sad news- Dr. Zooch is closing up shop

read a post from Wes yesterday on Facebook and wanted to give the heads up that Dr. Zooch rockets will be closing. I will try to attach his post.

Wes Oleszewski
19 hrs
To all of my friends and customers in the model rocket world... during 2018 Dr. Zooch Rockets will cease operations after having been in business for 14 amazing years. As of Friday, March 25 I have notified all of my retailers that I will no longer be taking orders and will be busy clearing the huge back-log of pending orders.

The reason for this is singular... it for my own personal health. As some of you may know I have suffered with three bad disks in my neck since December 2014. I was not then and am not now a good candidate for surgery, I have been going through pain management and physical therapy with good results... until I go back to the activity of filling boxes with rocket parts. Three times now that repetitive motion has aggravated my neck and caused the pain to return resulting in another spinal injection. Now I have a choice, either delete the repetitive motion, or go under the knife. My choice was to simply close the company.

Dr. Zooch has always made a profit- often very slim, but still remaining in the black. I have zero debt, because I always paid for everything I needed up front. So, it has been a great 14 year run and a lot of fun along the way. My thanks go out to the guys who gave me my start among them being Tim Van Milligan and Pat McCarthy both of whom went to Embry-Riddle with me and are charter members of the Avion mafia. One of the most key people all along has been Bill Saindon of Balsa Machining Service, whose custom parts and countless "rush" deliveries helped make my little company go. Thanks also the the MDRA, my home rocket club where nearly all Dr. Zooch flight tests took place.

Now, of course, what about me. No worries, the rocket company was a part-time gig anyhow. My 24th book will come out this April and my author's career is chugging right along- this'll probably be my second best-seller. Just visit Amazon and under "books" search my last name, "Oleszewski" I'm the only Oleszewski in that area- so most of my work pops up. I can also take time now to build and fly rockets just for fun again. Thanks to all of my Dr. Zooch customers- you are all super.

Sadly this is the fate of many small rocket companies. These one man shops just simply disappear when the owner can no longer carry on. Well, I'm glad he can recover from the injuries by taking this step.

That's not too terrible of a story Wes..
We've all seen turn outs worse..
Good for you..
I am very happy to hear of another with no business debt..
I think that is a great part of making this enterprize fun..
Whether or not you close the business,,
if the doctors are telling you they feel they have a great chance
of alleviating your pain through surgery,,
You should take a good look into it..
If they think they can fix you up,,
the actual surgery and the recovery from it will both be short lived
compared to the positive effects from it...

Teddy

Onebadhawk said:

That's not too terrible of a story Wes..
We've all seen turn outs worse..
Good for you..
I am very happy to hear of another with no business debt..
I think that is a great part of making this enterprize fun..
Whether or not you close the business,,
if the doctors are telling you they feel they have a great chance
of alleviating your pain through surgery,,
You should take a good look into it..
If they think they can fix you up,,
the actual surgery and the recovery from it will both be short lived
compared to the positive effects from it...

Teddy

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If you read what he said he could EITHER quit the repetitive motion (from the rocketry business), or he could go under the knife. He chose to close the business. I think he made the right choice. I feel it is best to avoid surgery when there is a good alternative.

Many thanks to Wes, aka Dr. Zooch, for resurrecting this born again rocketeer with the Space Shuttle kit. That was really the first kit I bought in my recent adult years for myself and not for one of my kids who was participating in scouting. It sat on the shelf in a one-rocket build pile for about a year before I felt I had time to dive into it, and was immediately hooked. Learned a lot about cardstock with his various kits after that one. Best wishes in your book writing career. I wish those kits and instructions could be passed on to a continuing business so that the Zooch kits could live on beyond your rocket co. retirement. Hope you fully enjoy your rocketry hobby in retirement as much as those of us who have been fortunate enough to build and fly your kits. The Shuttle always gets a big reaction from the crowd at launches.

Everyone- it is true, I'm closing down production. It'll take several months for my daughter (age 14) to fill the kit boxes for the outstanding orders that I have pending, but I'm taking NO new orders from my retailers. So, when they say they're out... they're OUT.

The trap in this rocket makin' biz. is that you start out as a part-time cottage business and then it grows fast, but the profit margin is so tiny that you cannot afford to hire help and grow. In fact I've pretty much been working for pennies per hour for the several years. So it turns into a real labor of love- because I love rockets and I love the fact that what I produced made people happy. But, when it begins to impinge on your health, and you find yourself eating pain pills and sleeping with a tens machine pasted to your arms, the love runs thin. In fact one day you look around and it strikes you... "Hey, I hardly ever get to build anything or launch anything anymore that doesn't apply to business... ugh." My motto has always been, "If rocketry ain't fun, yer' doin' it wrong." When I don't go to a monthly MDRA launch because my time is "better spent" standing at the bench and filling kit boxes while my arms, shoulders and neck feel like they're being sliced by a #11 Xacto blade... guess what? I'm doin' it wrong.

Of course I'm not getting out of model rocketry- I got hooked on it in 1969 and those roots run deep. It was a good run from June of 2004 to (by the time I clear my backlog of orders) about June of 2018.

I am, however, probably gonna have a butt load of spare parts left over. Everything from stock for proposed kits and out of production kits to just plain old mistakes... anybody want a box of T-60 tubes cut 7.75 inches long? We're talkin' about 90 or so of those suckers... it was an error in an order. Yeah... you get the picture. I'll horde some of the stuff but it'll be interesting to see what's left when the back orders are cleared. One thing is for sure- I'm about to have a lot more office space and I won't have to buy a new printer every 14 months anymore either. Plus, I'll have more time hang out here... time's been scarce lately between my 24th book getting finished (It comes out in late April) and building kits.

My thanks to you all. Keep making cool rockets and remember this from a 61 year old former airline captain; Acting mature, is for teenagers. SHOOT ROCKETS!

Zeus-cat said:

If you read what he said he could EITHER quit the repetitive motion (from the rocketry business), or he could go under the knife. He chose to close the business. I think he made the right choice. I feel it is best to avoid surgery when there is a good alternative.

Click to expand...

We don't know enough of his particular situation to say whether his choice would have been right for us if it were us in that situation..
There are many situations where surgery is a wonderful fix that can change your life vastly for the better..
Quite often surgery IS the good alternative..

Ted C..

All the absolute best for you Dr Z...
You go enjoy all life has to offer...
And feel better permanently,, lol..

Teddy

Onebadhawk said:

We don't know enough of his particular situation to say whether his choice would have been right for us if it were us in that situation..
There are many situations where surgery is a wonderful fix that can change your life vastly for the better..
Quite often surgery IS the good alternative..

Ted C..

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And surgery is a PERSONAL choice some people will and some chose not too, either way its a choice. I applaud Wes on his choice its tough to let something like Dr. Zooch go when you have devoted a large portion of your life to it and you have as devoted of a fan base as he does. Enjoy life Wes and fly more rockets!

rharshberger said:

And surgery is a PERSONAL choice some people will and some chose not too, either way its a choice. I applaud Wes on his choice its tough to let something like Dr. Zooch go when you have devoted a large portion of your life to it and you have as devoted of a fan base as he does. Enjoy life Wes and fly more rockets!

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Exactly,,
Well said Rich..

Wes,, My bet is on you remember what it's like to enjoy flyin some rockets again,, lol..

I'll see you at Red Glare for sure ..
Be safe..

Teddy

I'm sorry to hear that but completely understand, it's nice to give back to the rocketry community and see that people have fun with your designs. Good luck and feel better.

Frank

Dr.Zooch said:

. . . .The trap in this rocket makin' biz. is that you start out as a part-time cottage business and then it grows fast, but the profit margin is so tiny that you cannot afford to hire help and grow. In fact I've pretty much been working for pennies per hour for the several years. So it turns into a real labor of love- because I love rockets and I love the fact that what I produced made people happy. . . .

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Thank you for your contribution to the hobby. We're all privileged that you kept going as long as you did.

It's really a shame that this business is just not scalable. I suppose it's a mixed blessing, in a way, that there's so little margin in your business. If there was a healthy margin, the corporations would have crowded you out of your niche in the market...and then there would be consolidation of those companies...and then debt service becomes too big a burden (bye, ToysRUs and Hobbico)...sigh. It's bad enough that you have to worry about your job becoming obsolete...now you have to worry about your hobbies disappearing too.

Well, I finally just bought one...the Dr. Zooch Space Shuttle was always a holy grail kit for me, one I had to work up to to justify. With this news, I had to place an order with Apogee to get one.

I wish you and your 14 yr old apprentice al the best and agree with both of the following:
1. It's sad to see Dr. Zooch leave the industry
2. You made the absolute best choice here.

PM me if you ever write another great lakes book, I'll take a signed copy for my dad.

Now...go enjoy launching the loot, rather than boxing the loot!��

Sorry to hear the sad news about your health and your business. But you've made a solid choice to protect the former. Best wishes on your newly rediscovered freedom to build and fly, for fun.

Peace.

:sad:

Best to you, Wes. You got pursue a dream for 14 years and you came out on top. Kudos. Take care of your health, and I look forward to seeing you at Red Glare, Lord willing.

Dr.Zooch said:

The trap in this rocket makin' biz. is that you start out as a part-time cottage business and then it grows fast, but the profit margin is so tiny that you cannot afford to hire help and grow. In fact I've pretty much been working for pennies per hour for the several years. So it turns into a real labor of love- ...

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I have heard this same sort of story from a number of small model airplane suppliers whose products I've enjoyed over the years. They get to that point where they need help to keep growing but can't afford it and then they either close, sell, or reinvent. Some have even taken the leap and gone full time. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

Best of luck, Wes. I have truly enjoyed your products and since i have at least one in the stash expect to do so again. But your health and family have to take precedence. Thank you.

Best of luck to you Wes. My first BAR build was a Zooch Saturn V... it's an awesome build. (Dang, I should have grabbed a Vostok too) Any chance of getting somebody like eRockets or Madcow to pick it up?

I'm sorry to hear that Dr Zooch is hanging it up. I hope that he'll be able to heal completely and get on with the other projects he's working on. I haven't had the chance to build a Zooch kit. I'll have to see if I can score one while they're still available.

In the meantime, I hope that he can find a buyer for the company, and that this will won't be the end of the line, just a transition.

Get well!

God Bless!
Jim

Ok... I broke down and scored a Saturn V.

Thanks for all you've done for the hobby, Wes.

Wes ...

Bracha asked me to include her when I say that we are sorry to see Dr. Zooch closing up and we wish you all the best in the future. We have enjoyed working with you over the years and were especially pleased to meet you at the NARCON in Florida a few years ago.

Thanks for all you have done for the rocketry community in general and for the help you gave us at JonRocket.com over the years. Take care.

-- Roger (and Bracha)

P.S. At a local launch a few weeks ago, I picked up a used copy of one of your books. It's one of the "Growing Up With Spaceflight" books. I haven't started reading it yet. But, looking at Amazon.com, it appears that my reading list is getting much longer.

Would selling the business be an option? I believe someone would be interested.

26201 said:

Would selling the business be an option? I believe someone would be interested.

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Let's be realistic here. If someone buys the business they will almost certainly have to raise prices. The owner says he is barely making money right now. Not exactly an attractive business venture for a prospective buyer.

Let's be optimistic here. Someone could perhaps do this as a side hobby type thing! such as a retired person or hobbyist. One never knows.

I wish I could have been there at NARCON 2014 in Cocoa Beach, FL. There were some great videos on the narcon2014.org site that include the presentation he gave, I am not sure if that is still available anywhere.

https://www.rocketreviews.com/201403010931-000jpg.html


Still have any patches or shirts left for sale? I know the answer to that question: "Noli rogare!"

Thanks for your contributions to the hobby and for your help in my early days of building rockets when I made a total hash of a Saturn V

Good luck and best wishes for the future Wes! Enjoy building and flying for fun!!

Krusty

Thanks Wes, for all the kits!! I've spent HOURS building your kits and loving every one of them that I built. You're a master at what you do (did).

I guess I should buy a couple of space shuttle kits while I have the chance, they're not going to be available anymore and I love building and flying those.

Sad to hear the neck problems took you out, but repetitive use injures are nasty. Enjoy the writing and flying for fun again. I'll have to try to grab a kit or two before they are gone forever. Thanks again for all the help on my Shuttle a few months ago as well!

I've drifted to the edges of the hobby a bit who still sells the good Doctor's kits? I know Jonrockets, and Uncle Mike, who else is still out there or popped up recently?

Gosh. I'm the same age as Wes. Even marched through his hometown a year ago. Plus most of my Dr. Zooch fleet was ruined when my basement flooded last June. :surprised:

mjennings said:

Sad to hear the neck problems took you out, but repetitive use injures are nasty. Enjoy the writing and flying for fun again. I'll have to try to grab a kit or two before they are gone forever. Thanks again for all the help on my Shuttle a few months ago as well!

I've drifted to the edges of the hobby a bit who still sells the good Doctor's kits? I know Jonrockets, and Uncle Mike, who else is still out there or popped up recently?

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Randy at eRockets told me he is expecting another shipment from Dr. Zooch. At our last club meeting I walked by the Dr. Zooch area in the eRockets warehouse and it looked like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. Randy said his inventory of Dr. Zooch kits practically disappeared overnight when the closing was announced.