Byline: Greg Cunningham
Feb. 24--GRUVER, Texas -- If mice had ambassadors, they might be asking Keith Lamb for peace talks.
The 80-year-old Gruver farmer and his better mousetrap have been gaining a lot of ground in the war against rodents during the past few months, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.
"This whole thing has just really taken off," Lamb said. "I'm still getting calls from all over the United States. I've sent them to Canada, Pennsylvania, Maine. I sold five in New York and six near Chicago. It's amazing how this thing has grown."
What started about a year ago as an idea, a bucket and an electric fence charger has grown into a product that has won Lamb awards, taken him to Hawaii, and landed him patents, distribution deals and even a manufacturer.
The better mousetrap, now known as the Mousezap, took shape on Lamb's farm, which was suffering from a severe mouse infestation. Lamb, a longtime tinkerer and inventor, rigged up some bait suspended over a bucket that was connected to an electric fence charger.
When the mice reached for the bait, they got zapped and fell dead into the bucket of water. Next thing you know, Lamb was disposing of hundreds of mouse carcasses and was having a hard time spotting any mice on his farm.
The idea was so simple that the general reaction has been one of frustration, followed by a desire to get one, said Ray Oglesby, owner of a farm store in Dumas.
"I think a lot of people look at that and say, 'I should have thought of that,"' Oglesby said. "It is a simple design, but it is a very effective design. You don't have to be super complex to be effective."
Oglesby started a new business -- Gro Enterprises -- to distribute the trap. Oglesby and Lamb estimate that between them, they've sold 600 traps.
With those kinds of numbers, the problem now becomes manufacturing enough to keep up with demand.
"I still want to be involved in it, but I'm ready to back off making them," Lamb said. "I'm 80 years old, and there's other things I'd rather do than stay out there in the shop all day."
Lamb was considering a deal with an established manufacturer when an elegant solution presented itself.
Jack Sawyer, director of ASC Industries, saw a story about the trap and thought the disabled people his organization puts to work would be perfect for assembling the traps.
Lamb couldn't have agreed more.
"I may have been a lot better off to take on a major company, but I've got kind of special feelings for those handicapped people," Lamb said. "It could be a good thing for the area."
Sawyer said the trap makes a perfect project for disabled workers because it is not terribly complex and doesn't involve a lot of small pieces, which can be hard for those who have lost dexterity.
The upside for the workers in the seven workshops operated by ASC is that they earn a wage, learn how to go to work every day and, most importantly, take pride in what they do.
"It's like any other business," Sawyer said. "They are compensated with a paycheck, and believe me, they're very proud of that paycheck.
"They're proud to be able to do something, as opposed to maybe being at home or in an institution."
The deal is also a bonus for taxpayers. ASC is state-funded, but many of the projects are self-supporting, and some make a profit, which is used to provide services to the clients.
With all the pieces in place, Lamb is looking down the road at the possibilities for the new mouse trap.
The first step will be to find a cheap fence charger, so people who don't have a charger at home can use the device.
Next would be an enclosed trap with a snap-on cover that runs on household current, so people in urban areas could use it without worrying about children or pets getting a shock.
Beyond that, the possibilities are endless, Lamb said.
"There's no telling how far this thing is going to go," Lamb said. "You look on the Internet and at the different things out there, and I've got no competition. Nobody's making anything like it.
"This could turn into a major industry, because the world is looking for a better mouse trap."
The traps are available for $20.
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(c) 2004, Amarillo Globe-News, Texas. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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