Meet Jennifer Wedeking | Manufacturer and Designer of the world’s best mats

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Wedeking and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
As the owner of Splatmat Ltd in Boulder Colorado, I would say owning a small business is “its’ own success!” What made us successful is the introduction of a product which is durable, sustainable and very diverse. Our mats can be used anywhere there is a mess being made, from working on vehicles to messy barbecue grills, painting projects or even for underneath cat litter boxes, dog bowls and for children who love to craft. The mats themselves are 100% non-porous – this means they won’t soak anything up and nothing sticks to them. They have a longevity of at least 20 years so we don’t have to continue filling our landfills with mats that break down. All of our mats are non-toxic and free of VOCs. We produce everything ourselves and our raw materials are made in the U.S.A. This guarantees that we will always have a safe product which can not be altered by a third party and thus being said that allows us to be able to stand behind our products 100%! We have also produced many custom orders because here at Splatmat we strive for a 100% customer satisfaction. We want you to have EXACTLY what you need! Anything from custom coatings all the way to custom builds. We always say, if you can dream it, we can build it and once you’ve got it, have fun making a mess!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What I really love about Splatmat is that you never know how the day is going to develop when you walk into the door in the morning. it’s really exciting to see what our customers needs are and how the demand on the market develops. It was definitely very challenging opening up a small business and sometimes still is. Due to the fact that after it took us 2.5 years to get the machinery together and the raw materials created, we opened up our production at the end of summer 2019. After only being able to produce for about 6 months, everything was closed down due to CoVid-19. It was very hard surviving this, due to the fact that there were no more shows for us to introduce our product line at. We didn’t let it get to us yet instead took the time for a very intense R+D – this was the best thing for our product line. It made us so much stronger and knowledgeable. We know exactly what can and can’t be done.

I really think that our Anti-Fatigue mat was one of the best products that came out of this time. I remember talking to someone who owned a bar – her complaint was that they were forced to remove all of the floor mats during CoVid-19 because they couldn’t be disinfected. When they were allowed to place them back on the floors behind the bar, they couldn’t take them apart because they were all stuck together. I told her I had a solution. Our mats can be easily cleaned and disinfected because they are 100% non-porous. She was so happy to have found a solution for her problem which now allows her and her staff to have comfortable feet during their shift. The Anti-Fatigue Mat is now being used in restaurants, bars, dog groomers, machine shops and even by people who do flooring as a knee pad.

As a matter of fact, Splatmat was founded because of the amount of homes which catch on fire every year due to people misusing solvents. I always say, if you can smell the solvent, it’s only one spark away from catching on fire. We wanted to create a product which doesn’t soak up any solvents as well. Something that keeps our customers safe and can be reused again over and over.

I have no idea how many customers have contacted me to say we “saved” their lives by not having something ruin a surface area. It’s a great feeling to make the world a better place and to see the smile on our customers’ faces!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, having the Rocky Mountains so close, it would definitely be my go to. There are so many beautiful places to see that I’m not sure a week would be enough! From concerts at Red Rocks to hiking the many beautiful paths like the Hanging Lake there is so much to do and see. In summer the endless possibilities of gold panning and fishing are awesome! If it would be a winter trip then definitely skiing, snowboarding, sledding or ice skating in Breckenridge or Aspen. Having a hot chocolate in a beautiful wood cabin or enjoying a nice soak in a hot tub after a great day of being in the snow is the best thing ever! If it were fall, you have to see Guanella Pass or the changing of the aspens in Aspen. You will never see anything more colorful and beautiful in your life! The sound of the aspen leaves in the wind is so amazing you will never forget it! Food wise, there are so many tiny family owned restaurants that it’s just incredible. And of course, if you enjoy a good beer the breweries are phenomenal – the different ales paired with the right bite to eat are spectacular!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely my husband John. He is not only the love of my life but my inspiration. He made it possible to create this business and works every day side by side with me. After I had a major accident and was in a wheel chair for a year and on crutches for 2 further years he was the one who picked me up when I was at the lowest point of my life and simply asked me what would make me happy. I knew my physical disability would no longer allow me to do the kind of work I used to and that getting hired would probably be very hard. I just didn’t have it in me to face that disappointment so I figured I would take all of the knowledge we have and try venturing out into the world of being a small business owner. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Website: www.splatmat.com

Instagram: splatmat_ltd

Facebook: splatmat@thesplatmat

Youtube: Splatmat Ltd.