SAN DIEGO, July 4, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In early
April, Rock West Composites (RWC) announced the Quaranvent Design
Competition as a way of engaging with the public during the nearly
nation-wide quarantine that happened in the late spring due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The period for entries closed at the end of May,
and the prize options included combinations of cash, RWC product,
and donations to organizations working on COVID-19 relief efforts.
On June 25 the company announced the
winner was Craig Monroe, who
designed a 15ft kayak that was inflatable, incorporated RWC carbon
fiber components, and could be easily transported in a
backpack.
The judging criteria included the innovation and uniqueness of
the idea, the usefulness of the design, the potential business case
for the product, and the use of RWC materials and products. The
inclusion of RWC materials was not required. Themes around the
pandemic, flattening the curve, and social distancing were
encouraged. The selection committee was excited about the variety
of designs submitted but ultimately felt that the backpack kayak
fit all the key points of the competition.
The winning entry keeps with the theme of social distancing and
engaging in healthy activities. It uses a combination of inflatable
parts and carbon fiber structural elements to make the kayak
lightweight enough—at 12 pounds or less—for hiking. The innovative
design collapses into a manageable backpack size, making it easier
to transport and for the user to access remote areas by foot. The
easy to assemble structure and durable Dyneema® skin adds to the
practicality of the design. The committee thought this design had a
great potential business case. You can read more about the entry on
the company's website:
https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/blog/announcing-the-winner-of-our-quaranvent-design-competition/.
"We were excited to see the entries come in over the period of
the competition," said Dave
Erickson, the General Manager RWC's Salt Lake City operation. "When customers have
shared their projects with us in the past, we were always amazed at
the creativity and innovation we would see, so we knew this would
be a great competition. Plus, we hoped to offer some focus and fun
for our customers with the challenges of isolation during
quarantine." As part of the winner's package, Mr. Monroe is
receiving a cash prize and RWC is making a $2000 donation to Feeding America, a
hunger-relief organization.
To visit Rock West Composites' website, go to
https://www.rockwestcomposites.com.
SOURCE Rock West Composites