If
you exhibited at any of the consumer dive shows
on “the circuit” this year, you may
remember seeing a company that takes out two booths,
has a ton of merchandise in it, is always filled
with a bunch of divers trying on their products,
and has two people who look like pirates at a party,
laughing and joking with their customers. Well,
the company is Susan Martin Inc., better known
as ScubaDoRag, and one of the people is none other
than Susan Martin. Susan started her company, Susan
Martin / Creative Displays & Services in 1980,
before it was fashionable to be woman-owned and
work out of your home. A conceptual designer who’s
aspiration is to banish beige, Susan offered a
prop search, set styling and wardrobe service for
photographers, film production companies and did
visual merchandising for local merchants and wholesale
vendors at regional shows in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Susan quickly became one of the most sought after
designers to design, produce and install holiday
décor for some of the largest banks and
office buildings in her area.
Attempting
to help others change after experiencing many life-altering
changes herself, Susan developed
CoCoCheznaynay, Secret Agent of Truth & Style,
as a branding vehicle and a truth-seeking character
who disperses CoCoCourage, wit and wisdom. CoCo’s
about owning all of who you are and facing your fears.
While taking scuba diving lessons and experiencing
overwhelming performance anxiety and fear, CoCo started
teaching Susan to stick with it. While spending time
on all of the dive boats, Susan saw a need for a
product to contain her hair. Voila! ScubaDoRags,
a patent-pending
product was born!
Susan
was on vacation in Mexico when her marketing ideas
all came together. She was arranging press
releases for her new products, working with web
site designers,
and negotiating with garment manufacturers and
raw material suppliers. It was then, that Susan
Martin,
Inc. / ScubaDoRag was born.
Susan
Martin, Inc’s first product was the ScubaDoRag
(patent pending). The product was originally developed
for divers to contain their hair, identify them
underwater and provide sun protection on the surface.
Pretty smart,
huh? Underwater, the ScubaDoRag keeps your hair
from getting tangled or from making you look unphotographable
with all that hair all over the place. On the surface,
the ScubaDoRag dries quickly and does not blow
off
your head like hats do. Another exciting product
is the ScubaTubeSock. This unique product is great
for
slipping in and out of your wet suit. They are
just as fantastic for slipping in and out of your
booties.
Both DoRag and TubeSocks come in many colorful
patterns and subtle solids.
To
find out more about Susan Martin, Inc./ScubaDoRag,
contact Susan Martin, 307 West Tremont Avenue,
Suite C, Charlotte, NC 28203. Phone: 704-372-5170.
Fax:
704-372-5151.
Email: cocochez@bellsouth.net Web: www.scubadorag.com
Editor’s note: I first met Susan at the Sea
Space Consumer Dive Show back in 2003. From the very
beginning
I was fascinated by her products and her outgoing
personality. If there ever was a person who lived
their business,
Susan Martin is her. I’ve had the pleasure
to watch Susan at work during the entire 2004
consumer
dive show circuit. There is always a lot of
action at her booth and divers seem to love
her and the Do
Rag. Dana and I are both big fans of Susan
and her company. We’ve ‘sported
the Do Rag and Tube Socks throughout our Bahamas
trips and in Fiji.
These are two dive products that are a “must
have” in every dive bag. The Dive Industry
Association is proud to call Susan Martin Inc./ScubaDoRag
a Member
(# 89) in good standing.
|
