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Unexpected Shout-Out For Duluth Business On NBC's "Today Show"

By KBJR News 1
December 28, 2010 Updated Dec 28, 2010 at 7:23 PM CDT

Duluth, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) -- An unexpected shout–out on The Today Show resulted in some very brisk Christmas sales for a Duluth man and his business.

LeAnn Wallace tells us who else is benefiting from that success.

"Okay so if you love to get into bed and be cozy, you know sometimes you put on your pajama's and they're cold and you get in the sheets and they're freezing...we have the solution."

The solution Hoda Kotb is talking about...is the Pajama Warmer.
Lance Reaser of Duluth invented the product...and had no idea the Today Show mentioned it...until the phones started ringing.

"There were 8 screens full of orders and the phone started ringing and ringing and ringing and just one call after another. We had two people answering calls and directing people to the website and the website became overwhelmed because it couldn't take orders fast enough."

Pinewood Incorporated had been packaging Pajama Warmers and other products all season long.

Pinewood's a vocational center for adults with developmental disabilities.

"The pajama warmers kind of took off this year. We weren't really expecting it, so yes it was very busy," said Brooke Marple, Pinewood Incorporated.

"I did over 125 of them," said Keith Klejewski, Pinewood Incorporated worker.

While Reaser is enjoying seeing his product take off...Pinewood employees are enjoying the rewards of having a job.

"They enjoy coming to work, they enjoy being a productive member of society, getting checks, you know, doing work that's meaningful to them." said Marple.

"Look at this, it's called the PJ warming sack...you plug it in, you put your PJ's in and 15 minutes later, you take them out...feel them...they're so toasty!" said Kotb.

"I guess if we wanted to script it, that's the way we would have done it, and that's the way they did it. It was just absolutely wonderful." said Reaser.

"It's just like hot out of the dryer...I love it." said Kotb.

In Duluth, LeAnn Wallace, the Northland's News Center.

The Pajama Warmer also made MSNBC's list of "Ten Gadgets That Wage War on Winter."

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