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Never mind that Rich Shandelman holds several patents for electronic,
mechanical and plastic designs. It is his ability to think like
a child that got him where he is today.
As founder of Safe & Sound in Blue Bell, Shandelman inspects
people's homes room by room, drawer by drawer, searching for the
lurking hazards that could lure a curious toddler to harm.
Then, if the parents agree, he goes to work, "child-proofing"
kitchen appliances, living-room furniture, windows, doors and other
items, making them less likely to burn, bruise, pinch or trap a
child at play.
He might: Fasten padding to the corners of coffee tables.
Install anti-scalding devices or lead filters on sink faucets.
Recommend storing batteries or rolls of film in locked cabinets,
so they don't find their way into children's mouths.
Install a clear plastic barrier along staircase railings whose spindles
are more than 4 inches apart, to prevent children's heads from getting
stuck.
Check to see that china closets are locked and stable, and mount
them to the wall if they aren't steady.
He may also offer to sell parents products they can install themselves,
including covers for electrical outlets, magnetic cabinet locks,
flame retardant hearth padding and stairway gates. Although parents
can also find such products in stores, not all are properly designed
to prevent injury, Shandelman said.
Safe & Sound is one of more than 100 "child-proofing"
businesses that have sprung up across the country, most of them
since former surgeon general C. Everett Koop helped launch a national
campaign in 1993 to combat childhood injuries, according to the
nonprofit International Association of Child Safety Inc. (IACS)
in New York.
"More children are killed by preventable injuries each year
than by all childhood diseases combined," Koop said at the
time.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there were 86,100
injuries from nursery products and about 70,000 toy-related injuries
among children younger than 5 in 1995, the last year for which figures
are available. The studies do not include injuries from furniture
or other non child-related items in a home, a commission spokeswoman
said.
"Mom used to be home all the time watching the children,"
said Allen Stern, 64, who runs Child Safety Plus in Cherry Hill.
"Now working moms are concerned about what happens in their
absence."
Safe & Sound and Child Safety Plus are the only Philadelphia-area
members of IACS, the organization said.
The inspiration for Safe & Sound was not the Koop campaign,
but rather the young daughter of architect and builder Michael Barsky,
who was Shandelman's original partner.
Since the company's founding in 1993, it has child-proofed about
1,000 homes, and now has its sights set on bigger things: franchising.
A year ago, Shandelman found a new partner, Peter Lipschutz, with
whom he is developing a franchising program.
If they are able to launch that program by the end of the year,
as hoped, Safe & Sound would be one of the first franchisers
in the child-proofing business. Several other operators are planning
to franchise, but none is in full operation yet, said IACS president
Barbara Kelczewski.
Safe & Sound is also marketing its services in tandem with other
businesses that serve parents of young children. It has agreements
with several area builders to offer optional child safety packages
with new houses, Shandelman said. And the company will be one of
several baby related businesses included in brochures to be distributed
to expectant mothers at the five hospitals of the Jefferson Health
System, a Jefferson spokeswoman said.
A custom-design engineer who developed an antitheft device for retail
stores as well as other devices, Shandelman now invents child safety
products, including a patented stairwell gate. His current project
is a device that would sound an alarm when a child walks beyond
bounds set by the parents.
Safe & Sound had revenues of more than $200,000 last year, of
which 52 percent came from product sales, 50 percent from installation
fees and 8 percent from home survey fees. The company charges $39.95
for a home survey, plus an average of $500 for child-proofing, including
product purchases. But the cost can range from $250 to $3,000 depending
on the home.
Lipschutz, Shandelman's new partner, said he spent 18 years running
Record Industrial Co. in King of Prussia, which sold industrial
and safety clothing to Fortune 1,000 companies. He and his partners
sold the business two years ago.
"I spent a year looking for new business opportunities,"
Lipschutz said. "I wouldn't have come on board if I didn't
think Safe & Sound could grow real quickly."
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