We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Randy and Amy Belding a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Randy and Amy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Our son, Jay, asked Randy to help him take the pieces he could find of his toy and make it work. The toy was one that Jay had saved his money for. They tinkered in the garage and tinkered some more and had a fantastic time together. Once assembled Jay saw that it could work and said, “Thanks, Dad,” and left.

Randy was surprised that once they got the toy to do what Jay wanted he was done. The excitement of the watching the designated outcome was so overshadowed by the process of getting to that point. Their creativity in their problem solving was what provided them both with much joy.

On a trip for work as a procurement specialist, Randy started thinking about how they played and how much fun that discovery process was. He started thinking about materials he could use to make a two laned toy race track that was flexible and durable for kids and families to experiment with. He designed a prototype on a napkin on the plane. It had to be durable enough to coil up at least 500 times, require very few parts, and be able to be set up or taken down in less than 2 minutes.

After much consideration and design and engineering curiosity, Jay and his sister, Maria Rose, had something to play with. In a trial run at a manufacturer, the color changed to blue. We knew we were on to something when the neighbor kids would come to the door to ask to borrow the “Blue Track.” When shared with family and friends, we received such encouragement and support from comments like, “More kids need to be able to play with this! We can play with this as a family for hours!”

As a parent and teacher Amy was excited to see and hear kids engaged in unplugged hands-on play. Kids of different ages were using their own ideas and getting feedback on those ideas instantaneously. They could play inside or outside and that in itself would change the design of the track that toy cars were racing on. Families could also take what they already had at home to support curves and hills and loops and jumps: pillows, boxes, shoes, chairs, laundry hampers, etc.. For those curious, they could send different items down the track and see what happened. The value of open ended play for all kids was readily apparent through using the unique track.

What gets all of us most excited is that the inclusive toy that was developed by a dad and his son has been used around the world by children in all kinds of different settings. From individual homes to day care centers to children’s therapy centers to libraries to schools to science centers to universities, people have had the opportunity to engage in discovery based play.

Randy and Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Randy’s background is in economics and supply management. He also is a creative problem solver who asks many questions. He naturally likes to think about ideas for solutions. As a result of his experience with sourcing a variety of materials and his interest areas, he is the holder of two very different patents. One is for a tool to help people align their golf putting stroke and the other is for the toy race track now called Blu Track.

Being active has been joy bringing to Amy since early childhood. She has been an unofficial and then official play advocate through her own academic and parenting journey. Through her teaching career of over 30 years she has had the opportunity to learn from so many students and excellent learning leaders. Amy’s had the privilege of seeing kids light up when they’ve been able to figure something out and gain confidence. She’s seen the importance and impact of offering creative and kinesthetic learning activities to ALL kids. Amy has been a leader in helping students develop effective communication and team building skills to positively connect with others.

Our product line, Blu Track, is designed for kids of all ages to discover the concepts of design and engineering through creative play. Blu Track is a toy and a tool that allows for understanding of STEAM concepts in a developmentally appropriate way. Toddlers can race cars or toys down the two lane track and immediately see the effects of gravity. They can add a pillow to the race and see how the race changes with that addition to the design. Elementary students can experiment and learn about what makes a fair race, what a variable is and the affect of friction on an object. Middle school students can show understanding of potential and kinetic energy through twisting and turning the track, making loops, and changing the direction of the racing items. College students can apply engineering and mathematical concepts in automotive design models. Most importantly, people of all ages can enjoy seeing their ideas in action.

We are most proud of being a small company that offers a quality product made in the USA with USA sourced materials. We started with a commitment to families to have a safe, durable and engaging toy for kids to enjoy exploring their own ideas and have continued to provide that. We’ve been advocates for open ended play opportunities through public libraries, schools and other learning centers throughout our local area and beyond. We have a team approach inside our company and throughout our community which is something we’re also very proud of.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

The co-founder of Blu Track is Ret. Lt. Col. Jeff Borland. Jeff has been an integral and active member of Blu Track since its very beginning.

Randy and Jeff met through their parents who were close friends and members of the same bridge club and faith community. Randy has been heard to say, “We probably shared a crib at some point when our parents were together.” Randy and Jeff were in the same grade in school, were teammates in a variety of different sports, and were college roommates at the University of Iowa. They know each other so well they can look at each other and then often quote the same line of a movie.

Jeff was in the ROTC program at the University of Iowa and served in the United States military for 26 years with 5 deployments. Having Blu Track manufactured in the United States, especially in the Midwest, is something that Jeff is dedicated to. He’s also been an advocate for and an essential part of Blu Track’s involvement with the Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots program.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Blu Track is now manufacturing its toy race tracks at its facility in Anamosa, Iowa. Prior to the shift, Blu Track was based in Pella, Iowa from literally our home office with product being made by a company in Ohio. The process of transitioning to self manufacturing began prior to and into the peak of COVID. As with so many other businesses, the impact of COVID was far reaching and led to a variety of challenges.

Many terrific people came alongside Blu Track as options for plant location and producing the track went from an idea to a reality. As different sites were being considered, local economic development organizations offered their proposals. They also stepped in with connections with manufacturing leaders and mentors that would and did support us. Local builders and small business owners came alongside with ideas and offers to share their expertise and encouragement.

The vendor that manufactured Blu Track for many years is based in Ohio. Harmony Systems and Services has been an excellent company to collaborate with. The support that they have given staff at Blu Track has been extensive, instrumental and continues today. Harmony’s injection molding system manufactures some of the accessory pieces for Blu Track such as the hanger pads, ramps, and anchor bars.

We learned the extruding process through watching the different track profiles being manufactured by Harmony. We knew we found the correct vendor for us when we traveled to meet the company’s president, Carl, and his staff. The Blu Track project leader, Mike, remains a trusted resource today. When the manufacturing line that Blu Track and other items were being produced on became available for sale, Randy and Jeff were intrigued and excited by the opportunity to take on that manufacturing role. In order for that to happen, Blu Track needed a building and staff to support production. As the line was being shipped, unloaded, and set, Mike, though he had retired, came to teach and guide. He shared his knowledge and experience in so many different aspects of the manufacturing process.

Blu Track has made changes to the line and the flow of the manufacturing process. The focal points primarily are on quality control and process repeatability. Examples of change results include more efficient cooling, tighter tolerances of width of the track, and more systematic flow of the track to the assembly area. Adaptations to some equipment and processes have been made as a result of team conversations, consultations and 3D printer prototypes being developed by our staff. Through a collaboration with the local high school, a class of AP (Advanced Placement) statistics students shared their results from data collected from water bath temperatures at designated spots during production runs.

Through the whole process of learning to manufacture our own product we’ve had struggles and successes and everything in between. We’ve gained knowledge through trial and error and asking questions of those more experienced as well as those new to the world of manufacturing. We’ve had to advocate for ourselves with sourcing materials and maintaining the quality of those specifications. We’ve had to learn to adjust to fluctuating timeframes and how patient and resilient we can be. Our communication skills have increased and our appreciation of what each person adds to the team has grown.

Contact Info:

• Website: blutrack.com
• Instagram: Blutrackofficial
• Facebook: BluTrack
• Linkedin: MJ Sports DBA BluTrack