Eddie & Selma Kominek
Eddie & Selma bought INJOY in 2024 and have set up shop in Limestone, TN. Breeders of Afghan Hounds, they discovered the sport of Lure Coursing in 2004 and have been involved since. Eddie started out working positions in the field, learning the equipment, lure operating and both are now judges in AKC and ASFA.
Prior to owning INJOY, Eddie has been building machines since 2007, developing and running LCSoft (field trial secretary software) and helped found the Gazehound Association of the Smoky Mountains with Selma.
They both looking forward to carrying on the proud tradition of quality equipment that INJOY produces.
Tom Bianchi - Founder of INJOY
After one of our salukis was injured on the equipment being used at the time, Tom decided he could "build a better mousetrap" and started creating lure coursing equipment on a part-time basis in 1979. He was convinced that he could make equipment that was efficient and safe for use with hounds either for fun or for field trials. Over time, zoos and cheetah preserves discovered the equipment and started using it with their cheetahs, African Wild dogs and other big cats and falconers have also learned that they can use the same equipment to train their birds. Tom expanded his market to include not only customers all over North America, but also dog clubs, zoos, cheetah preserves and individuals all over the world, including Africa, Australia, the Far East, Europe and Central and South America. Tom passed away in September, 2009 but not before he shared his wealth of information about lure coursing and all the equipment INJOY designed and manufactured to Jim Healy who along with Tom's widow, Trina, ran INJOY until 2024.
Tom Bianchi in his own words:
My introduction to lure coursing came in 1977 at a three day breed show in Bromont, Quebec. Someone set up a drag (take up) course using a Lure Tronics machine and ran several courses of Salukis and Afghans each evening after the show. (Any historians out there remember who made the Lure Tronics equipment?) I was so excited after that weekend that I just knew I had to get into lure coursing. A month later my wife, Trina bought me our first Saluki puppy, Lando.
In 1979, I was at an ASFA trial where a judge did not show up for their assignment. The field chairperson asked the participants at the trial to vote for a replacement judge from a list of judges present at the trial. At the time, I was apprenticing for my judge's license, so my name was included in the list. After the chairperson had put forth the choices for a replacement judge, someone from the crowd shouted, "Who the hell is Tom Bianchi?"
I am Italian and proud of it; formally educated in accounting and finance; am not an engineer but have been a tinker from birth; have been associated with lure coursing since 1977; and the only thing, in my whole life that I ever did right the first time, was to marry a girl named Katrina Brockway in 1969.
The center of my being is the pursuit of excellence and quality in all my endeavors which includes attempting to treat people in the same way that I want to be treated. I define quality as satisfying 90% of the people 100% of the time. Now you know why I let my ASFA judge's license lapse. I look forward to the WWW giving me the opportunity to pass on what little I know about lure coursing and the proper use of the equipment used for this activity. There is a common misconception amongst dog owners that lure coursing is dangerous. I have seen more dogs injured at breed shows with the careless closing of a vehicle door on a dog's leg or tail than I have ever seen injured doing lure coursing. It is a fact, dogs can be and have been injured while lure coursing. But, if people have the proper understanding of the potential dangers and use proper care when running the dogs, it is a safe and beneficial activity for all canines.
Trina Bianchi
Trina kept INJOY alive and well administratively for many years, writing checks, paying the bills, making bank deposits and keeping the books... occasionally answering the phone, normally referring folks to Tom or Jim for mechanical questions. Modestly, she was also in charge of taking orders, packing and shipping the equipment, managing and designing the website and keeping INJOY in production of the finest lure coursing equipment for decades.
Trina, in her own words:
What started in 1979 when Tom decided he could “build a better mousetrap” after our first saluki, Lando, was hurt when he fell on one of the pulleys being used at the time, has grown over the years to include a wide range of coursing equipment which he designed and built, always “in joy”. His guiding principle was to design and build quality equipment that was safe for all dogs. Initially used by the sighthound lure coursing world here in the states has grown to include not only all dog people world wide, but also to zoos and preserves for cheetah and other big cats, also across the globe. Falconers also found INJOY and figured out how to use coursing equipment to train their birds! After Tom died, Jim Healy picked up the reins and continued building INJOY equipment having worked with Bianchi for two years after Tom lost his arm. Because of Jim’s hard work and dedication INJOY remained alive and well for the next 14 years!
Eddie and Selma are, in my opinion, THE perfect team to carry Bianchi’s legacy forward and I look forward to seeing where they take INJOY in the years ahead. I know that Tom is smiling and I know, in my heart, that he had a hand in bringing this to fruition. As I say good-bye to something that has been a huge part of my life for over 40 years, I wish Eddie and Selma all the best and my heart is very happy knowing that INJOY has passed into great hands. Thank you, Eddie and Selma for what is truly a gift to me seeing Tom’s dream continue on!
Jim Healy
Jim Healy and his wife Dale have been owned by dogs, initially Irish Wolfhounds and Whippets, for over 40 years: showing, breeding, lure coursing, racing and training and trialing in agility. A master at running both lure trials and race meets, Jim, a retired IBM'er, started working with Tom Bianchi manufacturing, packing and shipping INJOY equipment in 2007. For two years, Jim worked on a daily basis with Tom learning how to produce each of the various pieces of equipment that INJOY designed. After Tom's death in 2009, Jim agreed to continue the business with Tom's widow, Trina, as his business partner. Jim continued to produce and manufacture all the INJOY equipment using the same specifications as originally designed by Tom and with the same attention to detail that has always resulted in the quality equipment that is associated with the name "INJOY."
