In the News: President and CEO Iain Scorgie’s Interview with Home Furnishing News
March 8, 2011 – President, CEO and Founder Iain Scorgie interviewed by Home Furnishing News in their March issue.
Q&A: MindsInSync
By Michael Gambardella
Founded in 2005, MindsInSync has seen significant growth in the past couple of years with innovative home and kids’ products featuring patent-pending materials and proprietary processes. Among its biggest successes is the Microdry Ultimate Luxury Bath Mat, made with Microdry fabric and memory foam.
How do you differentiate your company from the competition?
We try to differentiate ourselves on all avenues, but in particular, we try to get in tune with everyday consumer issues. We bring our products to focus groups and let people say what they like and don’t like about them, because we have to see consumer problems from their point of view. Research and development are also key for us. We look at function, texture, design and structure from the standpoint of, is that the most functional and usable product?
What special initiatives are you implementing to boost your business?
Line extensions. Microdry now has the eye of the consumer, and continuing to build the brand with innovative items will certainly boost sales. Along with expanding into new categories outside of bath, we’ll also be going into lighting. We’ve also opened a new office in Shanghai with 35 people, which gives us a team at the factory end.
Which of your most recent product launches do you have the highest expectation for?
I think the new pet line will be huge for us, and so will our kitchen line. The kids’ products will be a big win for us at toy retailers, and we’ll go into mass merchants with these products by the end of this year. The lighting area hasn’t seen a lot of innovation, but we have some neat ideas that hopefully will shake this category up.
You regard choosing your manufacturing partners as especially important to your business. What do you look for in selecting manufacturing partners abroad?
I have been sourcing from China for many years. The process we go through takes in several points. First, what is the attitude of the people who work in the factory? Second, does the management team speak good English? Third is location; we try to work with factories not more than two or three hours from a major airport, because our customers visit them. Fourth, we need factories of a decent size because of our mass-merchant customers. Social compliance in terms of how management treats their employees is also a must.
What is your forecast for business for the remainder of 2011? What factors will drive your business for the rest of this year?
Two years ago, we decided to build our own brands. We brought out the Microdry line 18 months ago, and it had a very successful year last year. This year, we will extend the line into towels and pet products, among others, and this will be key to our success this year. I think we’ve got to keep ahead of the game, and we have to have the innovation card. We also need to continue to win on price-not by offering the lowest price, but by having the best value for the money. We also have to continue to offer the full package in marketing and public relations.
March 2011
Iain Scorgie, President and CEO
News
June 8, 2016 – The MIS licensing teams headed to Las Vegas for the world’s largest, most influential licensing trade show.
May 14, 2016 – An expansive line of Microdry products can be found at the largest department store in the world!.
April 12, 2016 – Building Business in Canada.
February 8, 2016 – Wishing our China team a happy and healthy new year! Looks like an amazing display of fireworks.
January 12, 2016 – MindsInSync attended the Heimtextil International Trade Show in Frankfurt, Germany.
March 5, 2015 – After 5 years at 1350 Broadway, MindsInSync is now located right in the heart of New York’s Home Textile Industry.
January 14, 2014 – Our international team appeared at The Heimtextil Trade Show for the first time in Frankfurt Germany and will be back there next month for the Ambiente Show.
November 23, 2013 – This past Thanksgiving, MindsInSync held it’s third annual brunch and balloon-watching feast, treating employees, investors and partners to an array of tasty treats as the world’s largest parade made it’s way down Sixth Avenue…
November 5, 2013 – MindsInSync Shanghai Office Moves to The GreenTech Tower.
January 11, 2013 – Another great new first for MindsInSync with the creation of our new orthopedic dimensional memory foam pet mat.
September 6, 2012 – MindsInSync®, is literally gearing up for Home Fashions Market Week with the launch of a pedicab program…
September 5, 2012 – MindsInSync® – whose memory foam bath mat construction turned the category on its ear…
August 29, 2012 – MindsInSync, the global consumer goods company behind some of today’s most innovative…
July 31, 2012 – MindsInSync, the global consumer goods company behind some of today’s most innovative…
September 24, 2012 – Coming to a small screen at a Bed Bath & Beyond near you…
September 16, 2011 – Today our friends at The Talk on CBS pampered everyone in their studio audience…
February 16, 2011 – Our new partnership with Loews Hotels was featured on hfnmag.com…
February 15, 2011 – Our new partnership with Loews Hotels was featured on CNBC.COM…
September 7, 2011 – Today Microdry Bath Mats were featured in the Huffington Post…
June 27, 2011 – This past week, our pending patent application for the mat was published…
June 25, 2011 – Microdry was featured on NBC Weekend Today in New York as part of a Summer Entertaining Essentials segment.
April 27, 2011 – MindsInSync, the global consumer goods company specializing in products for home and lifestyle is expanding and relocating its UK office, which will serve as the company’s European headquarters.
April 18, 2011 – Microdry’s Ultimate Luxury Pet Mat featured in the NY Daily News.
April 4, 2011 – The success and rapid growth of MindsInSync was spotlighted on a report examining how economic recovery relies so strongly on the small business sector.
March 8, 2011 – President, CEO and Founder Iain Scorgie interviewed by Home Furnishing News in their March issue.
February 25, 2011, NEW YORK – Loews partnership MindsInSync featured in the Boston Globe online.
February 25, 2011, NEW YORK – President, CEO and Founder Iain Scorgie’s interview with FT.com.
February 22, 2011, NEW YORK – Loews partnership with MindsInSync featured in The Orlando Sentinel.
February 22, 2011, NEW YORK – Loews partnership with MindsInSync featured in Dogtipper.
February 22, 2011, NEW YORK – Loews partnership with MindsInSync featured in HTT.
February 16, 2011, NEW YORK – Home Textiles Today’s interview MindsInSync’s President and Founder, Iain Scorgie…
The leading home and lifestyle innovator provides Microdry Pet Mat for Loews Loves Pets Promotion…
February 1, 2011, NEW YORK – Jill Fisher, our Co-Founder and SVP was recently interviewed by faboverfifty.com…
February 1, 2011, NEW YORK – The February issue of Home Textiles Today features an article on MindsInSync…
January 31, 2011, NEW YORK – Jill Fisher, Founder and SVP of MindsInSync, was the featured guest on the radio program Miracle Mondays…
January 21, 2011, NEW YORK – No, we’re not referring to the Madonna and Sean Penn movie we all want to forget…
June 1, 2010 – Great reviews we garnered from popular MOMMY BLOGGERS…
December 9, 2010 – For consumer goods designer and manufacturer MindsInSync, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery until…