Xxxxxx Using your Ted Smart with wife Alis<strong>on</strong>, left, RDU chairman Des Laws<strong>on</strong> and RDU Treasurer D<strong>on</strong> Cox. smarts ROTARY’S GRAFFITI REMOVAL DAY UNEARTHS A COMMUNITY CHAMPION! 48 Issue 549. April 2013
Xxxxxx Many <strong>Rotary</strong> projects unearth champi<strong>on</strong>s and Graffiti Removal Day 2013 in NSW was no excepti<strong>on</strong>. <strong>Rotary</strong> <strong>Down</strong> <strong>Under</strong> w<strong>on</strong> the NSW Government tender to organise and c<strong>on</strong>duct the day, which was held <strong>on</strong> September 23. Support from major sp<strong>on</strong>sors Dulux, Rokset and Smart Distributi<strong>on</strong> Services was nothing short of magnificent and all are worthy of editorial praise. However, the story of Smart Industries is quite unique … a w<strong>on</strong>derful story of <strong>on</strong>e man’s business intuiti<strong>on</strong> that resulted in another outstanding Australian business success. With many years spent running a maintenance business with 16,000 rental properties <strong>on</strong> the books, Ted Smart had first-hand experience dealing with graffiti. After Ted sold his business he took a break and, looking for a new venture, so<strong>on</strong> settled <strong>on</strong> graffiti. Ted identified the need for a n<strong>on</strong>-hazardous graffiti removal product that really worked, but was also cheap and reliable. While there were countless products <strong>on</strong> the market, Ted believed that very few, if any, were really effective. After teaming up with some industrial chemists and undertaking research and development, he came up with some answers. As graffiti comes in many forms, there is not <strong>on</strong>e product that can tackle all problems. So Ted and his team produced several products to tackle specific graffiti problems. The Smart Elite product tackles graffiti <strong>on</strong> bare or painted brick, c<strong>on</strong>crete or timber. It is sprayed, painted or brushed <strong>on</strong> the affected area and then washed off after about a minute using a high-pressure hose. The Smart Metal Safe can be used <strong>on</strong> metal objects, such as metallic road signs and metal or plastic playground equipment. Other Smart products were tailored for specific graffiti problems. For instance, <strong>on</strong>e cleaner is used in schools to remove Texta from lockers and cabinets. Another is used to remove graffiti from marble, while another has been developed for use <strong>on</strong> surfaces where l<strong>on</strong>g-term protecti<strong>on</strong> from graffiti is required. Things were running al<strong>on</strong>g smoothly and Ted’s products were (and still are) being used by numerous government departments and most local councils throughout Australia. Then, in 2004, an American man visiting Melbourne happened to read a story about the Smart Graffiti products in a Melbourne newspaper. He took the article back to the US and showed it to his friend, a multimilli<strong>on</strong>aire businessman. After making some enquiries and doing his homework, the US businessman realised that, of the 15 products available in the US at that time, n<strong>on</strong>e of the competitors’ products came anywhere near the Smart products. Smart Graffiti products are now distributed in the US and Canada, South America, the United Kingdom and Ireland. You will find this proudly Aussie-made product cleaning graffiti from L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong> buses, the Metro <strong>Under</strong>ground and numerous graffiti-covered buildings in Dublin. The products are sold in over 24,000 stores in the US. What a great Aussie champi<strong>on</strong>! Even after his success, Ted is modest about his achievements and remains passi<strong>on</strong>ate and proud that Smart products c<strong>on</strong>tinue to be made in Australia using <strong>on</strong>ly local materials. Ted plans to hand the running of the business over to his s<strong>on</strong> over the next few years and we are sure the business will c<strong>on</strong>tinue to thrive. • www.rotarydownunder.org 49
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