Ronnie Shelby had the idea to manufacture
WHEN a composite floor board that could withstand the abuse from livestock and make it safer for cattle and cowboys , he chose the most obvious place to draw up the concept for his new idea — a cocktail napkin .
From those initial drawings he began marching forward designing this new innovative product . Of course , you can imagine there was some trial and error getting started , mostly error . Undeterred , he worked through the R & D process and found the right material combination and flooring pattern , which he calls “ Cleated .” Cleated flooring is designed to keep livestock from slipping during transport . Once there was a marketable product , he , his wife Lori and Son Kolby , began telling anyone who would listen about their new product . Slowly but surely , they began building the customer base and started making a name for themselves : one customer at a time .
Everything was going perfectly . The company was growing and sales were increasing . Then in 2005 , a tragedy hit when a
38 NATDA Magazine www . natda . org