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Bear Attack Prevention Suit
BAPS: Bear Attack Prevention Suit. Owner Lywon Russaw and his wife Lourdes created a vest that protects against bear attacks, as well as, any possible animal attacks by using a 360-degree spraying repellant. Lywon saw the statistics that there are about 44 grizzly bear attacks worldwide each year. Through looking at this statistic and trying to find a way to prevent these attacks from happening, Lywon found a way to create a protection device not only against these bear attacks, but all animal attacks. This product is meant for a wide range of people including park rangers, land surveyors, hikers, hunters, fishermen/women, zookeepers, and more!
“Getting chewed on sucks”: I fought a grizzly bear and won by Julia Clarke. This inspired Lywon and Lourdes. Lywon has put a great deal of effort into his own self development, reading over 300 books along with countless articles. From a young age, Lywon has always had the entrepreneurial spirit from trading cards to cutting grass. While Lywon does most of the inventing, he relies on his wife to assist him with patents, trademarks, domain names, attorneys, manufacturers and more. Upon being rejected by multiple bear spray manufacturers, Founder, Lywon, decided to bring the BAPS to the market through strength and determination as well as a strong believer in himself and his capabilities. Through compassion, patience, and the love of her fellow man, Lourdes has constantly kept in mind one of the two reasons BAPS was created, the first being the prevention of mauling or attacks by dangerous land-based animals and the second being to prevent the euthanizing of dangerous land-based animals due to having attacked a human.
The Small Business Development Center came in to help BAPS through organizing the startup process, expanding the market and in the process, helping to raise investor capital. They began their work with the Clarion SBDC with consultant Lucy Singer. When it looked as if they were going to need more money than they had at the time, they teamed up with Russell Combs from Duquesne SBDC to help find that investor capital. Russ took the lead with BAPS; however, Lucy still remains on the team. Because of Lywon and Lourdes’ hard work, BAPS was rewarded a patent and a trademark.