Twins turn Buggie Bag invention into a booming business

Joshua and Zachary Neyens, 8, have been dubbed the "twinventors" by LegalZoom.com, a website that listed the twins as the youngest patent holders in the United States for their invention of the Buggie Bag.

The boys were also one of five finalists to star in a national commercial for LegalZoom.com, which provides affordable legal services.

"They did great, but we didn't quite make it," said their proud dad, Jay Neyens, about missing the final cut.

Since the boys invented the Buggie Bag last year, business has boomed.

"We sold 20 the first year and a couple hundred this year," Neyens said. "Right now, demand is greater than the supply."

It all started when the third-grade Arrowhead Elementary School students were just 6 years old and playing Superman in their garage with some stretchy fabric.

"Zach said, ‘Daddy, why don't we buy some more fabric,'" Neyens said. "I replied, ‘I think we are done buying fabric, we have a ton of it.'"

That is when Josh piped up and said, "We could use it to cover the dune buggy," and Zach chimed in, "Yeah, that would be cool."

Neyens, co-owner of a Peoria landscaping business, a former singer in a rock band and a special effects technician, has never been one to let an opportunity pass him by when it comes his way.

Right away he went to the Internet and found that no one made anything like it.

And so was the birth of the Buggie Bag.

He immediately began researching fabric and found a local woman who does alterations to sew the first bag.

Neyens also went to LegalZoom.com, where he got the ball rolling to get a patent for their invention.

"Thank goodness I listened that day in the garage," Neyens said. "Now, I am making my income from this. How crazy is that? Who knew? We just made one as an idea, and now a couple hundred later, people are nuts over it."

He said what makes their product unique from anything else on the market is the stretchy fabric.

"In our last patent, we added an alarm system," Neyens explained. "It is inside the bag, so if it blows off or it is removed due to an attempted theft, it will page you or send a text message to your phone. It is a nice feature we have added."

Because they are able to produce and sell more bags, they have also been able to lower the price from $250 last year to $150.

"Instead of making 10 at a time, we are now making 100 at a time," Neyens said.

Currently, the Buggie Bags are being manufactured in Los Angeles but there is a bid out to try and lower the cost.

"We are also selling a lot of bags in Australia through a company called Cam Ritchie," Neyens said. "The racers love them. They can cover their cars in the pits."

Neyens said listening to his boys and helping them with their invention has taught them a lot about business.

"They are old enough to understand the concept of supply and demand," Neyens said. "We even have company board meetings, which they think are called board meetings because they get bored."

Josh and Zach even designed their own postcard and coined the company slogan, "Buggie Bag, Stretch Your Imagination."

Neyens said creativity isn't something you can learn, it is something you nurture.

The boys said they have other ideas too, such as Buggie Bag toys and Buggie Bag swim suits.

Dad and sons travel to numerous trade shows setting up booths to promote their product and will be attending the Sand Sports Super Show in Costa Mesa, Calif., Sept. 17, 18 and 19.

"Everything off-road in the industry will be at that show," Neyens said.

Josh and Zach added, "The Buggie Bag business is booming."

To learn more about the Buggie Bag, visit their website at www.buggiebag.com.