A Peg Above the Rest

Name: Gary Lewtschenko

Business: Unique Creations

Industry: Outdoor/recreational products

IP smart since: 2000

The great outdoors has always been a passion for Gary Lewtschenko, and over the years, when the terrain got rough, Gary discovered a number of shortcomings with the every-day camping tent. These shortcomings became the inspiration behind Gary’s invention, the Anywhere Touring Tent.

With a clear idea of what he wanted to achieve, Gary designed his ‘pitch-anywhere’ Touring Tent to withstand extreme camping conditions including mud and water, rocky ground and uneven terrain.

“With its unique galvanized steel, telescopic legs, and hammock-like base, the Touring Tent can be adjusted to suit all terrains,” Gary said. “It can be pitched on the side of a mountain but still remain flat, on rocky ground without needing tent pegs, and over water up to 80 centimetres deep.”

The building and design of the Touring Tent was a whole new ball game for Gary, who started working on his idea when he was 18 years old. He tinkered with a number of designs until he came up with one that he believed would work. When Gary was satisfied with his design, he engaged a patent attorney and applied for patent protection to ensure that his idea remained his own.

“I knew that the Touring Tent was a really good idea so I wanted to own the invention, right from the start,” Gary said.

After setting the IP wheels in motion, Gary progressed the Touring Tent to the manufacturing stage.

“Once I had my IP secured, I had a couple of prototypes made up in Melbourne”, Gary said. “When I was happy with these, I engaged an agent and sent the prototype off to China for production.”

Gary’s patent attorney advised him to have a confidentiality agreement drawn up before he sent his prototype overseas, to protect his intellectual property when dealing with manufacturers.

”I met with about ten manufacturers until I found one that produced the Touring Tent to a quality I was satisfied with,” Gary said. “Having a confidentiality agreement allowed me to feel comfortable talking about my idea, and gave me peace of mind that manufacturers weren’t going to run off with my idea or discuss it with any potential competitors.”

Gary decided that he wanted to manage the manufacturing of the Touring Tent himself, rather than licensing his idea out to a larger company, so he initially had a small run produced.

“The decision to manage the manufacturing process myself gave me greater control over the production, the price, and the quality of the final product,” Gary said.

While Gary admits that this decision only allows him to expand at a pace that he can afford, he’s already setting his sights on the overseas market, and is looking into applying for a patent in key overseas markets for his Touring Tent.

So with the world at his feet, 23-year-old Gary has his sights set high. The Touring Tent has grown to a level where he has been able to give up his part-time job and establish a company, Unique Creations, with ambitions to concentrate on innovating fulltime.

“Unique Creations is evolving into a bigger business everyday” Gary says. “I’ve got at least another five ideas up my sleeve that I want to develop in the future and I’m intent on having a successful business based around my inventions—and at the core of the business is my protected IP.”