Way back in July I wrote an entry about an internal marketing contest we held up at Rubbermaid Canada. You can read it or just take a look the part that I’ve copied below to get up to speed:
“We asked employees to send in pictures of their “messy” garage and tell us why they needed a makeover with the Rubbermaid FastTrack® product line. The winner would receive free; design consultation, product and installation from their friendly Canadian marketing department.”
Well a lot things happened since then… I got married, our winner went on vacation and our photographer got extremely busy. But finally, over two months later, we now have the ’before & after’ pictures that say more then any four hundred word blog ever could.
BEFORE
AFTER
I think it’s safe to say that our winner’s garage is a thing of beauty. The system has allowed her to get her items off the floor, eliminate multiple shelving units and work stations and now park two as opposed to zero cars in her garage.
I like to call it ‘Garage synergy.’ So often we have mini attempts to organize our spaces…a little of this and a little of that. The problem with this is that we don’t give any overarching thought to how the system will work together and in a place like the garage we often end up causing more confusion. The Rubbermaid FastTrack program provides the three things you want in a system; shelving, hooks and cabinets. But it delivers these in a cohesive way that takes everything off the ground and allows you to change the layout with the seasons or your moods.
Now I have to admit, ‘Garage’ is my category as Canadian marketing manager, I designed the makeover and actually installed the product with two of my colleagues….needless to say I’m quite proud of the result…..but what do you think? I need an ‘unbiased’ opinion.
That IS a beautiful garage! The owner must be thrilled.
As you noted, Rubbermaid provided the design, product and installation, but who handled the actual organization? Was it the homeowner, someone with Rubbermaid or one of my esteemed North-of-the-Boarder professional organizing colleagues in Professional Organizers in Canada http://www.organizersincanada.com?
Also, although the photo gives a great overview, it’s hard to see the small details. Are the tubs and/or shelves labeled so the containers indicate the contents and the shelves alert the garage owner to what should be returned to specific places?
Finally, is there somewhere consumers (and we professional organizers) can go to see the FastTrack(r) in action–how it’s installed and how the system fits together? This would make an EXCELLENT show & tell for Rubbermaid to do at the NAPO conference in Orlando!
Hello Julie.
First off, I’m glad you liked our handy-work!
As for “who handled the actual organization”…. that was our winner herself. The marketing department installed the FastTrack system but it was the home owner that decided what would go where. Your suggestion to label tubs and and shelves is a good one that I will definitely pass on.
In terms of somewhere to go to see the system installed, I’d suggest visiting the Garage section of our website at http://www.rubbermaid.com/garage where we have a demo video posted. Or if you want to see the whole adventure from disaster, to planning to install…. take a look at Jim Deitzel’s “My Rubbermaid Garage Makeover” five part blog series.
Thanks for your comment.
Brian
Below is a YouTube link that has a video showing the Rubbermaid FastTrack product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxjwh9Kk9o