Hammerhead Sleds : Why Didn't I Think of That? ®

Hammerhead Sleds

“Rip turns with blazing speed and total control, bust freestyle moves that’ll make jaws drop, dust the competition, or tire out your dog,” boasts the Vermont company’s website.

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For sometime now, we’ve had a special project in the works. We wanted to give our listeners and readers a chance to hear a new Why Didn’t I Think of That?® feature every day, even if they’re away from the radio. And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Today marks the beginning phases of a plan [...]


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Spray Paint

Nobody thought about putting paint in an aerosol can until Ed Seymour. In 1949, Seymour was looking for a novel way to demonstrate a new aluminum paint. His wife suggested putting it in an aerosol can, like ones recently introduced for insecticides. To his surprise, the sprayer — not the paint — became the star of his demonstration.


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Dole Pineapple

While in Hawaii in the 1800′s, James Dole discovered a fruit most people had never seen or heard of before: The pineapple. He began importing the fruit to the mainland and introduced the country to this exotic, sweet treat. The pineapple became a national favorite, and the Dole Food Company became the largest supplier of fruits and vegetables in the world.


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TOMS Shoes

He started his first business in college. He sold his second business to Clear Channel. He came within four minutes of winning CBS’s the Amazing Race. He’s led an interesting life, but what Blake Mycoskie is best known for is starting TOMS Shoes, the company that has donated well over a million shoes to needy men, women, and children.


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Gatorade

Today it’s as synonymous with sports as cheerleaders or sweatbands. But not too long ago, Gatorade was just a nameless concoction, cooked up to revitalize the University of Florida’s football team: the Gators. The Gators were losing. A lot. One reason for that was the hot Florida weather dehydrating the players. The “Gator-Aid” not only saved the team, but it has been hydrating and refreshing some of the world’s greatest athletes ever since.

Today’s Hall of Fame Spotlight: The Story of Gatorade.

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What they do:
Make high-end, high-speed gravity sleds for adults.

Inspiration:
After kicking around a number of ideas, unemployed medical equipment salesman Steve Luhr launched a business to re-create the excitement of sledding when he was a kid. He applied new-age materials and hot technology to his idea.

About the business:
The Hammerhead Pro is a high-end, high speed, radical new-gravity sled for adults. Enthusiasts can accessorize the sleds with headlight, taillight, custom runners for fresh snow and other add-ons. Luhr has shipped 4,000 units to date, and with recent revenues hitting a quarter million dollars, is ready for national expansion.

Axioms:

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Hammerhead Sleds - November 11, 2009

It seems to me like Steve Luhr has stumbled upon a fool-proof strategy: Take a timeless children’s activity, update it, make it significantly more exciting/dangerous, and market it as a must-have for any extreme sports enthusiast. It started when Steve left his job. Steve had been working for BioTek, a medical equipment sales firm, for [...]