NASA buys StepNpull door openers

StepNpull, the Ozarks-based seller of foot-operated door openers, has attracted another noteworthy buyer – NASA.

An alternative to standard door handles, StepNpull openers can be seen at the base of bathroom doors in restaurants such as McDonald’s, Applebee’s and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Company clientele also includes the likes of Google LLC, the Boeing Co., Walmart Inc. and Ford Motor Co., according to a news release. The StepNpull products also are used by the Army and Navy United States military branches.

As for NASA, the openers now will be fitted at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, according to the release.

Rather than a large contract, NASA simply ordered the openers online, said Nick Simmonds, digital marketing manager for the company.

“I think they only ordered a couple,” StepNpull co-owner and President Mike Sewell said, noting the purchase was made through Lowe’s Cos. Inc., a StepNpull distributor. “It’s just interesting. We like to highlight some of the customers who buy.”

Sewell said the company whose mission is to reduce the spread of germs and waste is locally homebased, having recently moved out of its commercial office at 405 N. Jefferson Ave.

Sewell said the openers are machined from 70 percent recycled aluminum in Springfield by Precision Metal-Tech LLC. They are then coated by Ozark Powder Coating Inc. and engraved by Collegiate Awards.