Lights, Car, Action
Neon products inventor
By Don Debelak
At 21, Jack Panzarella moved back home with his parents to cut
his expenses so he could introduce his first invention, a
high-voltage neon light that operates using a transformer. Powered
by a car's battery, the Undercar Neon makes a car's
undercarriage glow in the dark. Now Panzarella, 29, has three major
product lines--Auto-Neon (a line of car products), Sport-Neon (for
in-line skaters) and Home-Neon (a line of clocks, sculptures and
accent lighting)--with a combined total of more than 200 products.
His Wayne, New Jersey, company, Street Glow Inc., now employs more
than 200 people and had estimated sales of $16 million last
year. Panzarella's parents helped him in more ways than just
providing a place to live. They're both entrepreneurs, and
growing up, he knew from their example that he'd someday start
his own business. His idea for neon auto accessories succeeded,
despite his limited budget, because his invention had drama and
pizzazz--in other words, he had a product people couldn't help
but notice. No invention sells as well or as easily as an eye-catching one.
Panzarella has expanded his business by capitalizing on his flair
for the dramatic and using event-oriented marketing tactics to
build customer awareness.
Content Continues Below
Don Debelak (dondebelak@uswest.net) is a
new-business marketing consultant who has been introducing new
products for more than 20 years. He is the author of Bringing
Your Product To Market (John Wiley & Sons, $19.95,
800-225-5945)
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