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Q & A with Tim Tucker and Jeanne Tucker
owners of Talic, Inc.
Storage & Display Systems for Kayaks, Canoes and Rowing Shells
What is Tim’s background story?
J.T.: Tim is a graphic artist, he graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and worked as a graphic illustrator and advertising artist for 30 years in Rochester, both for other companies and on his own, with Tim Tucker Images. He's also an exceptional woodworker, but he has always been an outdoor guy, and found himself with three kayaks and no place to store them. He looked through some outdoor magazines hoping to buy a rack, and found none available, so he designed and built one himself.
Being in advertising, Tim thought he'd put a small ad in a magazine – thinking maybe others needed one as well. Before he even received his copy of the magazine, Tim was getting calls for orders, and that was back in 2000. The orders kept coming in, the art work was drying up - September 11th negatively affected Kodak (one of his clients) and computer illustrator programs took away work as more small companies decided to design their own ads.
How did the business get started?
J.T.: Tim decided to close Tim Tucker Images, and rented a small place nearby, and officially opened Talic. He incorporated the business at the end of 2001. Tim worked alone for many years, and the business steadily grew. He designed new products, redesigned old, and patented some. (He now holds four patents and has two more in the works.)
What is Jeanne’s background story?
J.T.: Fast forward to May 2008, I had worked at Seymour Library for 20+ years, and had recently left. I was also learning to ball room dance, and traveled to Seneca Falls with a group of friends on Sundays. Tim, originally from Seneca Falls, had travelled from Rochester to visit family and ended up at the dance class. Tim was introduced to my table of friends. I mentioned that I wanted to climb the 46 high peaks in the ADK. This was definitely the right line of thinking for Tim. We emailed, met at another dance in Geneva, and we've been together since.
How did Talic relocate to Auburn?
J.T.: By the end of June ‘08, I was commuting back and forth to Rochester, newly hired by Talic to run the office. By July, Tim had moved to Auburn, and we made the trip together. We started looking for a place in Auburn for Talic because the hour and fifteen minute commute each way was getting old fast. Also, Auburn is a very community-oriented place. Tim spent 30 years in Rochester, and he has said he has met more people in Auburn in just a short while than what he ever did in Rochester. It was also important for me to be near family, they have been there with us all the way.
By the end of 2008, we also were planning our wedding - we married in September of 2009. My son found this place for the business, and the slow process of getting loans began. Meanwhile, Talic was growing. We keep adding more retail clients, and making relationships with major chains. We also continue to sell to customers all over the US, and the world. Just this past week we have sent pallets to Berlin, Germany, Norway, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
We moved to Auburn in December of 2009. Jennifer Haines, Director of the City’s Planning & Economic Development Office referred us to Bob Sweet of the Grow America Fund, a sub-group of the National Development Council. We ultimately received our funding from them. Tim worked weekends renovating our building, and we hired local contractors. The new building is very efficient. We had our right-of-way street named Bellnier Lane, after my family, with the help of the 911 Call Center and the City.
What does the future hold?
We have land on the side for expansion, which we'll be making use of. Our building already seems small! This has been our busiest summer thus far - the orders keep coming in. We really want to get out there and market, but just keeping up has kept us both busy. We have a couple of people who come in and help occasionally. We’ve become co-sponsors of the Great Race, and we have a window display at the Cayuga County Tourism Office on Genesee Street. We are committed to the community, and want to help support local businesses as much as we can.
Our slogan is "Be Good to Your Toys" and we have that printed on our t-shirts, which are now for sale (soon to be added to our website) along with wood Talic key chains.
We are proud to say that all of our products are made right here in the USA- Auburn in fact! We are the only makers of wooden kayak and storage racks - our racks are like fine pieces of furniture. Tim has many ideas in the works right now. He is working on a metal version of our racks, more suitable for outdoor usage, and this should be available by the end of the year. The summer months are very busy for us, but come late fall, business slows, and we still find time to dance!
For further information call 800.843.3307 or 315.252.9535 or visit www.talic.com.
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