Looking For Some Momentum

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Jason Pong hopes his business can ride a skateboardlike device to success.

Pong, the owner of Stowboards.net, markets a transportation tool called a “stowboard,” so named because it can be folded into a compact box that’s easy to fit in a backpack.

When it’s folded out, the stowboard has a length of 31 inches. Folded up, it’s the equivalent of a 5-inch-thick stack of 8½-by-11-inch paper.

Stowboards also have larger wheels than the average skateboard, so they’re easier to navigate over uneven sidewalks or weatherworn asphalt.

“Basically, it’s the ultimate travel ride,” said Pong, 30, a USC graduate student in biomedical engineering and neuroscience.

Pong sells the stowboards via his Web site for $130 out of a Venice facility with his marketing partner, Jonathan Franks. Pong said they’ve sold 200 since they launched the venture in October 2008.

Pong first discovered stowboards in 2005 when they were manufactured by Pronto Sports Inc., a Montebello-based maker of athletic equipment. Pong bought one after his skateboard was stolen. He was smitten by its smooth ride, portability and futuristic look.

“It wasn’t like anything I’d seen before in my life,” he said.

When Pronto Sports announced in 2007 that it would drop the stowboard business because of poor sales, Pong bought the inventory and made some design changes – buyers now get a more durable brand of rear wheels.

Most of his customers are students, but Pong said he’s also sold stowboards to professionals looking for a different way to commute. One of his favorite sales was to a 63-year-old college professor who needed some ground speed but also had some concerns about his public image.

“He didn’t want to be seen riding a skateboard on campus,” Pong said. “But this got him the look he wanted.”

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