KINGSTON -- Casino employees and patrons are benefiting from the Air Rail,
a
new invention from Gaming Edge Products that wards off secondhand cigarette
smoke.
A tenant in Ulster County Community College's Small Business Incubator in
Kingston, GEP, owned by David Warren of Tillson and Shane Long of
Connecticut,
is marketing the device to gaming casinos nationwide.
The device attaches to the edge of a table and blows smoke upward at a 30
degree angle, away from the individual at the table. It creates what Warren
calls a "positive airflow" and carries the smoke to the ceilings of
casinos,
where the in-house filters are located. The cost per unit is $800.
Caeser's Palace in Atlantic City, N.J. is one of the first casinos in the
country to use the product; it has 12 units.
"We're committed to looking at any new technology that will improve the
workplace and enhance its environment for customers," said Rosemary Evans,
the casino's administration director. "We've had (the devices) installed
within the last couple weeks and have had a very nice response from the
dealers. They're very happy with the product."
In addition to Caesar's, GEP has an order for 200 Air Rails from
Technical
Casino Service, an international casino supply company, said Warren.
Parts assembled locally
The entrepreneurs also hope to later tackle other markets. "(The Air
Rail)
can be used wherever there is unwanted second-hand smoek -- in a chemical
manufacturing business, in a bar or salon, and even a home," said Warren.
Warren and Long approached the Small Business Development Center, which
operates the Incubator, in July. They patented the Air Rail in March and
wanted assistance fine-tuning their business plan, according to Al Griggs, a
business advisor at SBDC who worked with the pair.
GEP moved into the Incubator Sept. 1 to assemble the product from parts
manufactured in Woodstock, New Jersey and California. "What we're doing (in
the Incubator) is putting it all together, boxing it up and sending it
out."
