Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Today, I begin my series featuring Utah companies with an international presence by talking about Learning Wrap-Ups. The Layton-based business produces an educational tool used by teachers around the world.
Marion Stuart was teaching fourth grade and wanted to find a better way to help her students master their multiplication tables. She had used traditional flash cards and drill sheets but some of her students weren't responding to that method. She came up with the idea of matching problems and answers on a handheld card with a string and a unique self-correcting feature. Her results were so positive that the principal asked Marion to create products for all the teachers in the school who experienced similar outcomes.
Marion's son, Ron, had a marketing background and saw the possibilities the wrap-ups held for the educational community. Joined by his brother, Rich, Ron helped Marion find a way to mass produce the product and develop a distribution plan which led to the launch of Learning Wrap-Ups.
Twenty-five years later, Ron estimates Learning Wrap-Ups has sold more than 10 million of its learning tools. Its product repertoire has expanded to include other lines such as Learning Palette, which teaches math and reading skills, and a brand new product for early childhood called the Finger Match.
Learning Wrap-Ups began selling internationally almost 15 years ago when a French school supply company began stocking the product. Presently, the company has customers in the U.K., Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia and, most recently, South America. Additionally, Wrap-Up products have become common in schools throughout the U.S. and are used in every Sylvan Learning Center across the country. They have also become an integral part of the Saxon Math program.
What has enabled Learning Wrap-Ups' success, Ron and Rich say, is the unique approach to teaching important educational concepts in a way that makes learning fun.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
Learning Wrap-Ups www.learningwrapups.com
