Meyco Products Inc. & Toptec Products

Fred Jr. was opening his swimming pool and found a dead skunk in the pool, his service company, a prominent pool builder in CT, asked, “Can’t you come up with a better cover to make this cleaner and easier with all that you know about awnings?” That motivational nudge inspired Fred Jr. to start working on a little project. Being in the fabrics industry already, he tinkered with the idea of a cover that could be tensioned out over the pool and allow the wa- ter to drain. At the time, the biggest issue was the collection of water and debris on the tarp cover. He devised a couple of prototypes and, in 1957, patented the first design of the winter pool cover which was to be anchored into the surrounding deck for maximum strength. Fred Meyer and Son would start to become known as Meyco, which was based in Long Is- land, New York and a second plant was opened in the late 1980s in Spartanburg, South Caro- lina. At that time, much of the textile business was leaving South Carolina and going overseas, leaving experienced sewing machine operators jobless. So, Meyco came to Spartanburg and offered a first shift; a fairly high-paying job compared to what they had been earning - a win-win for the company and the workers. To- day, 99 percent of the covers are manufactured there. All the design work is done at Meyco’s New York headquarters, along with repairs and alterations, and some manufacturing of pool AT A GLANCE MEYCO PRODUCTS, INC. & TOPTEC PRODUCTS WHAT: Designer/manufacturer of safety pool covers and custom event tents WHERE: HQ in Melville, NY; Spartanburg, SC WEBSITE: www.meycocovers.com www.toptecproducts.com