife decided to take the collar to market.

"And finally I was like, 'There has to be a market for this,' " Fredland said.
...
Tazlab is currently shopping for a U.S.-based company to manufacture his wares that, at the same time, will allow Tazlab to keep its prices competitive, Fredland says.

Tazlab's growth has been undeniable. The company, which wholesales its products to mostly independent retailers and sells direct through its Web site, has more than doubled its sales from January 2008 to the same month in 2009, Fredland says.
...
But Fredland does not feel the company -- which has one employee beyond the owner -- has passed the point where it will safely navigate through the turmoil.

Still, he is hopeful.

He said orders from independent stores have definitely slowed down, but "there is so much room for us to increase our presence that we can still grow -- even if our existing accounts are slower."

Fredland, a former customer service trainer for Patagonia, has borrowed much of his business philosophy from the well-regarded outdoor clothier, including a focus on customer service.

And Fredland has his eyes on the future.

For instance, after years of resisting, Fredland is planning to make his safety collars adjustable, so a retailer won't have to carry more than a dozen sizes.
...
"We've just scratched the surface of where we can get this all out there," Fredland said.