Patent in Hand, Campfire Creation, Inc. Launches Business from Rimersburg

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published March 18, 2023 4:50 am
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RIMERSBURG, Pa. (EYT) — When Bob Criner of Rimersburg decided to start his own side business, he never realized that it would take seven years to obtain a patent for his product.

(Pictured above: left to right — Pam Criner, Kloe Remmick, Tommy Criner, and Bob Criner at The Great American Outdoor Show.)

The roasting post is the premier campfire tool from Campfire Creation, Inc. While the project concept appears simple, it turns out that no one else ever applied for a patent for the adjustable 100 percent stainless steel roasting post.

According to CampfireCreation.com, the roasting post is designed to hold your hot dog stick for you. It helps to promote campfire safety by keeping hands away from the campfire.

Criner–a 1984 graduate of Union High School and a U.S. Marine Veteran–said the patent for The Roasting Post took seven years, and it cost about $70,000.00. It sells for $49.99.

“People have been cooking over fires since the beginning of time, but this is the first time a patent was requested. It took an awful lot of time for the patent office to go through its research,” Criner said. 

“They pretty much thought that there was no way something like this hadn’t already been patented,” he added.

“It’s just a stainless steel rod that holds your hot dog stick over the fire, so you don’t have to hold the hot dog stick. It will hold the hot dog stick and it will adjust to any position.“

kids hot dogs(Pictured above: The Criner grandchildren Emma and Jaxson Moore enjoy the Roasting Post.)

Criner said the sales were going well, and a drive to have more people connect with their website is starting. The website cost about $30,000.00, and he thinks that will help attract more customers.

Another way to get the word out about his creation is through trade shows.

“I premiered the product at the Great American Outdoor Show, the largest outdoor show in the world,” Criner said. “I was invited to put it into that show a year ago and that was Day One of kicking it off, and then we were asked back to the show again this year in February, and we just got back from that show.

“I’ve also been to shows in Erie, but mainly we’re trying to grow slowly so that it doesn’t get out of control.  There was way more to it than you might think to take a product from your thoughts and get it to market.  There were many prototypes and tens of thousands of dollars of the long process, and then it took six to seven years to get that from thought to have it a product we wanted.”

He said a big part of the delay was because China tried to get him to join them, and he wouldn’t do it because he was disgusted because people can’t buy anything with quality anymore.

As a former Marine, he “wanted quality done the right way.” His product is made in Apollo, Pa.

“There are more products to come. I actually have a collapsible hot dog stick that’s all stainless steel, and it’ll actually extend out to over six feet long and collapse into about three feet long. You can take off the end of the stick and put on a stainless steel fish basket, a burger basket, or a mountain pie attachment.”

The prototypes have been made but not on the market, but it has been expensive.

“Until I get some return from the Roasting Post, I can’t go down too many ventures at one time.”

Campfire Creation is a family and friends business.

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