INVENTOR, JEFF LINDLEY '66

Local inventor to sell Micro Mixer on QVC

Eric J. Weilbacher The Herald-Zeitung, Published December 6, 2009

Jeff Lindley, jlindley@satx.rr.com would often lay awake at night, determined to devise a mechanical solution to a problem he had with his microwave.For many years, he saw a need for some way to equalize the distribution of heat from microwaves into the food put into a microwave without having to change anything about the function of the microwave itself. “You go to heat up soup and its always boiling on the top and room temperature on the inside,” said Lindley, a general construction contractor in New Braunfels. Finally, the idea came to him. A simple, stationary mixer that utilizes the movement of any microwave turntable to mix any liquid or semi-liquid food, thus better distributing the heat.He invented the Micro Mixer, a mixing utensil that sticks to the ceiling of a microwave using a simple suction cup. The Mixer stays stationary. It’s the bowl that moves as the turntable spins, mixing the contents of a bowl as it turns in the microwave. The mixer is made of heat resistant rubber.Later this month, Lindley will head to Philadelphia for acting lessons to prepare him for an appearance on the cable home shopping channel QVC. “It’s the idea that sells it,” he said. “QVC will probably sell them for $15.95, plus shipping and handling.”The road has been a long one for Lindley to get this product to market. First, there was the problem with paying for a mold to manufacture the mixer.“People tell me China is the cheapest way to go, and I also tried places in California and back east,” he said, but found the best solution was minutes away from New Braunfels at Stellar Plastics, Inc. in San Marcos, a company that was able to produce the mold at nearly half the cost of Chinese manufacturers. “So, now, not only is this invented locally, it’s made locally in San Marcos,” Lindley said.The next step was to find a way to sell it. Wal-Mart, Target and Bed Bath and Beyond will not take finished products as single items. Instead, they prefer manufacturers to have a whole product line to go with their brand name. He even tried a spot on the reality television show “Everyday Edisons,” and narrowly lost in the finals to go on the show in Atlanta. “They didn’t want anyone with a completed product already, they are more interested in finding people with a design,” he said. He also produced a commercial for it, but ran out of money in production to get it on the air. (See the commercial online at www.micromixer.com.) Finally, he found a QVC representative, and she convinced the channel to bring the Micro Mixer to its audience.Lindley will be on the air in January — a date and time has not been set. “It’s an obsession of mine,” Lindley said. “I’m not going to give up on this thing.”