June 5, 2007

The people have spoken. PC senior Wilson Davis is one of South Carolina's most innovative entrepreneurs.

Davis was among 11 winners of the 2007 Firestoker Award presented for business ideas with the potential to bring new jobs, new energy, new talents, new life, and new wealth to South Carolina. The awards, sponsored by SC Launch!, were presented by Bobby Harrell, Speaker for the South Carolina House of Representatives, on May 7 as part of the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit held in Charleston, S.C.

Aquatic Muscle, Davis's entry, is his idea for a body suit designed to teach both children and adults how to swim. The suit includes interchangeable buoyancy panels that allow the wearer to strengthen swimming muscles while confidently learning to swim at his own pace.

"It also could be used for people who practice water therapy," Davis said. "I did a lot of research and couldn't find any product like this."

A veteran swim instructor, Davis said most aquatic centers use a basic lifejacket or a simple inflatable product to help children become comfortable in the water.

"Wilson's idea helps children learn to swim in a way that does not involve 'water wing' products, which, according to Wilson's research, are not the best way to learn and could pose safety issues," said Norman Scarborough, Scott Associate Professor of Information Science at Presbyterian College.

The entry captured the interest of online voters, who awarded Aquatic Muscle more than 40 percent of the 4,653 votes cast for the nine ideas vying for the People's Choice Award.

"It was just like American Idol - a lot of people told their friends about it and they told their friends," said Kristin Badger Walker, coastal region zone manager for SC Launch!

The selection earned Davis, a resident of Kershaw, S.C., $1,500 seed money, a scholarship to FastTrac entrepreneurial training programs and access to a Dream Team of Mentors made up of a coalition of representatives from SC Launch! South Carolina's Council on Competitiveness, FastTracSC, ThinkTEC, InnoVenture, and other organizations around the state to help cultivate his idea into a business.

Davis generated the idea in Scarborough's small business class, for which he was required to write a complete business plan.

"Part of that class is learning whether a business is viable or not. You can have a really great idea, but it may not be economically feasible," Davis said.

"Before introducing his product, Wilson would have to conduct a patent search with a patent attorney's help to determine whether his idea is patentable. There may be similar items that already are protected by patent," Scarborough said. "His plan showed him that setting up a retail shop based on his idea is not really feasible, but I suggested that he consider an online business because of its lower costs and greater potential reach."

Davis's first hurdle is determining revenue potential versus copyright fees. He said it would require $20,000 just to research and obtain a patent for the suit before considering production costs.

Regardless of the outcome, Scarborough said the experience has been a good one for Davis.

"I think that his winning shows the power of combining the breadth and creativity that a liberal arts education encourages with the career skills that a major in business administration provides," he said. "It's a combination that works well for our majors. I believe that they get the best of both worlds."

The competition was started in 2006 when a group of economic developers "got together to draw out all of those entrepreneurs in South Carolina to move forward with their businesses," according to Walker. "Last year's winners told us the competition was the kick in the behind they needed to get going with their businesses and two of those products are now on the market."

This year, entries came from 27 counties around the state for the New Ideas for a New Carolina contest. Categories included advanced materials and engineering, alternative fuels, automotive, biotechnology and medical devices, community enhancement and education, creative industries, environmental sustainability, information technology and software, and tourism.

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