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It’s not like Brett Gregory really needed a push to sacrifice everything he owned as well as quality time with his family in order to make his dreams come true.  The Santa Clarita inventor with a day job as COO of actor/producer Tim Allen’s Production Company is borderline obsessive about watching rented DVDs about Howard Hughes’ risk-taking approach to business, but Hughes wasn’t really his driving force alone.

 

It very well may be part of the equation to his motivation, but, then again it could go back to when he was 13-years-old and wanted to go out trick-or-treating as Obi-Wan Kenobi.  He needed a light saber and with quick thinking he jerry-rigged a flashlight to his father’s golf club separator and became the life of the party with his makeshift weapon.  Of course, it wasn’t patented and 8 months later, you could buy one in the stores.  But, Gregory was already hooked on the invention game.

First he found a need and after two years of research, development, fabrication and a whole lot of money, Gregory is filling that need.
“Kids love their skateboards, but most of the time they can’t bring them to school.  My product, a portable skateboard comes apart and can easily fit inside the accompanying backpack along with their papers and books,” says Gregory.

Gregory calls his invention the Port-a-board because it offers users the ultimate freedom to go everywhere, without any restrictions.  It comes apart and reassembles in seconds without using any tools.

“Kids love taking things apart and putting them back together again,” says Gregory, “They’re going to love this highly-polished aluminum skateboard with the option to color customize it to their liking.  I want it to be as hot as the Razor Scooter.”

After the production of eight prototypes and the sale of everything he owns, including 2 homes, a boat and a racecar, he draws closer to the release of his invention with the first 12 production models to be delivered from the production line overseas in just days.

“If I’d known how much all of this was going to cost, I’d do it all over again because I know in my heart that it is a winner,” says Gregory.
With the emotional backing of his wife who told him after seeing the first prototype, “If you have to sell everything, I believe in you”.
“Once I had her blessing, I moved ahead full-force,” says Gregory, who believes in taking the bull by the horns when he wants something and not worrying about failure, a trait he fears others surrender to too easily.

As far as the Port-a-board is concerned, if the anxious reaction of kids in Gregory’s Santa Clarita neighborhood clamoring to get a peak at the prototype is any indication of its potential for success, then Gregory won’t need to think about failure, a trait well-learned from his idol Howard Hughes.  Look out Obi-Wan Kenobi, your light saber might not serve you if faced with the strength of one grown-up little boy who won’t let go of making dreams come true for children.

 
For further information, visit www.port-a-board.com.

Santa Clarita Magazine

Santa Clarita Magazine