My story, Please Help Us Stay in Business
 In 2004 in Murrieta,
California a housewife who had managed the business end of her husband’s pool
cleaning service for 16 years took her husband’s idea for an inexpensive safe
solar pool heating device from a concept to a corporation with international
sales worldwide in three years.  To do
this she enlisted her father in law for technical engineering expertise to
develop the idea into a workable product. Family members loaned money to the
new venture and within 4 months prototypes were floating on her swimming pool. The
initial design was a success and Solar Sun Rings would soon hit the pool
market. The business was started in her garage. Opening a new business is a
risk but opening a new business with only one product that is also seasonal is
a recipe for failure. The company grew under her stewardship and aggressive
marketing at 230% annually. The company quickly outgrew the garage and Lora
applied for an SBA loan for operating capital and to purchase an industrial
condominium for office and warehousing space in Temecula. Patents were applied
for and later granted for the Solar Sun Ring. The business continued to grow
and sales were booming in the US. Sales were also growing in Australia, South
Africa, South and Central America, Europe, Mexico and Canada. As a normal
progression of business Solar Sun Rings incorporated into a closely held
corporation owned solely by family members. In their fourth year of business Solar
Sun Rings, Inc. sold over 530,000 pieces.
The sky was the limit for this woman owned and managed
corporation. The corporation had 10 employees of which 6 are heads of their
households. Her marketing skills did not go unnoticed in the industry and
entrepreneurs began bringing their pool products to Solar Sun Rings, Inc. for
distribution.
In 2009 Solar Sun Rings, Inc. was selling to over 1200
retail outlets. The downside is this success attracted the biggest shark in the
ocean, Wal-Mart.
Solar Sun Rings, Inc. was asked by another company from
Florida who made small above ground pools to partner in a combined product.
Together they would manufacture a small inexpensive above ground pool with
Solar Sun Rings included in the package to provide solar heat for the pool. The
concept pool was offered to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart declined the combination package
but asked for the Solar Sun Ring as a standalone item. Lora declined the
request because Wal-Mart would be able to undercut all the small retailers
across the US which would eliminate the core of her business. It would also be
another hit in this down economy to the 600 Mom and Pop pool stores that have
carried her products for years. The following year Wal-Mart test marketed an
exact knock off of the Solar Sun Rings they had received in the combination
package concept. They were aware the Solar Sun Ring was protected by multiple
patents. In late 2010 Wal-Mart had their Chinese manufacturer make a halfhearted
attempt to get license to manufacture from Solar Sun Rings. Wal-Mart’s
manufacturer offered a pittance for a royalty knowing full well it would be
turned down. Solar Sun Rings was then told by Wal-Mart’s Chinese manufacturer
that a different product would be substituted on Wal-Mart’s shelves for 2011.
Two months later Wal-Mart put their knock off of the Solar Sun Ring on their
shelves under a different SKU. Lora filed a lawsuit for patent infringement. Unfortunately
for small business the gestation of an elephant is faster than a lawsuit. For
2012 they manufactured enough to stock all their stores which further injured
Solar Sun Rings business. Wal-Mart’s attorneys have been a mirror image of
Wal-Mart who has expressed no concern for their actions or the consequences of
their decision to use their massive financial clout to destroy a local woman owned
business. They know full well they will put 10 more people on unemployment with
6 of them no longer able to support their families. Last year Wal-Mart had
sales amounting to $418,952,000,000 with a gross profit of 24.7%; does their
bottom line show they really need to try to swallow up another small woman
owned business?




Update December 3, 2012: NBC 4 in Los Angeles have interviewed Lora Rosene about this ordeal. 


View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.