Ali and Sara Yazdian, avid mountain bikers and product development professionals, used their military grade equipment design experience as inspiration for the design features of their product, Alta Racks. This product is designed to be an adaptable and dynamic hitch-mounted recreational equipment vehicle rack, and help eliminate the need of additional racks for different outdoor recreational activities. Made to withstand life in rugged Utah, from the 11,000 feet peaks of Wasatch to the unforgiving terrain of Moab.
Project Scope
Alta Racks wanted support for their first product launch through an updated and reliable website to educate clients about their product and purchase it online.
Solution
The University of Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center worked with Ali to discover potential marketing solutions and develop a new business website that fit their budget.
Results
By developing the new website, Alta Racks was able to draw more attention to their product, create legitimacy, and attract professional athletes such as Cam Zink and avid outdoors groups to help promote their product. Cam has also agreed to spotlight the Alta Rack through videos on his social media to help increase online impressions by over 300,000.
Impact
Since working with the MEP Center, Alta Racks has sold $4,000 in product in less than three months, and estimate increased sales of over $150,000 for 2018. They also invested 150 hours in developing local supply chain resources, and as a result, hired six local companies to fabricate parts, develop branding, product shipping, and to maintain their new website.
Client testimonial
“Working with the University of Utah MEP Center has been a lifeline for us. Utilizing some of the cost saving features that they offer has made a significant difference in moving forward or not. I believe it’s not just the MEP program that has helped us, but their people who implement and develop relationships with small businesses, which is key. The University of Utah MEP Center was instrumental in our success, and their support has enabled us to grow. We look forward to continuing our relationship with them in 2018.” —Ali & Sara Yazdian