At 80, man hopes invention pays off

The local inventor hopes to hit it big with his ice-cube tray.
By SARAH WEBER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
STRUTHERS -- Tony Marchionda says that he is a retired businessman, but his sales pitch says something different.
Though the 80-year-old Struthers man closed his Youngstown record store 15 years ago, he's kept his flare for sales. He's also kept his enthusiasm for inventing, something he says he's been doing since he was 18.
Some of Marchionda's more successful inventions are improvements for everyday household items such as the no-clog plastic pipe for sinks, and now his latest enterprise -- an ice-cube tray that doesn't need to be twisted to release the cubes.
Marchionda, who found moderate success with his sink pipe, says he has high hopes for the ice-cube tray, which is still awaiting a patent.
"I have 15 to 20 patents in my drawer at home collecting dust," Marchionda said. "Good things happen to those who wait, and I hope this is it, because I've waited long enough."
Invention process
Marchionda said he got the idea for the tray after putting a beer in the freezer and forgetting about it. He came back later to discover the bottle had exploded due to water expanding when it froze.
He figured that ice cubes must stick in the tray because the ice expands into the corners, keeping the cubes from sliding out. He thought if he could devise a tray without corners, the ice cubes should have nowhere to stick, making retrieving ice cubes much easier.
Marchionda created a plastic tray with oval impressions. He said that because of the lack of corners, the cubes can be pushed out of the tray using a finger. This takes away the need to twist the whole tray to remove the ice.
Marchionda said the tray is especially good for the elderly and people with arthritis who may have trouble twisting traditional trays.
He even had his chiropractor, Dr. John A. Esarco, and family doctor, Dr. Charles E. Wilkins, try and write recommendations for the product. Both endorsed the tray's improved design for people with arthritis and other hand and wrist ailments.
Selling his product
Armed with his sales skills and endorsements, Marchionda set out to sell his product. His first customer was Henry Nemenz, owner of Save-A-Lot and Nemenz IGA Food Stores.
"He came to me several different times, each time with a different model," Nemenz said. "Then he perfected the model."
Though Nemenz has yet to try the product himself, he said he thinks the idea is exceptional and could be marketed nationally. In March, Nemenz bought three dozen trays to sell in his stores and sold them all within a month. He then ordered 2,000 more.
"After that I got excited, so I went to see Walgreens in Youngstown," Marchionda said.
Marchionda negotiated the sale of his product into all of the area's Sparkle Markets, Walgreens in Boardman, Youngstown and Poland, as well as several grocery and drugstores. Marchionda said he has sold about 3,000 of the trays, including the order put in by Nemenz. He has about 2,000 left, enough to be ready for the summer season.
Walgreens marketing
Ned Feeze, manager of Walgreens on Midlothian Boulevard said, "We've noticed if we tell people what they are and tell them what they do, they are more likely to buy them." The store bought 100 of the trays a month ago and has sold under half.
Feeze said his store frequently tries new products, so buying some of Marchionda's trays was not out of the ordinary. He said that the upcoming warm weather and the fact that the trays are locally produced may help improve sales.
"As people start looking for those warm-weather items, we will sell more," Feeze said.
Marchionda declined to specify where the trays and the label cards are produced, but he did say that they are local. The plastic bags that the trays are packaged in are made in California. Marchionda and his family assembled all 5,000 tray packages by hand.
To prove the benefits of the tray, Marchionda has sent a sample to the national Arthritis Foundation headquarters in Atlanta.
The Arthritis Foundation has an Ease-of-Use Commendation Program, which tests products for use by people with arthritis. If the scientists at the Arthritis Foundation approve of the Marchionda's tray, it will join 30 other products found to be favorable by the foundation.
While Marchionda said he is excited about promoting his ice-cube tray, he said he is always looking ahead. Besides being a musician and an inventor, he's also a mathematician. His newest project is devising a way to beat the Ohio state lottery system.
He said, "I'm working on it, and when I figure it out the world is going to know."
sweber@vindy.com