ASSINIBOIA - An opportunity of a lifetime arose for Geoff and Colette Heschel, as their product The Leveller will be featured on the third episode of Dragons’ Den on Thursday, November 4.
Geoff and Colette Heschel and their three children live in Morse, Saskatchewan. The couple own and operate a boiler, superheater and agricultural trucking business called GH Well Services Inc. When the oilfield side of the business slowed down, Geoff and Colette turned their attentions to The Leveller.
In 2012 Geoff built a deck on his new house. With Morse having such a high water table and heavy gumbo soil conditions, Geoff decided to build an above ground deck that could easily be adjusted should the soil shift. Not liking the appearance, quality or ease of use of any of the products in his local building supplies stores, he decided it would be simpler to build his own. This is how The Leveller was born.
The Leveller is the best solution for adjustable levelling for any posts, steps, decks and patios. It is strong, quick and easy to adjust and level almost any project where the base is uneven, settles, or heaves.
After obtaining both Canadian and USA patent pending status for the product, the couple wanted to get some market traction for ‘The Leveller’ and knew that a Dragon partner could help them get the publicity they needed.
“We have always been a fan of the show, and have really identified with other folks who made their pitches,” said Geoff during a telephone interview.
“After selling the product at a few local stores, there were many other people who told us that we should try to audition for Dragon’s Den. So we decided to make a pitch to the producers of the show,” added Colette.
They received a call from one of the producers to attend a virtual meeting, where they could ask more questions. It was at that meeting that they learned that they were going to fly to Toronto to face the Dragons.
“Initially we were going to film in April, but it was delayed until June. When we flew to Toronto at that time, because of the COVID-19 restrictions in place around the city, there was virtually nothing open at that time,” noted Colette.
“But it was the easiest time we had getting in and out of Pearson Airport,” laughed Geoff.
Entering the set for Dragon’s Den was very surreal for the couple. “It was almost a little nerve-wracking, especially the one-minute elevator pitch,” said Geoff.
They were told that they were one out of 1,000 products that made the producers cut, and only 100 of those 1,000 would make the show. Then the decision was made to only do a half season of Dragon’s Den, so that cut down the chances to only 45 who would actually appear on screen during the season.
One of the successes that the couple had was the fact that they already had built their first 4,000 The Levellers in their 8,400 square foot shop in Morse, Saskatchewan. Fabricating, repairing and customizing equipment for the agricultural, oilfield, and trucking ventures is an important part of the business.
As such, moving to manufacturing seemed like a natural progression. Now, The Leveller is manufactured in Oakville, Manitoba.
“We were nervous, but we got our game face on, and knew we had a job to do, and were pleased at the response we got from our pitch,” said Geoff.
“It was very much a surreal feeling, to see the Dragons in person, when you are used to watching them at home,” added Colette.
Earlier last week, the couple received the official press package from Dragon’s Den that informed them that they would be one of the products aired on Thursday, November 4.
As to the reactions of the Dragons themselves, and to find out if a Dragon made an offer to invest in The Leveller, well local fans of Dragons’ Den will just have to tune into the third show of the season to find out.
