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February 15th, 2009
RYC Member Mike Hess featured on WOKR

Rochester, N.Y. -- From computer equipment to cameras, if it's a tech gadget, it's likely Skooba, a Rochester design company, has created a high end -- and very practical -- bag to carry it.

“What would happen if you're really traveling with this bag?” describes President and CEO Michael Hess.  “What if you reached under your seat to get a pen out of your bag?  It sounds silly, but if you travel a lot and can't get a pen out of your bag when it's under the seat, it's a royal pain."

The iPad, recently announced by Apple’s Steve Jobs, presented a unique challenge. "Literally before the iPad announcement people were calling us and asking are you going to have something for Apple's new product?  I'm like, 'we don't know what it is yet, neither do you,'” says Hess.

He describes employees gathering around the computer January 27^th for the live announcement.  “Websites were crashing everywhere."  Then as Jobs held up the new product they wondered aloud what to do and whether they could be the first to bring to market a bag that would fit it. 

Fortunately Skooba designers also make prototypes the old-fashioned way -- on a sewing machine in the warehouse.  In this case, high-tech computer aided designs were scrapped for a cardboard mock-up of an iPad made to scale.

Less than five days later, Skooba bags from simple to more elaborate designs hit the web market, available to consumers even before the iPad they're designed to carry.

“We sent out an announcement that says you can't get the iPad yet but you can get the bag and stare at it until you can get the iPad,” says Hess. “And people did!"

The company has a new slogan.  Step One:  Buy a bag for your iPad.  Step Two:  Stare at the empty bag and dream.  Step Three:  Stand in line all night outside the Apple story when it becomes available.