by Tom Tock

Dori McGuire of Discovery Communications informed The Paper this week that Discovery “is not moving forward with the TLC Baby line with Spuds.”

Discovery Communications, the nation’s number one non-fiction media company, announced in March of 2011 that they had a partner- ship with Spuds, 200 South Franklin St., Dwight, to introduce a line of infants and toddlers feeding products created from reclaimed potato starch.

It was to be the first product launch under a new TLC Baby franchise from Discovery Communications franchise division.

The feeding products were to be designed and manufactured by Spuds. Spuds had created “natural and organic infant and toddler essentials inspired by the Discovery network’s popular baby programming.”

Originally, the TLC Baby line of products was to have been introduced to retailers in the Spring of 2011, but the date was changed to Spring of 2012.

Discovery Communications was asked, but gave no reason for abandoning their partnership with Spuds. No future plans were indicated.

An attempt to question Tim Wymore, president of Spuds, about his company’s present and future plans was unsuccessful.

February 21 of 2011,

Spuds received a loan of $150,000 from Dwight’s revolving loan fund, after Wymore and Maurice Birt, Spuds officers, told Village Council members that Spuds had deadlines to meet with the TLC Baby division of Discovery Communications, and that Spuds production would have to be outsourced in order to meet those dead- lines.

According to Wymore, the $150,000 would facilitate marketing and personnel to get the product moving. Sales, design, and tooling would remain in Dwight with 15-30 jobs.

Dwight’s Council had to make a quick decision or Spuds could take the entire operation elsewhere, according to a March 2, 2011, story in The Paper. Only three Council members were present, but they were joined by the Mayor in casting the necessary four votes to approve the $150,000 loan.

The loan nearly depleted the village’s revolving loan fund.

A $75,000 loan to Spuds had been approved by the four Dwight Village Council members present at a July 26, 2010 meeting.

In May, 2011, the Greater Livingston Co. Economic Development Council announced its participation, along with the Bank of Pontiac, Freestar Bank, and State Bank of Graymont, in a $272,000 mortgage loan to Spuds.