Did you hear?… Andy Zimmerman of Confluence launches new venture

Founder and former Confluence CEO Andy Zimmerman, who is still on the Confluence board, is launching a new venture, he told SNEWS® last week. “Right now we have incorporated under Great Idea Development Inc., and it’s a company that operates as a think tank for product development. We’ll think of the ideas, come up with a prototype, and in some cases work with the company buying the idea from a consulting standpoint for marketing and, possibly, sales too.” Zimmerman purchased a building that he hopes to have remodeled and open in two months. “It will be a 26,000-square-foot facility with designs that make the work space a very creative one from a visual and engineering standpoint, and a very fun one from an employee standpoint.” Zimmerman also told SNEWS® that his new company would work on projects inside and outside of the outdoor industry. “We are very interested in fads and what will make the next one. What made the Hula-Hoop or the Pet Rock or the Billy Fish (that garnered $89 million in sales) successful? It’s nice to make folks laugh, and I can tell you that in addition to serious projects, if we can develop items that make you laugh and make me money, we’re going to do it.”