WIJIT - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Founder
• Managing Member
• Member of the Management Team
• Founder / Inventor
• Inventor

Brian M. Watwood, a world-class athlete and professional skier, was struck head-on in an automotive accident while riding his bicycle home from an outing. Brian was diagnosed as a C5-C6 incomplete quadriplegic as the result of the accident and was confined to a manual wheelchair that he could not operate. One day, during his rehabilitation, Brian sat staring at a water fountain, unable to propel his chair forward to get a drink. Totally frustrated, he closed his eyes, clenched his teeth and fought the rage within. Brian refers to what happened next as his WIJIT epiphany. His "mind's eye" went blank, devoid of all conscious thought and stark white; almost simultaneously a vision of two levers appeared in the center of the whiteness. Because Brian persevered with his vision, and went on to develop his technologies, he was eventually successful in moving his wheelchair. His story is unique in the sense that his remarkable recovery resulted in his limited ability to walk, earning him the nickname "SuperQuad" (the Superman of Quadriplegics). His inspiration to help others in the disabled community began when immobility drove him to act. Brian recognized the disparities between user needs and available products. At that time the global wheelchair industry was dominated by cumbersome and heavy steel frames; but in the late 1990's manufacturers began to innovate, flooding the market with lightweight and ultralight wheelchairs. The Wijit DBS met this trend towards ergonomic design and lightweight materials and has been in use globally since 2007. The Wijit's award-winning design has been praised by consumers, scientists and trade journals, for providing the next revolution in wheelchair technology. A full, detailed story about Brian and the Wijit has been taken from the excellent article, "The Super Quad", by Clive Soden (originally featured in the Access Travel Center website). The following is the opening paragraph from that article: When Brian Watwood woke up in the hospital, doctors told him he was a quadriplegic. Three days earlier a car had slammed head-on into Brian as he was riding his bicycle home from a horse show 25 miles away. Brian's face was mangled, his neck severely injured, and he was paralyzed from the chin down. Read Article Brian Watwood is the founder and CEO/CTO of "The Wijit Company, LLC". Given his work with the Wijit DBS, and his associated activities in the community, both he and the Wijit have been the focus of several television and print media appearances. This recognition for Brian and the Wijit has also come in the form of receiving several awards. As it is with the saying: "It is difficult to separate the man from the machine", such is the case with Brian and his Wijit. The many television and print media appearances, and awards given, are a combination of successes attributed to both Brian and the Wijit. The following is a list of some of their achievements: Awards Induction into The National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities Easter Seals Equality, Dignity and Independence Award Medtrade's Providers Choice Award Claire Pomeroy Award/SARTA MedStart for excellence in MedTech Innovation United Cerebral Palsy Accessibility Award Mr. Watwood is the founder with the vision to conceptualize the technology. Mr. Watwood was disabled in 1987. Initially paralyzed from the neck down, Brian was confined to and dependent upon wheelchairs. This experience provided him unique perspectives into the many problems inherent to users of wheelchairs. His patented concepts for driving, steering and braking manual wheelchairs led him to develop today's phenomenal Wheel-Based Wijit. His desire to make this technology available to wheelchair users worldwide has become the driving force ofWatwood, Inc. As Founder and Managing Partner of The Wijit Company, Mr. Watwood's responsibilities include representing the company and presenting Wijit technology to the professional community while overseeing the manufacturing and further development of Wijit technology. National media attention to Mr. Watwood's story has portrayed him as a living symbol of perseverance and recovery. His dedication to making his Wijit technology available for the wheelchair dependent has directly and indirectly impacted the lives of many disabled persons and those they come in contact with. Consequently, he was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities. His inclusion in this select and honored group joins Mr. Watwood with such notables as Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Job Titles:

• Consulting Engineer
• Member of the Management Team

Mr. Strimaitis' expertise and experience is with product development. He has designed robotic equipment to deploy overhead automobile sensing devices and sub-sea equipment on underwater vehicles for Schilling Robotics. Mr. Strimaitis has experience designing bicycle-related products for Bell Sports, Giro Sport Design and Santa Cruz Bicycles, a background well suited for the wheelchair industry and the mechanics of the Wijit. He has been involved with transforming the prototype Wijit mechanics to an economically mass-producible and reliable design. His engineering design experience and dedication will be instrumental in supporting future product development with The Company. Mr. Strimaitis earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Management Team
• Operations Supervisor

Mr. Rhea provides the Company over twenty years of Quality Assurance experience in a high-speed production environment. Mr. Rhea has a diploma in Micro Computer Operations and Maintenance from MTI College, with a CompTIA A+ Certification in computer repair and maintenance. Mr. Rhea also provides experience in small office managerial skills, and since joining The Company his computer and office skills have proven invaluable in keeping the company operating efficiently. With over a decade of "Wijit" experience he currently handles most of the company's Wijit operations including Wijit Assembly and Maintenance, Shipping/Receiving, Inventory & Production Control. Mr. Rhea brings a well rounded personal and professional set of job skills to The Company with a dedication and belief in the Wijits ability to change manual wheelchair users' lives in a functional and positive manner.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Management Team
• Internet Services Manager

Mr. Faggard has a B.S. in Computer Science from California State University, Sacramento. As an independent contractor specializing in web design and web programming, Mr. Faggard has designed, built and maintained several web sites for clients, notably Voterdigest.com. Thanks in part to the influence of his work on Voterdigest.com, his client (John F. Gillis) was nominated and became President Bush's National Director for Crime Victims. Since his work with Voterdigst.com, Mr. Faggard went on to design and build the original Wijit web site and manages The Company's Internet requirements. As a disabled person, with intimate knowledge of the Wijit, he is uniquely qualified, in a professional and insightful way, to present the Wijit and The Company to the Internet-ready world.