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GLACIER STARTUP WEEKEND
Bringing Pottery to a New Level
Potter Tim Carlburg is almost ready to go to market with his award-winning idea from last year’s Glacier Startup Weekend
By MOLLY PRIDDY
Tim Carlburg shows off the pottery station he pitched at last year’s Glacier Startup Weekend. Carlburg has been making custom beer growlers for the last decade. JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
For Tim Carlburg, the journey into entrepreneurship started at the pottery wheel, where he began crafting his now-wildly popular handmade, custom growlers.
His pieces have been featured in national media, such as the show “Parks and Rec” and in Men’s Journal maga- zine, and they’re easy to spot in brewer- ies around the valley, along with his other pottery creations.
With increased popularity comes an increased workload, and Carlburg was spending much of his time hunched in front of the wheel. Soon, it was taking a toll on his back.
When chiropractor visits didn’t cut it anymore, Carlburg built himself a stand-upstationthatwouldsupportthe pottery wheel while taking the pressure off his back and letting him stand up straight.
“I had a very clear problem, and the solution was standing,” he said in his Kalispell studio last week. “It worked so
well, I thought, ‘Why is it not taught this way?’ And I realized it’s because my table was built to my specific height.’”
This led to Carlburg’s musings about an adjustable, ergonomic potter’s station, an idea that likely would not have led anywhere as quickly as it did had Carl- burg not attended the inaugural Glacier Startup Weekend last year.
The weekend – taking place this year over Oct. 9-11 – brings together anyone interested in entrepreneurship, from potential businesspeople to mentors and coaches. In the span of 54 hours, partic- ipants team up and take entrepreneurs from ideas to a viable business.
Carlburg attended the weekend last year, presenting his idea for the ergo- nomic potter’s station. His idea was selected as one of 11 that would move on to the final presentations, where he took third place.
Now, a year later, his ergonomic design
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Tim Carlburg has been making custom beer growlers for the last decade. JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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