Safety4Her Wins $10,000 and Viewer's Choice Award on Project Pitch It
Melissa Gaglione has been in the towing industry for over five years and she’s discovered a huge issue: a lack of safety clothes that actually fit women. According to OSHA, many women in “non-traditional” jobs, such as construction, have experienced improperly-fitting clothes that can comprise their personal safety.
To solve this, Gaglione created Safety4Her, high-visibility, quality and fitting work clothes for women working in trucking, towing and construction industries. Currently, Safety4Her offers two options of safety vest and a variety of safety leggings.
Melissa Gaglione. (Picture provided by Melissa Gagoline)
According to Gaglione, her most popular item are the leggings, which are reflective, thicker than average leggings, they don’t shrink or fade, the material is anti-bacterial, they’re breathable, come with pockets, plus a few other amenities.
“[Safety4Her] is coming from a woman who understands the struggle of finding clothing,” Gaglione said.
Until she got into the towing and trades world, Gaglione didn’t realize how many women are in the industry.
Although Saftey4Her has only been around since 2018, Gaglione has been traveling around the country to visit different trade shows to not only market her brand, but build relationships.
Recently, Safety4Her won first place on Wisconsin’s Project Pitch It, winning a $10,000 cash prize and Viewer’s Choice Award. Gaglione didn’t expect her google search to turn into her winning money.
To prepare for her pitch, which was televised, she created an outline, practiced talking aloud to herself in the car, but mostly she winged it. But, when you have a solid and innovative idea, it speaks for itself.
“I want to be a voice for women,” she said.
Along with being a businesswoman, Gaglione is a fiancé and has a blended family ranging from ages 3-13. Through Safety4Her, and her fiancé’s businesses, Gaglione wants to show her kids that this life takes hard work and it’s a process.
Due to work, Gaglione can miss out on a lot, but she credits her fiancé for being there whenever she can’t. According to her, they trade off when needed and never question why the other one can’t be there.
“When you’re trying to build something you’re missing things,” Gaglione said. “We maneuver what we have to maneuver.”
After spending the year testing the product, Gaglione is moving on to strategic planning.
Safety4Her is acknowledging that women exist in male-dominated industries and that they’re not going anywhere.
“Women are taking a stand in the industry,” she said.
To purchase Safety4Her, click here.