Reno company marketing long-lived valve for faucets

Three years ago, a plumber told Tony Termini and Lauren Sellyei that anyone who could figure out a good replacement for the faucet washer would make a million.

Termini and Sellyei hope he's right as their Reno-based ConservCo rolls out a valve it dubbed the "Drip-Stop" that replaces the washers that prevent faucets from leaking.

Their improvements? The valve developed by a mechanical engineer for Sellyei and Termini has a projected leak-free life of 60 years - longer than the life of most faucets.

And makes faucets easier to turn on and off, which may help them sell the Drip- Stop to senior citizens.

In the next couple of months, the founders of the company expect to be signing distribution deals with national and regional hardware chains.

For the moment, Termini and Sellyei are steering clear of mass merchandisers.

"That would be a David-and-Goliath struggle," Termini says."We are targeting some very specific retailers, and we will cut our teeth with them."

The company's executives believe a new product such as theirs needs the explanation that a hardware salesman provides to buyers.

"Launching any product is high-touch," says Termini.

At the same time, a growing cadre of manufacturer's representatives is pitching the product to the wholesalers who serve the plumbing trade.

The founders themselves are pursuing the third distribution channel, hoping to convince water districts in the arid Southwest to provide Drip-Stop valves to their customers to reduce waste.

"We are very far along the road in conversations with a number of districts," says Termini.

And they're also talking with one manufacturer of faucets about installation of the valves as original equipment when faucets leave the factory.

Sellyei and Termini, the company's only employees, have outsourced almost everything.

Manufacturing is handled by a Georgia company, assembly by a firm in Southern California, distribution by a logistics provider in Reno.

"It allows you to sleep at night," says Sellyei.

The duo is alone, too, in financing the company, relying on savings from Sellyei's previous career as corporate counsel to an Internet company and Termini's work in sales for a financial firm.

Even while they're getting Drip-Stop established, Sellyei and Termini are developing their second product a valve designed for irrigation applications ranging from farms to golf courses and Sellyei says they're looking for more ideas to fill their pipeline.