Gizmo trims flabby abs, pads firm's bottom line

Ken Sherman, a prominent Minneapolis commercial real estate investor and developer, celebrated his 57th birthday in rather odd fashion three years ago: He spent several hours doing 5,700 situps, 100 for each year of his life.

I might point out, however, that he didn't do them uninterrupted: He did stop once for a drink of water.

The outburst of late-50s vigor displayed the dramatic results of an uncommon strategy Sherman employed to lose weight and recover the muscle tone he'd enjoyed as a onetime bodybuilder.

He used an electronic muscle stimulator manufactured by a New Brighton company to strengthen his abdominal muscles and tone his body with electrical impulses that caused the muscles to expand and contract. It's a technology long used by the medical community to rehabilitate muscles damaged by stroke or illness.

Sherman, who said the stimulator carved 5 inches off his waist, was amazed by the results -- so amazed, in fact, that he contacted Dale Henn, an old friend who was selling the stimulators, seeking his assistance in buying the technology.

When his bid was rejected in favor of an acquisition deal with a Texas medical device firm, Henn found a similar technology developed by a Swiss company that had not yet exploited it. They acquired the technology, started Contour Technology late in 2006 and spent a year developing their product.

There have been skeptics who question the effectiveness of the technology in strengthening, firming and toning muscles. But Henn said it has been cleared for over-the-counter sale for that purpose by the Food and Drug Administration. And it clearly has been given resounding endorsement by a legion of buyers since the company began shipping its product late in 2007.

Consider: Spurred by informercials on cable TV starring Sherman and former competitive cyclist Leah Garcia, first-year sales in 2008 rocketed to $51 million and are headed for nearly $65 million in 2009. The Contour Core Sculpting System, as the product is called, sells for $200.

"Given the economy, the results have been extraordinary," said Sherman, whose real estate holdings include the Lumber Exchange and the Wyman and Kickernick buildings in downtown Minneapolis. In all, his company, Sherman Group, manages about 2 million square feet of commercial property.

And the Contour gross would have been much higher if the company could have raised enough cash to fund broader advertising and promotion programs, said Henn, a former competitive power weightlifter who serves as the company's president and CEO.

The Contour product, which Henn developed to maximize comfort and simplicity, involves a so-called "ab belt" to hold electrodes against the skin and a small, sleek and user-friendly control module that attaches to the belt and is operated with the press of a button.

All of which leaves users free to get on with normal activities, said Sherman, 60: "It's like, watch TV and get a workout at the same time."

Added Henn, 50: "We ask [the customer] to do just one thing -- nothing." Nonetheless, the company advertises that "20 minutes with the Contour system is the equivalent of 200 situps."

The business started with Sherman's $1.2 million investment, much of which went to produce infomercials featuring a shirtless Sherman, with the sculpted abs and pecs of a man half his age, and Garcia, a TV personality who has appeared on several national sports channels.

But much more was needed to finance the growth, and early in 2008 Sherman and Henn attracted four new investors. Together, the six partners have plugged some $9 million into the business.

Just one catch

Much of that cash goes for cable advertising, on which Contour spends an average of $500,000 a month, ranging up to $1.2 million at peak times of the year.

All of which sounds like the potential for redemption to your friendly neighborhood business columnist, who has long endured the observations of friends and family that he's "out of shape." Until now, the standard response has been, "But elliptical is a shape;" would Contour offer a better alternative?

Alas, there's a catch: To maximize the benefits of the Contour system, you need to maintain a healthy diet and a modicum of regular exercise. Indeed, the company supplies customers with a 34-page "Diet and Exercise Guide" to help users achieve that sculpted look.

But even without the diet and exercise, the system will strengthen the abs, flatten the tummy a bit and promote healthier lower back muscles, Henn said.

Having suffered my share of sciatic woes, the back thing alone sounds like a $200 value to me.

Dick Youngblood • 612-673-4439 • yblood@startribune.com