New Product

Hi-Tek Rubber Inc., an Isanti company with its roots (pardon the pun) in the potato industry, is raising cash to help launch its new venture -- housing shingles made from recycled rubber! The shingles, made from discarded tires, resemble cedar shakes or slate but are far more resistant to damage from fire or hail. "We've showed these to people in the housing industry and the only response we get is, `How quick can we get them?,' " CEO Gordon Cell said.

I predict that this product, which is about a third of the weight of a composition asphalt shingle, will be the roofing product of the future.