Carson Kropfl
Carson Keith Kropfl (born 4 July 2005) is an American inventor and entrepreneur from San Clemente, Ca. He invented Locker Board skateboards in October of 2016 [1], a sustainable line of skateboards designed to fit inside of backpacks and lockers. Carson came up with his concept when he started Shorecliffs Middle School. He wanted a skateboard that would fit inside his backpack and locker. None of his skateboards could, so he decided to make one. Then, his parents told him he had to clean and do chores to pay for his surf contests and surf lessons. He didn't like cleaning, so he asked his parents if he could try selling his Locker Board instead.
He collected recycled skateboard decks from skate shops and reshaped them to fit inside of backpack and lockers. He had a shop in his backyard where he made them. He took the upcycled skate decks to his school in his backpack and sold them to friends during lunch. He saved up $1,000 from these sales and started his company, Locker Board. He was 11 years old when he started his company. He used the money to buy new trucks and wheels and affixed them to the Locker Board decks. He started selling complete skateboards on his website and at his local, San Clemente Downtown Village Art Faire.[2]
His business started taking off and he needed more recycled skateboard decks to meet demand. Steve Van Doren at Vans found out what he was doing and set up a recycling program for him at two of their Van's skate parks. San Clemente's local paper, the Sun Post News, learned about Carson and wrote an article about his endeavors. [3] The article was picked up nationally[4], and Carson started selling Locker Boards all over the country [5] through his website.[6]. Then, Southern California retailer, Jack's Surf Shops, saw him at the Ski Dazzle trade show in Los Angeles in December of 2016 and began carrying Locker Board's in their Dana Point store [7].
By January of 2017, national shows reached out to Carson to tell his story. He appeared on The Harry Show in January of 2017 in a segment titled "Biz Kid To Be," [8] and appeared in multiple publications and news segments [9]. In October of 2017, one year after starting Locker Board, he appeared on the Season 9 premiere of ABC's show, Shark Tank [10]. Three sharks offered an investment in his company: Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec and Sir Richard Branson. Carson accepted Richard Branson's offer of $65,000 for 20% of his company[11]. Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group and was a guest investor on Shark Tank when Carson appeared.
Branson's investement allowed Carson to hire skateboard manufacturer, PS Stix. Locker Boards then became available on Amazon and in retail stores Jack's Surf Shops, Common Ground Bike Shop and Erik's Bike, Board and Ski. After appearing on Shark Tank, Carson received international recognition, appearing in French show, Arte TV [12], as a guest blogger on Virgin.com [13], and in Forbes, Inc. Magazine [11], Huffington Post [14], BuzzFeed [15], Eye on LA [16], and Entrepreneur Magazine [11].
Carson's public speaking career also started after his appearance on Shark Tank with a TEDxKid Talk in April of 2018 in El Cajon, California[17]. [18]
References[edit]
- ↑ "A San Clemente 11-year-old has invented a skateboard that fits in lockers and backpacks". 21 October 2016.
- ↑ https://heavy.com/news/2017/10/locker-board-skateboards-shark-tank-products-episodes-new-season-premiere-9/
- ↑ https://www.ocregister.com/2016/10/21/a-san-clemente-11-year-old-has-invented-a-skateboard-that-fits-in-lockers-and-backpacks/
- ↑ https://newsela.com/read/skateboard-kid-inventor/id/23319
- ↑ "Demand surges for 11-year-old inventor's Locker Board". 10 November 2016.
- ↑ "Meet 7 Young Do Experts in SoCal That are Making a Difference - Locale Magazine". 2 May 2017.
- ↑ http://www.sanclementetimes.com/business-beat-locker-board/
- ↑ HARRY (16 January 2017). "Biz Kid To Be: Locker Board" – via YouTube.
- ↑ about, Rob Hayes, bio, (12 November 2016). "11-year-old SoCal boy creates booming mini skateboard business".
- ↑ "Watch Shark Tank Season 9 Episode 01 Season 9 Premiere: Episode 1 Online". ABC.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Leadem, Rose (4 October 2017). "How an Actual Elevator Pitch Led This 12-Year-Old Entrepreneur to Appear on Shark Tank and Partner With Richard Branson".
- ↑ "Il a ton âge : Carson en Californie". ARTE Info.
- ↑ JPreston (23 November 2017). "How I got on Shark Tank and landed Richard Branson as my investor at age 11".
- ↑ Alexander, Jeremy (4 October 2017). "Portable Skateboard for Your Locker on Shark Tank - Locker Board".
- ↑ "36 Of The Best Products From "Shark Tank"".
- ↑ about, tina malave, bio, (26 November 2017). "9 SoCal spots where you can shop and eat local".
- ↑ "Young inventor of Locker Boards visits San Diego".
- ↑ Brandeis, Amanda (21 April 2018). "TEDx igniting confidence in El Cajon students".
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