TC Road Gear – Eclectic Ladies Chaps
I love the opportunity to talk with people who are successful motorcycle clothing entrepreneurs. It’s enlightening to see the focus, the drive, the vision, and the purpose as to why they start a company to produce a product that motorcyclists love, enjoy, and want to wear everytime they are out on the bike!
Well, I had the delightful opportunity to speak with two incredible businessmen that have the unique vision and purpose that I just adore!
Konstantin Dolgan and Tommy Gay are visionaries in their respective field of profession. Konstantin started the LA New Product Development Team. It is a cross-functional organization of talented engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs. It actually evolved from a student organization at Louisiana Tech in 2014. He created the startup with the mission of developing new products, technologies, app and web solutions with the end goal of commercialization.
Konstantin said, “The Team helps making business dreams a reality by providing a complete range of new product development services from conceptualization and engineering to prototyping and marketing.”
Konstantin added, “Our company is into product development. We help with the marketing and planning for items that our customers come up with. For example, Tommy Gay came to us with his chaps. We helped him get the exposure he needed to launch his items.”
So, what are the items that Konstantin and his team are helping Tommy promote and foster? Well, before I tell you that interesting story, let’s talk about a special person that had unbelievably stimulating imagination and miraculously good taste with materials and patterns – especially the leopard prints.
Her name was Cynthia. Cynthia met Tommy Gay when Tommy was looking for a unique and imaginative interior designer for the hospital he worked for in Louisiana. “When I was looking for an interior designer, I had contacts throughout the world looking as well. Cynthia was well known for her work, having created unique and interesting looks around the globe. Her credentials were stellar. I contacted Cynthia asking her if she would be able to recommend anyone for this job. Once she read the job specs for the hospital interior design job, she said the contract was hers!”
Cynthia was a very unique and high class dresser. She always looked like a million bucks. Her signature look was leopard print. Tommy shared, “We married a few years later and I gave her the ok to go ahead and redecorate the house. There was leopard print in the foyer, in the den, in the bedroom. Don’t get me wrong, her work was professional and beautiful. That was how she was!”
“We rode the motorcycle together. She always looked perfect. One day, I took her leather chaps – and the bolt of leopard print material – to a friend asking to make a pair of leopard print chaps. The final product was perfect! I gave Cynthia these chaps to wear and she was thrilled. She wore them everytime we went out on the bike. From the first day, women kept coming up to Cynthia asking her where she got the chaps. She pointed to me and said to them, “He made them for me!” We began to discuss the possibility producing and selling them, however a short time later she got sick.
Unfortunately, Cynthia passed away from complications from diabetes three years ago. As Tommy shared with me the passing of his beloved wife, I could feel the love and devotion he still holds for her as he told Cynthia’s story. “The diabetes came on quickly and we had a very hard time trying to control it. We tried everything. She maintained her beauty and elegance up to the end. Eventually, there was nothing more we could do. She was a wonderful, bright, intelligent, and vivacious woman. I want to keep on with the design of the chaps in keeping her memory and vision alive.”
From purple, to white, to a pink and black tiger print, snakeskin, and other intriguing colors and designs, these chaps are beautiful and different. In order to take this item to another level, Tommy took his idea a bit further, “I contacted Konstantin at LA New Product Development Team to get his team’s help in promoting and marketing these chaps. Thanks to Konstantin, we are in a really good place in finding various outlets to sell and promote our chaps.”
Born To Ride is very pleased to be able to help pass the word about TC Road Gear and the magnificent chaps, TC Chaps, that you can purchase today!
Good luck, Tommy and Konstantin! Thank you for sharing your great story with the readers of Born To Ride magazine!
Susan Hurst
What: TC Road Gear & TC Chaps
Web: TCRoadGear.com
Orders: Konstantin 318-243-5789