The BevBoy floats in water, but can it survive a shark attack?
We'll find out this Friday, Feb. 6, when Kevin Waltermire is scheduled to appear on ABC's hit show, “Shark Tank.”
The Akron native, who now lives in Charleston, S.C., tried to get the panel of investors on the show to finance BeverageBoy, a company that makes floating can coolies. We'll see whether he succeeded when the show airs at 9 p.m. Friday.
Waltermire — the son of former PolyOne CEO Tom Waltermire, who also until recently served as president of the economic development group Team NEO — doesn't need to actually raise money to benefit from being on the show. Lots of entrepreneurs selling consumer products benefit from the exposure the show provides. New episodes regularly attract between 7 million and 8 million viewers.
The company has already sold about 3,000 “BevBoy” coolies, which cost about $10 each, though the cost goes down if you buy more.
The BevBoy is designed to let you carry a drink into the pool without having to hold it constantly. It floats with the help of a polypropylene arm that extends from the bottom of the coolie down into the water, which is then attached to what the company calls a proprietary “top secret otter technology” mechanism that keeps the foam cooler from tipping over.