Introduction: A Legacy Brand at a Turning Point

Olson Curling Supplies has been part of the curling world for nearly a century. Founded in 1933, the company built its reputation by supplying everything curling clubs needed, from ice equipment to end-user gear. Today, Olson focuses squarely on what matters most to curlers themselves: high-performance brooms and accessories used on the ice.

At the helm is Sheldon Schreiber, CEO of Olson Curling Supplies, who has been with the company for almost 30 years. As Sheldon puts it plainly, “we wholesale and retail curling equipment across Canada and the world for that matter.”

By 2016, however, even a respected legacy brand like Olson faced a hard truth. The market was changing, competitors were moving faster, and Olson’s existing broom lineup was starting to feel dated.

What followed was a pivotal decision: to trust an external industrial design partner for the first time in the company’s history. That decision led to the Pyro broom and a transformation in Olson’s business trajectory.

The Challenge: Falling Behind in a Competitive Market

For decades, Olson Curling relied on in-house efforts and manufacturer-led design to evolve its products. That approach worked, until it didn’t.

As Sheldon candidly explains, “The creation of the new broom came from first, the fact that our existing product in 2016 was just old and dated. We were falling behind our competition.” Sales were slipping year over year, and none of Olson’s previous broom models felt like a true breakout success.

The company was also juggling complexity behind the scenes. Multiple broom heads, multiple handle styles, and a growing number of SKUs made manufacturing and inventory management harder than it needed to be. Worse, previous design attempts never quite landed as the “home run” product the team knew they needed.

“We always had brooms that we sold,” Sheldon recalls, “but they just never seemed to quite be the home run product that we wanted.”

The opportunity was clear: Olson needed something truly differentiated, something no one else in curling had. But getting there required a new way of thinking about design.

The Solution: Partnering with an Industrial Design Expert

In 2016, Olson Curling made a bold move. For the first time ever, they outsourced product design to a dedicated industrial design firm: Onetwosix Design.

“Truth be told,” Sheldon admits, “the Onetwosix design team was our company’s first ever effort outsourcing.” Until then, Olson had leaned on internal sketches or overseas manufacturers to refine concepts, often with mixed results.

What drew Olson to Onetwosix was expertise and alignment. “We knew what we were looking for and improvements,” Sheldon explains, “and with their expertise in the design area, we were able to accomplish everything that we wanted to.”

From the outset, the collaboration felt different. The teams worked closely, locally, and hands-on. Early sketch explorations pushed boundaries Olson hadn’t even considered.

“Seeing the sketches was probably the first biggest wow factor,” Sheldon says. “We had no idea that something hollow, for example, was in the works.”

This wasn’t design for design’s sake. Onetwosix brought deep manufacturing knowledge, prototyping expertise, and a clear understanding of how to balance innovation with real-world production constraints.

From Sketches to Ice: A Faster, Smarter Development Process

One of the most impactful changes for Olson was the speed and clarity of the development process.

Before working with Onetwosix, Sheldon estimates that “a new project or item for us could easily take a year, a year and a half to launch.” Much of that time was lost waiting on overseas factories, tooling decisions, and costly trial-and-error.

With Onetwosix, ideas turned into tangible prototypes quickly. “The speed that we saw working with one, two, six just was night and day,” Sheldon says.

The introduction of 3D-printed prototypes was a game-changer. “Seeing 3D printed samples before getting any physical samples… fast tracked the entire process,” he explains. “We could immediately see what was right, what was wrong, and then correct it.”

Testing didn’t happen in a vacuum either. The teams took prototypes directly onto the ice. “They actually had the Onetwosix design team come out to a curling rink with us,” Sheldon recalls. “We hit the ice, did a little sweeping with them, and talked about what we liked.”

This collaborative, iterative approach built confidence quickly and reduced risk significantly.

The Result: The Pyro Becomes a Flagship Product

When the Pyro broom launched in 2017, the impact was immediate.

“The design Onetwosix created with us has worked. 100%,” Sheldon says without hesitation. Before Pyro, Olson sold three or four different broom models. Today, “we’re down to basically our Pyro being our flagship broom.”

Customers noticed the difference right away. “The biggest thing users like about the Pyro is the wow factor,” Sheldon explains. “The skeletal design, the unique shape, the different profile… Olson’s truly is one of a kind with the Pyro.”

That differentiation translated directly into measurable results:

• Sales growth of well over 25% in the first year after launch
  
  

• 1,200 to 1,500 Pyro units sold annually, across three handle options
  
  

• Year-over-year growth continuing through 2025, reversing previous declines

  
  

As Sheldon summarizes, “The introduction of the Pyro allowed us to year one grow our sales by well over 25%. The old models… each year we were seeing our sales go backwards.”

Simplification, Scalability, and Manufacturing Wins

Beyond sales, the Pyro delivered major operational benefits.

Previously, Olson managed multiple broom heads, each tied to specific handle profiles. The Pyro changed that entirely. “The Pyro design simplified the Olson product offering,” Sheldon explains. “Previously, we had two, three, four different brush styles.”

With Pyro, a single head design supports interchangeable colors and multiple handle profiles. “It minimized our SKUs and our associated costs significantly,” Sheldon notes.

Manufacturing also became smoother. “It has allowed manufacturing to run way smoother just because there’s the one head design versus multiple head designs,” he says.

Onetwosix’s manufacturing insight paid off during production handoff as well. “When we got the drawings overseas, there was very minimal changes required,” Sheldon recalls. “They nailed it.”

Trust, Communication, and a True Partnership

For Olson, this project wasn’t just about a better broom, it was about trust.

“We were truly putting all of our eggs in one basket,” Sheldon admits. “As a first-time company reaching out to a design firm, the fact that it actually worked… was pretty significant.”

That trust was built through clear, responsive communication. “The communication style with one, two, six was exceptional,” Sheldon says. “Professional, but casual enough that we could easily communicate.”

Expectations were consistently met. “If we expected answers in 24 to 48 hours, we got answers in 24 to 48 hours,” he adds. “There was never any feeling of over-promised and under-delivered.”

Perhaps most importantly, the partnership freed up Olson’s leadership team. “Working with Onetwosix freed up some time because of the trust level,” Sheldon explains. “We didn’t have to be so hands-on. They gave us the designs, and we could focus on feedback.”

Conclusion: A Blueprint for Product-Led Growth

Looking back, Sheldon’s advice to his 2016 self is simple: “Just trust the process.” What once felt risky became one of the most impactful decisions in Olson Curling’s history.

The Pyro broom didn’t just modernize a product line. It reignited growth, simplified operations, accelerated development timelines, and repositioned Olson as an innovator in the curling world.

“We could not be happier with the end result,” Sheldon says. “The end result was perfect.”

Ready to Create Your Own Home-Run Product?

If your company is sitting on legacy products, stalled growth, or ideas that haven’t quite landed, Olson Curling’s story offers a clear lesson: the right design partner can change everything.

Work with Onetwosix Design to turn bold ideas into market-ready products that perform, differentiate, and grow your business. Let’s design your next flagship.