Okanagan entrepreneur gaining traction in the safety boot industry

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury, which often leads to a head or hip injury.

Slips and falls on dangerous ice are an issue that takes workers out of the workforce and keeps certain groups like the elderly inside during the winter months.

But that’s quickly changing thanks to West Kelowna based entrepreneur Darrell Bachman and his innovative invention KickSpike.

“It began when I invented retractable metal spikes for golf course use that allowed you to walk tee to green with spikes on and then turn them off when you get on the greens,” said President and CEO of KickSpike, Darrell Bachman.

“We went to the PGA merchandise show as soon as we did our first prototype. The president of the US Postal Service saw the early KickSpike prototype and said we need this in the boots of every letter carrier in the northern hemisphere.”

It was the type of early endorsement every successful company needs, but it certainly wasn’t the only endorsement the young startup received. KickSpike was featured on Dragon’s Den in 2009, where it landed all five dragons and the first million dollar deal in the show's history.

At the time, KickSpike was still focused on golf cleats, but the company quickly saw a demand in the safety boot market.

“Slips and falls are the largest insurance claim injury on the planet,” explained Bachman. “So the president of US Post saw KickSpike as the ultimate traction aid for his letter carriers and to this day they are probably our largest client.”

Now, KickSpike has partnered with one of the world’s largest boot manufacturers, Red Wing, to manufacture a fully safety certified boot that is making waves in multiple industries.

Guarding against dangerous slips and falls on ice may seem familiar as several different types traction aids are currently on the market. But often these designs have flaws that KickSpike has set out to improve on.

“Traction aids can fall off while you’re hiking and you lose them forever or sometimes people get lazy and don’t bend over to remove traction aids when they go inside, which is just as dangerous as not having them on outside,” said Bachman.

“The KickSpike takes four seconds to turn the spike on and off, no bending over and they're built in so you always have them.”

The quality and efficiency of KickSpike has not been lost on several different industries. The boots have quickly become standard footwear for delivery truck drivers, letter carriers, EMT's, firemen and police officers.

Click here to learn more about KickSpike.