Warren Tuttle wide for facebook

Photo via the Darien Men's Association website

Warren Tuttle, a Darien resident who marketed many of the kitchen products you’ve seen on shelves marked “As Seen on TV,” will speak about “Open Innovation” at Wednesday’s morning meeting of the Darien Men’s Association.

Warren’s talk at the DMA’s meeting begins at about 10:45 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12 at the Darien Community Association, 274 Middlesex Road, Darien.

Here’s the DMA announcement:

For those familiar with Smart Spin, the television direct response mega-hit kitchenware product [and if you’re not familiar with the name, check out the picture in this article], Warren Tuttle was the person behind the scenes helping to orchestrate its overnight success.

Smart Spin kitchenware container

Promotional picture on Amazon.com

You may have had a Smart Spin set in your kitchen cupboard. The lazy-susan holder rotates, making it easier to find the container with the right size.

Teaming with a Boston based inventor, Tuttle selected an explosive path to market. With almost 10 million units sold so far, SmartSpin continues to be prominently featured at major retailers throughout America.

Warren also teamed to initiate the market launch of several other innovative kitchen products including MISTO, The Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, which has sold over 5 million units around the world to date, and The Toss and Turn Pan, one of the best selling cookware frypans in the U.S. in 2005.

Locally, Warren served in the 1980s and 90s as both the president of Darien Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Darien Downtown Revitalization Task Force.

Prior to developing and marketing products for the housewares industry, Warren owned five of his own gourmet specialty kitchenware stores (The Complete Kitchen of Southern CT), a prepared food and catering business (The Good Food Store of Darien), a nationally recognized cooking school and a partnership in a kitchen design business. Food and Wine magazine once described The Complete Kitchen as “one of the finest gourmet stores in America.”

Warren has also helped numerous housewares product patent holders obtain licensing agreements with major U.S. manufacturers and has counseled many inventors who went on to start their own small businesses.

If You’re Going …

  • Darien Men’s Association meeting sessions begin with pastries, coffee and tea available at 9:45 a.m. followed by the business meeting from 10 a.m. to around 10:25 a.m.
  • After a short break for more refreshments and socializing the program speaker is on the agenda from 10:45 a.m. until noon.
  • The group meets at Meadowlands, the Darien Community Association’s headquarters at 274 Middlesex Road in Darien.

He currently serves as the president of the United Inventors Association, the nation’s largest 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to inventor education and advocacy.

Warren focuses on external product development for Lifetime Brands of Garden City, New York, the world’s largest manufacturer of kitchen utensils and a major supplier of food prep and tabletop products to America’s major retailers.

Lifetime Brands manufactures and markets over 30,000 products under multiple brand names including Farberware, Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Pedrini, Mikasa, Towle and Pfaltzgraff; introducing over 4,000 new products each year. There is great enthusiasm for looking outside the company for innovation, particularly patented new products. Warren has initiated almost 100 new product licensing agreements with Lifetime Brands.

Additionally, Warren helps with the Open Innovation program at Techtronic Industries NA of Anderson,South Carolina, manufacturers of Ridgid and Ryobi power tools and Hart hand tools.

As an outside contractor, he screens and serves as a liaison for innovative external product submissions for the mutual benefit of both the companies and inventors. He also works closely with Direct Response Television stalwart Merchant Media of Marlborough, Massachusetts who has launched many successful TV products over the past 20 years.

Warren began his career as a department store buyer of cookware and small appliances in New York City (Abraham and Straus of Brooklyn, New York).

About the Darien Men’s Association

The mission of the Darien Men’s Association is to provide a forum in which retired and semi-retired men can find good fellowship, friendship, and fun amidst a range of activities designed to nourish both body and mind while promoting a sense of community.

One of the best ways to get an overview of what is going on at DMA is to check out our latest newsletter.  There you’ll find pictures and news about speakers, events, activities and new members.

At present the DMA has about 310 members. We have the capacity to serve up to 350 members. We are an open and welcoming organization so if you are over 50 years of age and are interested in joining or learning more about the DMA, feel free to contact Bryan Hooper, chairman of our Membership and Hospitality Committee at 203-838-7197 or jbryanh@optonline.net. You can also send an email to our general mailbox DarienDMA@gmail.com.

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