Serving Parker County for over 60 years
Our goal is to serve every family as if they are a part of our own .
where the genius steps in .
“ They were using reachers , so I thought if we can incorporate the reacher into the cane , they will always have it with them at all times . I would ask my patients , ‘ Where is your reacher ?’ and they wouldn ’ t know where it was at . I would ask where their cane was and it would be lying on the floor . We needed to design something that is a reacher incorporated into a freestanding cane so it ’ s always upright .”
Newton had been thinking about the cane for several months and was already trying to work out a design when he met his partner , Gary Overcash .
Overcash was a patient of Newton ’ s and was battling his own health problems . A self-proclaimed “ jack of all trades ,” Overcash had done design work and had owned his own business earlier in his life .
“ I was a designer for 10-12 years and went into sales , becoming very successful ,” said Overcash . “ I started my own company , which was built around me . I did all the design work there . I ’ m also an artist and inventor . When my company burned down , we didn ’ t have the money to repurchase our equipment so I had to rebuild it myself . I also built a couple other pieces of equipment that were not on the market .”
Newton felt stirred to share his business idea with Overcash because of his experiences in design , and the trust he had in him .
“ I trusted the guy , and the following week he had built me a wooden prototype . I knew that this guy gets it ,” said Newton . “ When Don told me his idea , I immediately saw a man who thought outside the box . I was impressed immediately . The original cane was where the free standing feet was a grasper . We started working on it and developing it . It took a year to come up with the final prototype ,” said Overcash .
Both men knew that the cane was not only needed , but was unique and there is a market for it . In that moment in 2016 , Cornerstone Diversified Industries was created . Newton explained that people who really need a cane , need a cane that will stand upright so that the user won ’ t have to reach to pick it up . This particular cane will stand on carpet and a sloped driveway .
Like any small company , growth is often slow and painful . With any sales plan , you start at the bottom , having to pay your way to be closer to the top . The company got one step closer to the top when retail giant Amazon picked up the product in September of 2017 after a lengthy process of proving their standards .
“ Some people that you show it to think it ’ s kind of neat . Put it in front of the people who need it , even ones with back problems , they ’ re like , ‘ Wow , this is a gamechanger for me ,’” said Newton .
Even though they would love to retire as multi-
Serving Parker County for over 60 years
Our goal is to serve every family as if they are a part of our own .
Norma Plowman | Misty Plowman-Engel | James R . Plowman 913 N . Elm St ., Weatherford , TX 76086 | 817-594-2747 | 800-593-2747 | jamesplowman @ gpfcnet . com New Location Opening Soon : 4941 E . I-20 North | Willow Park , TX 76087
Photo by Megan Parks
NOVEMBER 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
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