Today we’d like to introduce you to Dee Baron.
“I was spending a lot of time on the golf course riding in carts, and my hips were often sore after a round of golf from the sharp turns and rough terrain. That is what started my journey to find a solution to this annoying problem, which eventually led to my development of Cart Buddy. After numerous design changes, prototypes and testing, I finally got the Cart Buddy just right,” says Baron.
CART BUDDY™ is a patent pending innovative and stylish padded protective sleeve for the hard plastic hip restraints on golf carts.
Manufactured in the United States with high quality materials and precision craftsmanship, Cart Buddy is designed to improve the comfort, safety, and appearance of your golf or leisure cart. The protective padded sleeve is custom made to fit any cart make or model, and is available in a large selection of colors to match the upholstery of your cart’s seat and backrest. Cart Buddy easily slips over the hip restraints and takes only seconds to attach with its secure fastening system that is concealed under the cart’s seat.
The Cart Buddy padded protective sleeve still allows the hip restraint to perform its other intended functions such as serving as a handle for riders to grasp and as a handle for lifting the seat. Cart Buddy also offers other added features such as integrating a back-up source of power for electronic devices, a wireless speaker for listening to music, and an extra storage holder for accessories.
Dee, president of Innovative Accessories, LLC, the creator and owner of Cart Buddy, says, “Your comfort level increases significantly with the Cart Buddy padded sleeve protecting your hip, upper leg, and arm from the hard plastic. In surveys we conducted, almost 100 percent of respondents said they would prefer to ride in a cart that has the Cart Buddy.”
He is an independent business owner and entrepreneur and has resided in North Texas for 26 years. He got the idea for Cart Buddy when he sold his previous business and started golfing more frequently.
Hip restraints on a typical golf cart are made of a solid one-piece forged hard plastic material, and riders’ hips, upper legs, and arms come in constant contact with these unrelenting materials.
According to a 2010 study and publication by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, there are approximately 15,000 golf cart-related injuries requiring emergency room treatment each year, and soft tissue damage and severe bruising account for nearly 48 percent of these injuries. Contusions and abrasions were the most common diagnosis for the hip and upper leg area.
Cart Buddy offers a simple, permanent solution to this problem. Cart Buddy is made of high quality foam padding, and absorbs the shock of rough terrain or unexpected sharp turns and bumps.
The protective padded sleeve is custom made to fit any cart make or model, and easily slips over the hip restraints taking only seconds to attach with its secure fastening system that is concealed under the cart’s seat.
Has it been a smooth road?
Perfecting the design for each different Manufacturer, Model, Style and Color of Golf Cart took over a year of hard work and many different variations until we go something we were happy with.
Finding a place in Texas that could do this type of manufacturing was also challenging, but we were very lucky to find a place in Southeast Ft. Worth called Fortifoam.
Of course, filing for Patents and ultimately getting our Utility Patent took a lot of time, patience and resources. It was a great feeling when we finally got it earlier this year in April 2017.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cart Buddy by Innovative Accessories story. Tell us more about the business.
Our company was founded around the idea and invention of CART BUDDY. Right now, the only item that we market is CART BUDDY, but I also invented another item for Golf Carts and we recently received the Utility Patent on this item and plan to begin marketing it in 2018.
We are most proud of the response that we get from Customers and how much they like CART BUDDY. We have many customers that have already purchased their 2nd set for another cart or a gift for a friend.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The golf cart industry will continue to grow and expand as more and more communities approve Golf Carts for use on the roads around town. In some communities, such as the Villages in Florida, there are more golf carts than cars and they are used as the primary means of transportation. It is estimated that there are over 50,000 golf carts in the villages. Trophy Club, TX approved golf carts for use throughout the town about 2 years ago and it is great that CART BUDDY was invented in Trophy Club by one of their residents.
Pricing:
- Cart Buddy improves the Comfort and Style of any golf cart for under $100.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cart-buddy.com
- Phone: 800-275-1847
- Email: dee@cart-buddy.com
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