This product is just plain fun. It’s the Hoozie. You might call it a hybrid, it’s a happy combination of your favorite hoodie and your favorite neoprene-lined, drink-holding koozie.
Let’s see, what could four guys with really diverse backgrounds – landscaping, musicians, law, medical supply sales – have in common that would inspire them to start their own VERY creative business? They like to…socialize. And they wanted to ensure that their beverage of choice was neither purloined nor polluted.
Oliver Lollis, Andy Lehman, Brad Buczkowski and Jim Lehman are the four Greenville creators. What inspired them to develop, design, market and now sell the Hoozie?
“Brad originally came up with the idea tailgating at a Carolina football game,” says Oliver Lollis. “The idea was born after when Brad had multiple drinks stolen from him at a tailgate. He would put his drink down to take a bite of food and when he went to get his drink, it was either gone or someone had put their drink down right next to his with no way to know which belonged to whom. He invented the Hoozie so he would never have to put his drink down. Since then we’ve come a long way on design and functionality. Hoozies now come with a headphone loop and eyelet system that keeps the headphones out of sight and tucked away to prevent tangling while exercising.”
Each of the four men plays a role in the Hoozie business. “While we’ve all taken on the sales role, it basically shook out to where Andy manages the daily operations and licensing, Brad’s in charge of marketing, Jim is our lawyer and I manage production and sales,” says Lollis.
These partners are nothing if not confident – their product motto is “The Hoozie is to the apparel industry what Apple is to the technology industry. It is everything you want in a hoodie, only more.”
When asked what other products these Hoozie folks might have up their hoodie sleeves, Lollis responds, “I think we would all like to see other products come into play, but at the end of the day we don’t think we need other products. Hoozies are that cool.”
You can find the Hoozie at www.myhoozie.com.