Eric Letham

“Like a dog with a bone.” That was what my mother used to say about my inability to leave things as I found them. I never outgrew this personality trait and it has actually been responsible for many good things in my life. Like my career. When I installed an early garage organization system, I found it wasn’t terribly functional – or fashionable, so I set out to design my own. Once I had a list of what I wanted my walls to do and how I wanted them to look, I went to visit a local pvc manufacturer to ask them to work with me. My wish list was short, but very specific. 1. I wanted a panel that was impact resistant. I have three young children and things bounce off my garage walls all the time. It needed to be strong enough to hang up all the bikes, gardening tools, shovels and any other item that could easily be suspended. 2. As much as I wanted function, however, I also wanted fashion. My wall needed to look good (no screws or nails please) while being impervious to the sometimes wet or damp conditions in a garage. It should be simple enough to install that I could do without hiring a professional. 3. Oh, and it needed to be “green”. I am married to an environmentally-conscious lady who is always reminding us to reuse, reduce, and recycle. 4. And, finally, I wanted something durable. I did not want my panels falling off the wall, 15 minutes after the warranty ran out. It took us a year but in the end, Proslat slatwall was born. In 2009, when I was convinced that it did all the things a good garage organization system should do, I decided to turn it into a business. I had worked in the building and retail industry for over 20 years and I was already running a successful sales agency at the time. I ran the two businesses in tandem until I could close out the agency without leaving my customers high and dry. I then focused exclusively on Proslat and I haven’t had time to look back. Proslat slatwall has won awards throughout the industry for being eco friendly, and innovative. Growth has been constant and now, surrounded by a committed young team and a robust product line, I have a more time to look for new applications, new markets and new product development. After all, it’s in my nature.