Lindstrom, Minnesota - After eleven years as an on-the-go portrait photographer, Eric A. Zerwas, a now married father of three, took a drastic change of pace by taking a desk job. After eight years as a sedentary office worker he finally had enough sitting. Zerwas found unexpected success after inventing a sleek standing desk alternative called the StandingDeskTopper.
he Topper easily converts existing office desks into ergonomically correct, height-adjustable standing desks. The new invention saves companies money by costing a fraction of traditional standing desks.
Having a physically active career in photography for more than a decade, Zerwas found the sedentary lifestyle of working in an office cube causing unwanted effects. Sitting for eight or more hours a day was causing back, shoulder and neck pain. Finally poor leg circulation, weakening muscle, weight gain and restlessness caused Eric to take a stand, literally.
It wasn’t until February of 2013, after years of reading about the damage and danger to the body as the result of sitting all day, Zerwas noticed something. His coworkers were attempting to stand at their desks by raising keyboards with paper reams and stacking monitors on empty boxes. Zerwas sought to find a standing desk of his own. He was shocked to learn that traditional standing desks retailed at the same level of home mortgage payments, one thousand to four thousand dollars. Zerwas asked himself “Why aren’t there more cost-effective standing desk solutions for office workers out there?” That’s the moment the concept for his company, StandingDeskTopper.com, was born.
Within a few weeks, doodles had become designs, designs had become prototypes and in March 2013 prototypes had become online offerings. “I was surprised by receiving multiple orders so soon. It was a bit overwhelming because I was hand making these by myself,” said Zerwas. Within months the pace of Topper sales had increased to the point where he had enlisted his closest family and friends to help fill the orders.
A Minnesota winter came and went. After working full days and pulling all-nighters, working in sub-zero temperatures in the expanding, impromptu garage wood shop, Zerwas had sold his first couple hundred units. In the spring of 2014 Zerwas knew he needed more help with a larger Topper demand. He interviewed many local, Minnesota manufacturers and finally found the right local partner to help bring the StandingDeskTopper to the next level.
Collaborating closely with the manufacturing partner, an updated version of the Topper was created. The state-of-the-art facility allowed for Toppers to be produced more efficiently with high-quality materials and professional finishing. The end result was a higher quality product and faster delivery. Zerwas found everyone was happy, especially being able to pass newfound cost savings to the customers.
After much anticipation, testing and refining, Zerwas was elated to see the latest version of StandingDeskTopper delivered to the public in early September 2014. In closing Zerwas mentioned, “The initial response and feedback on our new Toppers has been phenomenal. It’s amazing to think a simple idea can make a real difference in the world. Our products are helping office workers across America achieve greater health and wellness one affordable StandingDeskTopper at a time. I’m beyond excited for what the future holds.”
StandingDeskToppers are available on the company website with shipping available to anywhere in the US. Learn more at http://www.StandingDeskTopper.com.
