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The SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator has welcomed STASH Sporting Goods, Inc., as its latest tenant. The company, which has been in existence since 1981, was founded by Carol “Stash” Stanley, a member of the Class of 1971, making STASH Sporting Goods the first incubator tenant to be founded by a Fredonia graduate.*
The company recently launched its third major product and, in doing so, has recognized the benefits of aligning itself with Fredonia’s incubator and the university campus. This latest product, LaceLocker®, is a unique footwear lace storage device designed to make running and competing in sports safer and more enjoyable.
“Being associated with the incubator and having contact with the university has been an excellent source for the company,” said Founder Carol Stanley. “As an athlete, I strive to design equipment that provides players with comfort and safety while also helping to improve their game.”
After spending 27 years as an athlete, Ms. Stanley’s first foray into designing sports equipment featured a line of baseball and softball gloves which use “Palmer Padding” to disperse the energy from a sharply hit ball, to reduce painful contusions and bruising to the hand. The STAN-MILL MITT glove is the only one of its kind featured in a permanent collection in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
LaceLocker is an innovative and unique device which securely stores tied shoe laces. Its simplicity of use (three easy steps) allows users of all ages to tie and wear footwear with laces in a safer manner. Made entirely in the U.S., LaceLocker can be used for activities such as running, ice skating, golf, tennis — any sport that requires some type of laced footwear, making the cumbersome process of double or triple knotting laces (which are harder to undo) a thing of the past. LaceLocker is also a perfect answer for those young ones whose laces seem to always come untied.
“Launching a new product is a significant step for any company in the incubator,” said Incubator Director Robert Fritzinger. “An incredible amount of progress is being made, and I don’t see them slowing down.”
Stanley holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Fredonia with majors in Speech, English and Theater. She also holds a Master of Education degree from SUNY Cortland as well as a Master of Information Studies from Drexel University. In addition to her entrepreneurial efforts, she is currently the Registrar at the University of Virginia, a position she has held since 2000. From 1985 until 2000 she was Director of Student Information and Records at Drexel. She has also served the University of Pennsylvania and SUNY Binghamton in their student records areas, coached softball at Ohio State University and SUNY Binghamton (where she formed the varsity softball program and team), and organized, established and trained the Peruvian Women’s National Softball Team.
To learn more about the company, visit www.lacelocker.com, or contact Stanley at stash@stashsports.com.
The SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator offers its client entrepreneurs access to a unique facility, business resources, technology expertise as well as a range of highly qualified faculty, technology experts, business professionals and mentors. Research shows businesses graduating from an incubator significantly increase their probability of long-term success. Companies typically spend two to three years in an incubator and then graduate when they meet milestones that allow them to operate independently and expand.
*V3 Studios is also owned by two Fredonia alumni; however, its founders were Fredonia students when the company was first formed.
