Shraman Mitra
While sunscreen is exceptionally essential for people leading an active lifestyle, it is not always convenient to lug a bottle along, especially when one wants to spend hours on an adventure sport. That is where the Surf Band Pro comes in, as it offers a way to carry sunscreen or any other solution without the added inconvenience of a whole bottle. While the product is genuinely innovative, interest grew once entrepreneur and inventor Greg Demirjian presented it to the Sharks on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank‘ season 14 episode 16. Well, with viewers eager to learn more, let’s trace the company’s growth, shall we?
Surf Band Pro: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
You will be surprised to learn that Surf Band Pro isn’t the first wearable Greg Demirjian invented. The entrepreneur completed his degree from Skidmore College in 1984 before working as a 3D Holographic Specialist for Dimensional Media Associates. He later went on work as a photographer for Abercrombie & Kent and in January 2003, founded the Hampton Jitney Magazine. Although the Magazine remained active until November 2006, Greg joined iGivingWorld Philanthropic Collaboration as the Chief Executive Officer, a position he held from 2007 to 2010.
Subsequently, in 2011, Greg was employed by Iron Fire Productions as a Creative Director – EFX Specialist, but he quit his job in 2020 to establish his own company WearSpray Inc., under which he produced Clean-Bands for hand sanitizers. His active lifestyle and passion for extreme sports made him realize the importance of sunscreen, especially when skin cancer is on the rise. Since sunscreen is the easiest way to protect the skin from UV rays, everyone from normal beachgoers to adventure sports athletes uses it whenever they step out into the sun.
However, while regular people might be able to carry a bottle around for further reapplications, it isn’t convenient for athletes who spend hours outdoors, especially in the water or on a bike. Interestingly, at that time, Greg had already invented Clean-Bands, which has a similar mechanism to the Surf Band Pro but with a smaller container and nozzle to carry sanitizer on the go. Hence, realizing that the same could be applied to sunscreen, he returned to the drawing board and made the few changes necessary to make the product carry a thicker and denser solution.
Designed very much like a wristwatch, the Surf Band Pro has a small circular container in the middle with a nozzle attached to it. Velcro straps are attached to the sides of the container allowing the user to wear the product like a watch or a wristband. The top of the container can be popped open to pour sunscreen or any solution inside, while the user can squirt some of the liquid onto his palm using the nozzle while on the go. Apart from being affordable and comfortable, Greg claims that it is easy to refill the Surf Band Pro while wearing it can add to one’s style factor.
Surf Band Pro is Successfully Launched
Greg faced a lot of trouble when looking for a manufacturer to produce Clean-Bands. He had the entire design in mind and had even sketched out the dimensions to perfection, but most manufacturers turned him away, claiming it would be impossible to mold plastic into such a shape. After quite a bit of searching, he eventually found a manufacturer ready to take on the challenge. However, this is where Greg ran into his second obstacle, as creating an airtight container that would squirt out liquid through a nozzle proved impossible. Thus, he had to go through numerous prototypes before developing the perfect marketable product.
Since Greg did all his research and development while building the Clean-Bands, turning it into the Surf Band Pro was easy. All he needed to do was implement a few changes to allow the product to hold a denser liquid and remain airtight in extreme conditions. Moreover, he even did most of his marketing through social media, and pretty soon, the Surf Band Pro was a hit with athletes and regular people alike.
Individuals interested in getting their hands on the product can do so from the company’s official website, where it will set one back by $19.95. Moreover, while the bands come in different colors, the top of the container can be customized to display any image the customer desires. Incidentally, apart from the Surf Band Pro, Greg is also developing the Bug Band Pro, a product to combat mosquito-borne diseases, and we are confident that his company will achieve further success in the near future.
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