CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Power Technology, Inc. (Pink Sheets: PWTC), announced The Board of Directors recently appointed Kara Guire to head company operations and shift the company’s sights for the third quarter in an effort to increase revenue & seize a tremendous opportunity within the multi-million dollar extreme sports market place.
Kara studied engineering and physics at Rutgers and has over 10 years of management experience as an entrepreneur running successful businesses including Flipside USA, an online retailer of Snakeboards (aka Pivotboards) and skate apparel as well as SnakeBoarder.com, an online magazine for the Snakeboarding community.
Snakeboarding, a sport started in 1989 with the invention of the Snakeboard by college students James Fisher, Oliver Macleod-Smith, and Simon King, who were looking to simulate and combine the sensations of surfing, snowboarding, skiing and skateboarding, has a colorful history and has attracted riders from all across the world. The key advantage of the Snakeboard is that riders can generate a forward motion, even uphill, from a standstill position without their feet ever touching the ground. The Snakeboard's steerability makes it easy to maneuver and fun to ride.
Within 5 years from being invented, the sport gained a considerable amount of popularity and the First Annual World Championship was held in Guernsey, an island off the coast of England. The sport continued to spread globally under the name “Snakeboard International” from 1994 through 1998 when the founders sold their patent.
After 1998, the sport continued to increase ridership and build their fan base worldwide while gaining events coverage on top networks including Fox Sports Net, ESPN, and MTV Sports.
In 2001, in an effort to capitalize on the growth of the sport, Kara formed Flipside USA and began buying boards in bulk and whatever other boards she could get her hands on to keep up with the growing demand, many times selling out of inventory on pre-orders. Since 1998 the sport has retained its hard core rider base and hosted Annual World Championships in various cities all around the world. However it has yet to have a company step in with a coordinated marketing effort and a thorough enough understanding of the logistics necessary to significantly ramp up production and grow their audience. There are only currently three manufacturers of boards, and the industry is ripe for an aggressive campaign.
Kara Guire, CEO stated: “With the remaining patents expiring in 2011, the market will be open to new manufacturers who have been sitting on the sidelines all these years. This sport has tremendous potential and our goal is to extend its reach even further and expand its offerings. We continue to retain a loyal base of riders across the world. I am excited to launch initiatives this year which will not only bring the sport to another level but create and operate new brands and products, attract corporate sponsors, and generate revenue for our shareholders”.
For more information visit www.flipsideusa.com and www.snakeboarder.com
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