Photos by Ralph Freso
Darting through campus can be a challenge for Grand Canyon University students trying to arrive at their classrooms on time while navigating through foot traffic on their scooters. That task can become even more challenging while holding a drink.
Walker Wood, a junior entrepreneur major, and Ryan Vibeto, a mechanical engineering student, are trying to solve that problem.
They have created 3D Skates & Scoots, which producers cupholders and mounts for scooters and skateboards.
Wood started thinking about the device last winter and started to sell his products at campus student markets this fall.
“People recognize the real need for it,” Wood said. “It’s a problem students are facing on campus, especially with a student body in which at least 70% have a scooter or skateboard. There’s definitely a need.”
It took Bailey Andersen about six weeks to realize she needed a drink holder from 3D Skates & Scoots.
“I was looking because I spilled my coffee enough times on my white shoes that I got tired of it,” said Andersen, who purchased her drink holder on Family Weekend.
Wood uses 3D printers to produce his products. They include zip ties that attach to the head tube of the scooter, and rubber and Velcro strips prevent the cupholder from sliding up and down the tube.
The design accommodates beverages of various sizes, from narrow Red Bull cans to medium water bottles to large GCBC cups or Yeti tumblers.
Wood, who serves as the IDEA Club Marketplace administrator, has ramped up marketing for 3D Skates & Scoots through social media accounts and videos that display the perils of riding while trying to hold a drink and the benefits of a cupholder.
“We continue to design them based on feedback from our customers and resolve any issues they might have regarding the design,” Vibeto said.
Said Wood: “Anything you get on campus, it will hold.”
Andersen was happy with her purchase.
“I like it very much because my Stanley fits in well with the handle,” she said after parking her scooter and heading to a classroom at Building 42. “It’s perfect because it doesn’t shake.”
Wood and Vibeto's company also sells cellphone holders for scooters and skateboard bumpers.
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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