Miami Student

Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Community

Miami alumnus Matt Yarder's collegiate grill grates are sold at seven universities throughout Ohio and Michigan, with two different grate designs for each school.

Miami University alumnus Matt Yarder has introduced students to a new form of school spirit-collegiate grill grates.

Yarder, a 2004 graduate, has spent the last four years inventing his patented grill product. His company, Yarder Manufacturing, makes custom size grates to fit any grill.

Yarder said these grates are unique with their custom styles for various colleges. For example, Miami students can choose from a grill grate with either the RedHawk symbol or the Upham Arch. Yarder said he hopes to have the Redskin logo, which many alumni can identify with, on grates by the end of the month.

"It's been pretty exciting for us," Yarder said. "We are hoping it goes well and we can take it on as a whole new company."

Yarder said he is hoping to sell the grates to students, alumni, tailgating fans and as graduation gifts.

According to Yarder, the idea for the grill grates came while he was still a student at Miami. The summer before his senior year, Yarder said he was working at Yarder Manufacturing, his family's company, and the idea for grill grates came up as an experiment with some of the workers. He said that after experimenting with the initial idea of customized grill grates, he returned to Miami for senior year and researched patenting and licensing. He then applied and was granted a patent and license for customized grill grates.

"I took the ball and ran with it," Yarder said. "I saw the potential in (the product)."

Four years later, after creating an image and brand for the grill grates and obtaining a local restricted license, Yarder has been able to sell the grates at seven colleges throughout Michigan and Ohio, including Ohio State University and Michigan State University. Yarder is hoping to branch out nationally with the selling of grill grates.

"We're hoping that maybe at the end of the Christmas season, if our sales go up, we get a standard license," Yarder said.

In addition to ordering grill grates in university bookstores, Yarder said customers could also order them on the YM grill grates Web site or by calling in
their order.

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