The recent “Doing Business With The Port Authority” seminar hosted by the Orange County Chamber of Commerce brought out some innovators who want to know how to market their products to the agency.
Paralegal Cheryl Lander went to LaGuardia airport to pick up daughter Julie, returning home from college in Florida. The last thing Lander wanted to do was stand in her bare feet waiting to pass through security to go up and pick up her returning graduate. “I stood on my tiptoes the entire time waiting to get through the screening. It really was very uncomfortable, but I didn”™t have any desire to pick up an undesirable disease from carpeting.
“That”™s when I thought of the disposable gloves doctors wear at offices — why can”™t the same kind of disposable footwear be used at airports so people do not have to stand barefoot waiting to get through the TSA?” said Lander. She brought her idea ”“ and a package of her latex-free, disposable Foot-Its ”“ to the Port Authority seminar, hoping to catch the attention of the PA”™s Ralph Trigale, manager of government and community affairs, who was on hand.
“I think if people realized how much disease was spread ”“ plantar”™s warts, athlete”™s foot and other fungal disease ”“ while standing around barefoot waiting to go through security, airports would be wise to protect their passengers,”said Lander. “Here”™s our solution to the problem,”.
Â
Outside, Trigale encountered Jack White, president of Segway of the Hudson Valley. White”™s $5,000 mini-scooter gets about 24 miles from a regular plug-in outlet and “leaves no carbon footprint,” said White, who gave Trigale a trial spin. The machine is manipulated by moving your heels and toes and the handlebars allow you to turn right or left, or go in circles. “The main idea,” said White, “is it gets people around a large area ”“ an airport or a mall ”“ and it stops as soon as the person steps off. If it bumps into anything, it automatically stops, so there”™s no danger of it going out of control and hurting anyone. It can also be equipped with saddlebags.”
Lander and White were among the crowd who wanted to find a way to market their services and products to the Port Authority. Trigale was not only willing to give each gadget a try, but to take names and numbers. Now, both Lander and White will register with the Port Authority”™s Web site and hope their products will be given some consideration for use by the agency.
“I think I”™ve got a great product, and they are used in several places and they are what the Port Authority is saying they want for Stewart ”“ ”˜no carbon footprint.”™ My product certainly fits the bill.”
Â
