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About Us |
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Socketops was an invention of Patti Evans, who is the president
of Arnev Products, Inc., a switch plate manufacturing company
now in Keshena Wisconsin. For many years Arnev Products
customers had been asking for receptacles in matching finishes,
or finishes that would compliment their beautiful switch plates,
like Stainless Steel, Brushed Steel and Brushed Copper, which
Arnev Products manufactures and sells at www.arnev.com. However,
there were no receptacles made in the USA from any materials
other than plastic because other materials might conduct
electricity. So people would have to be satisfied with plain
white or beige switches and receptacles in their specialty wall
plates. Until now!
Patti searched for three years to find the right type of
materials that could be used for her idea. She came up with a
sticky back laminate that would not conduct electricity, and it
was available in many beautiful finishes to compliment their
switchplate collection, like Stainless Steel, Brushed Copper,
and wood finishes to name a few. “Socketops” was born.
Patti and her husband Arnie along with two business friends
formed Wenever Innovation, LLC to help her promote this new
product. They were John Wenning, a prominent attorney in Keshena
Wisconsin, and,Alastair Robertson of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, who
is an international businessman originally from South Africa.
Patti also asked Arnie, who is the Vice-President of Arnev
Products, Inc. to help her promote the new product. These are
the four owners of Wenever Innovation, LLC.
Wenever Innovation, LLC has a provisional patent pending for the
“Socktops” idea. Arnev Products, Inc. is the exclusive
distributor at this time, and they now have developed a
beautiful clamshell packaging for the retail market.
 Arnev
Products, Inc. has thousands of wall plates and “Socketops” in
stock for immediate shipping through on-line orders at
www.arnev.com. Patti is now planning to expand their sales to
large chain stores like The Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowes, Bed
Bath and Beyond, Crate and Barrel, as well as mail order catalog
companies to carry their products. Arnev Products, Inc will be
contacting Home Builders, Electrical Supply Distributors, as
well as Interior Design Houses, Electricians, and their own
customer base of over 100,000 customers. They are anticipating
for big things with this new product, and are confident their
customers will be as excited as Wenever Innovation, LLC is about
this new invention.
About Arnev Products, Inc.
Arnev Products, Inc. is a Keshena, Wisconsin based manufacturing
company, founded in 1989 by Patti’s husband Arnie Evans
originally from South Elgin, Illinois. They produce decorative
electrical switchplates. Their punched design products are sold
under the name "The Big Switchover" by The Country Store of
Geneva, Inc. and are featured in their mail-order catalog and in
fine lighting stores, hardware stores, and gift shops in almost
every state across the USA, and even Canada. Their products are
also available on the Internet, at http://www.arnev.com.
While there are other country and southwest styles switchplates
available by different manufacturers, Arnev’s products feature
several significant advantages over the products by their
competition. For example, their products have a scratch
resistant, low maintenance finish. They use heavy gauge metal,
so their products are very sturdy, not flimsy as some “gift
shop” plates can be. Their products offer one of the largest
array of electrical configurations (50) and in over 60 finishes.
They can produce a high quantity of product at a consistent
quality.
All their products are made of the highest-grade materials. Some
of these have a unique "Punched" design. However, for safety,
the design punches do not go all the way through the parts.
The painted finishes are electro-static powder painted and baked
at 500 degrees for durability. There are plenty of metal
finishes and colors to compliment any décor. From rustic country
to sophisticated high gloss, there is a finish to please
everyone.
Since starting Arnev Products, Inc with country type finishes,
Patti decided to add nearly 50 different finishes to their
product line. She also realized that while other companies
offered different finishes as well, they were limited to 3 or 4
most popular configurations. Advances in electrical technology
made the standard single toggle or standard duplex almost
obsolete. Patti makes all of her 60 plus finishes in multi-gang
combinations, in up to 8 gang sizes. She had the foresight to
make unusual combinations, as well, like duplex/toggle/toggle/decora,
and many other hard to find combinations.
Custom Wood
The custom wood switchplates are exquisite and can be made in
any configuration. They are also offered with and without a
metal backing plate, four edge types, and 50 wood types for that
special touch. As an added benefit, wood switchplates can be
made in one-of-a-kind sizes and configurations. If an
electrician can conceive it, Arnev Products, Inc. can cover it!
Southwest Styles
Two American Indian Southwest designs are now available in three
different colors and finishes. Their first design is an American
Indian Thunderbird engraved into the metal in each corner. The
second is also an American Indian design they found at an Indian
reservation in Arizona some years ago. There are three custom
finishes. The first they call Arizona Sand. This texture feels
just like sand and has the exact appearance and color of the
sand found in Arizona. It has a sprinkle of the Sedona Arizona
red clay mixed in, which gives it the true Arizona Sand color.
The second is another custom Terra-Cotta finish, with very much
the look and feel of a clay pot. The third, Adobe Gray,
resembles an old piece of silver weathered in the heat and sun
if the desert. They are very easy to clean, just a little soap
and water, or Pledge Polish. They are made of highest quality
steel.
New Products Introduced
 Arnev
Products recently introduced three new switchplates. First,
their brushed steel, which is very similar in appearance to
stainless steel. It has a brushed finish with a lacquered
coating. Second, they’ve introduced Solid Brass in .040 gauges,
polished and lacquered finish. And last but not least, they now
offer mirrored glass, gray mirrored glass, and clear glass in
all the hard to find configurations.
Anne at Home Custom 38 Finishes
In 2006 Arnev Products, Inc. joined forces with The Anne at Home
company to produce switchplates in the designs and custom 38
finishes of all their kitchen and bath accessories. From door
pulls to towel bars, from vanity top accessories to candle
holders, they make over 800 different accessories finishes in
all 38 finishes, including the wall plates. These have been one
of the hottest new items to hit the marketplace, and are now
featured at 66 Expo Design Centers by Home Depot.
Arnev Products, Inc. is proud to have been featured in Woman's
Day Specials: walls, windows & floors.
 In
2000, editors for “Women’s Day Magazine” contacted Patti Evans
at Arnev Products, Inc. They were planning a special decorating
issue called “Walls, Windows and Floors.” They had seen their
switchplates in a mail order catalog, and thought his would be a
good product to feature in this article, so they did a search on
line, and found www.arnev.com. Patti Evans sent some best
selling products. They loved the quality and thought the value
was excellent, so they photographed and used his Pewter Finish
Country Star design for the article. Patti was flattered beyond
words that a national publication like “Women’s Day Special
Interest Publications” took such an interest in his products.
Arnev Products, Inc. switchplates viewed by over one million
readers that month. It was quite an honor, not to mention that
they received many orders directly related to this article.
Thank you Women’s Day!
They now offer a beautiful bright polished brass finish,
Stainless Steel, Brushed Copper, and even shiny and brushed
Chrome. They offer 10 painted finishes from White, Black, and
Bronze to name a few. They manufacture them with and without
punched designs in almost all of our finishes. In 2004 they
introduced a soft black product in their plain and border
designs. Earlier that year they introduced “Renaissance Bronze”,
which is similar to the ever popular Oiled Rubbed Bronze. All
products have matching screws, or the same painted powder
painted finish.
In 2006 Patti’s husband Arnie was made Vice-President of Arnev
Products, Inc. and after a bout with a heart condition, he asked
Patti to run the operation on a full time basis, and she became
President and chief decision maker in 2006 for the corporation.
Patti had made several key decisions over the years, so Arnie
felt comfortable to leave the duties to his wife while he
entered into semi-retirement, and now plays as much golf as
possible. In the last three years, Patti Evans has increased the
sale of the product lines by over 50%, and she is looking for
more good things to come when the economy gets back to full
strength.
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