Kness product nabs NHS ‘Most Innovative Item’ award

IMAGE: KNESS PEST DEFENSE

The Ketch-All Multiple-Catch Mousetrap, manufactured in the USA by Kness Pest Defense, has won the 2020 Retailers’ Choice for Most Innovative Item award from the North American Retail Hardware Association, which changed its name to the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) in October. Each year, this award is bestowed on standout products that are showcased at the National Hardware Show (NHS), hosted by the association.

“This is a great honor to have our product chosen for this award,” Dan Crew, general manager of the Albia, Iowa-based manufacturer, said in a news release. “We strive to make the most innovative pest control solutions, and the Ketch-All is the perfect example of the company’s commitment to that mission. The Kness team works hard to provide our customers with a quality product, whether it is on the production floor or through customer service.”

Per company history, the Ketch-All was invented by a young, widowed father of six, Austin Enos “Brick” Kness, in 1924. Mice were prevalent at the high school in which Kness was a custodian, “and led him to the idea of the ‘box’ trap. He built the first trap from a square oilcan, a Tuxedo Tobacco can, a spring from a curtain rod, and the wood base of a crate. The first night he set his trap, he captured five mice.”

The news release explains that the trap “uses a mouse’s curiosity as bait. Once the mouse enters either side of the tunnel opening, the hair-trigger activates the paddlewheel, and the mouse is sent into a caged compartment. Trapped mice also attract other mice to the trap. An entire family of mice can be trapped with no bait and no mess.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS and its awards ceremony were held virtually in September. The 2021 show is set for May 11-13 in Las Vegas, Nev.

This achievement marks the first time one of Kness’ products have received a NHS Retailers’ Choice Award. Crew noted in the news release, “This award goes to everyone at Kness; everyone deserves a thank-you for this achievement.”