Fleetwood alum creates Park-a-Dot
Mitch Ottinger, a mechanical engineer, founded M.O. Gizmo to develop products of everyday convenience
A former Fleetwood resident and 2005 alumnus of Fleetwood High School, Mitch Ottinger is excited to share with his hometown a new product he’s created, Park-a-Dot, a patent pending garage parking sensor which eliminates the uncertainty associated with parking in your own garage.
According to the release, “Park-a-Dot is a complete redesign of what a garage parking aid should be. Its sleek design allows it to be discreetly located out of the way and functions so that multiple vehicles can be parked in the same garage spot. It provides a clear indication of when to stop by working with your garage door’s existing safety sensor to project a red dot on the wall in front of you once your vehicle is in far enough.”
“The idea for this garage parking sensor was created after my wife nearly drove my tool chest through the garage wall,” said Ottinger. “We needed a reliable parking aid to make sure that there was no question of when to stop and none of the existing solutions met our needs.”
For several years this device was just another one of his novel gadgets created as a hobby, however after recognizing that many people shared the same frustrations, Ottinger knew he needed to take it to the next level.
“It’s a simple solution for something you do every day. When you see the dot, stop in your spot!”
Ottinger is the founder of M.O. Gizmo LLC, a startup focused on developing products for everyday convenience. The company was founded a year ago by Ottinger, a mechanical engineer by trade who left his corporate job to follow his entrepreneurial aspirations. He has a passion for simplifying tasks and through his company aims to create gadgets that allow users to solve everyday problems.
Ottinger introduced to the public M.O. Gizmo’s first product, Park-a-Dot, on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform, on April 10.
“I believe the fundamentals of crowdfunding is sharing an idea with the community and gaining support from your neighbors who have the ability to help you succeed,” said Ottinger. “A crowdfunding campaign not only allows first-time entrepreneurs like me the ability to share their idea with the public but it also provides an outlet for them to share their stories and give supporters a glimpse into the journey of bringing their project to life. “