A Dad's Cautionary Advice Led to a Growing Family Business After a near-accident while training for a marathon, an entrepreneur develops a line of identification gear for outdoor athletes.

Dogged determination: Edward Wimmer (right) and his father, Mike, have seen rapid sales of Road ID.

Photos© Ian Londin

When Edward Wimmer was in college, a close call taught him to think twice about ignoring his dad's advice. His father, Mike, cautioned him to "wear some form of ID" while training for a marathon.

"Like any good 21-year-old, I dismissed his concerns," Wimmer says. A week later, an oncoming truck forced him to jump into a ditch during a training run. "I faced two realities," he says. "First, I was almost hit by a truck and nobody knew where I was. The second reality? My dad was right."