Suffolk News-Herald

After suffering a serious injury to his arm a year ago, Larry Holloway realized that some things he’d previously taken for granted now seemed much harder. Whereas the owner of Holloway Lawn and Sprinkler had never thought much of yanking out the cord to start a weed trimmer motor, now his surgically-repaired shoulder was giving him trouble.

Larry and his wife Cathy thought about how to fix the problem. Now they’re ready to spring their ideas on a much wider scale.

&uot;We were talking about having weed trimmer that can be started by a key,&uot; Larry said in the couple’s Ashford Drive home. &uot;Having to pull takes a lot out of you, especially if you have arthritis or trouble with your hands.&uot;

Over the next few months, the Holloways found a way.

&uot;Right now, we’re getting it licensed,&uot; he said. Inventech, a patent company in Florida, is looking for a manufacturer to market the product.

&uot;It’s going to be a great success,&uot; Larry said. &uot;We want to help people that have problems with things like this. My theory is that it’s a sign from God. He gave me the know-how to put the concept together.&uot;

In the concept of key-started, riding lawnmowers and credit card-reading gas pumps, the keyed weed trimmers might be a simple way to make things easier on local gardeners. The Holloways think so.

&uot;There was concern that someone had thought of it before,&uot; Larry said. &uot;We talked about it, they reviewed it, and put it in action. This is great for commercial and residential work, and they’re going to package it for manufacturers. We’re excited about it, and we have faith that it will come to the market very soon, because it can be helpful to a lot of landscapers.&uot;