PORTAGE | For more than 20 years Jeff Jackson knew there had to be a better way and when someone else didn't come up with it, the Portage native invented it himself.
Jackson, owner of Tri State Restaurant Services Inc., recently patented a disposable exhaust fan filter that, when connected to rooftop cooking ventilation fans, can improve the environment and limit fire hazards.
Jackson, a 1979 graduate of Portage High School, fell into the business of cleaning rooftop ventilation systems after graduating from Vincennes University. In 1984 he started his own business. His job was to clean rooftop ventilation fans from accumulations of grease and dirt.
Jackson saw that often the grease and dirt would run off onto the roof causing an accumulation of the sticky material. Mixed with rain, the sludge would run off into drainage systems and into area watersheds. A build up of grease on a roof also could be a fire hazard.
He knew there had to be a better method. About 10 years ago, Jackson got serious and began tinkering with ideas to better filter the waste. He tried sand and troughs. He made drawings and took prototypes to job sites. Then he struck the idea of a plastic-encased filter that would connect to the fan. The waste would enter the filter and only clean water would be drained away.
Testing it on area restaurants, he knew it would work. Jackson then found manufacturers for the plastic cases and filters. The product, which won Best of Show and Best Invention at the 2008 National Restaurant Association show in Chicago in May, is produced in Elkhart.
Now he's in the process of marketing the new disposable filter. He's taken samples as far as Las Vegas to sell the idea to the large casino complexes. He's also been hitting chain and fast food restaurants, marketing on the Internet and attending restaurant-industry shows.
Each step in the process has led to new challenges, said Jackson.
"Everything is a stage, and each stage has a different level of excitement," he said, adding he was most excited when he received his patent earlier this year.
In addition to marketing the new filter, Jackson also is working a grant proposal with the U.S. EPA. With the emphasis on improving water quality he's hoping to gain funds to help educate restaurant owners on the benefits of his new system. For more information on his invention, visit his web site at disposableexhaustfanfilter.com.
