Steve Divnick has always made things. He grew up welding, cutting, machining, and modifying everything from bicycles to electrical wiring circuits. He built off-road vehicles, and made them go faster and climb steeper. During his motorcycling and off-roading days, he developed a reputation for being able to "fix anything with a pair of pliers and some bailing wire." If you were on a safari and broke down, you would want Divnick to be on the trip!

He became a school teacher in 1973 (physical education and guidance counseling) and continued to create devices in his shop that made vehicles go faster, and to build gadgets that saved time around the house, and for his friends.

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One of his first major modifications , Divnick designed and built the first prototype Pickup-Van combination, now a standard in the RV industry as 5th-wheel tow vehicles. It was featured in magazines in the late 1970's. Click here for more pictures of the building process.

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While still a teacher in 1980, he tried his hand at selling SLICK-50, a product that treated engines with teflon to reduce friction and increase mileage. But he wasn't very successful using the company sales-pitch, so cut a porthole on the side of a lawn mower engine and covered it with lexan so people could see it running without oil..for hours at a time! This demonstration device helped him become the largest distributor in SLICK-50's history. Divnick then ordered truck-loads of these engines from Briggs & Stratton and hired students to modify them with the customized see-through glass window shown here. He sold them to fellow distributors all over the world. SLICK-50 is now sold in major department store chains and the see-through engines are still used to demonstrate teflon metal-coating products.

Divnick began to realize there was money to be made with his passion for mechanical creativity. He retired from teaching in 1981 to devote full time to making and marketing his products.

One of his creations was an automotive alarm system that buzzed when the key was removed and the lights were still on. He sold it to fellow teachers at the university so they would remember to turn off their lights on foggy mornings. Orders began coming in from everywhere. Over the next few years, it became a standard in the automotive industry. Unfortunately, Divnick did not pursue a patent. But that taught him a valuable lesson about protecting his ideas.

He has since invented a variety of patented products for world-wide distribution through licensing, and manufacturing and marketing companies he has formed.

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Divnick became an instrument-rated pilot in 1982 and immediately began modifying his Cessna 210 to make it perform better. He later developed a passion for vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft (VTOL) that continues today. He has experimented with models and believes a full version of his design will lift the payload of a helicopter and match the airspeed of a fixed wing airplane.

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Another long-term project is developing a rotary cylinder combustion engine that Divnick believes will improve on the efficiency and emissions drawbacks of the Wankel/Mazda design. When completed, it could be as little as 1/3rd the weight, have 1/2 the moving parts, and produce 50% more power than a conventional engine on the same amount of fuel. His goal is to challenge the traditional automotive engine market and have a light-weight dependable power plant for his VTOL.

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In 1985, he created and patented a fund-raising device called the "Spiral Wishing Well". Thousands of Wells have been sold to stores, restaurants, charities, museums, zoos, and many other locations. They have raised over $200 million for charities around the world. The one-day record is currently over $7,000! He added a miniature toy model in 1987, shown below.

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Divnick took up the game of golf in 1988, and thought it was unnecessary and cumbersome carrying a huge and heavy set of clubs around. He started working on a club with a transmission in the club head that could be locked on the various lofts of a conventional set. After four years of development and testing, he patented the Whole-In-One DIVNICK™ and now ships it around the world. (He wanted to call it the "Nicklaus" or "Palmer" but eventually settled on the DIVNICK™, a more available trademark!). Now you can play the entire game with just one club (shown above). The loft can be adjusted to replicate every club in your bag, even drivers and putters.

Shortly after introducing the adjustable club, he began to make telescopic drivers and putters for players that wanted to hit the ball farther than the shorter adjustable club was capable of doing, and have the more conventional feel of a normal putter. So, many of his customers carry three clubs--all portable. The success of the telescopic driver has led to the design of the break-through BIG STIK™ titanium drivers. These clubs have achieved the nirvana of drivers: High Loft AND Low Back Spin at the same time. The drivers come in 11º, 13º, and 15º lofts. He has also added titanium high loft 3-woods called LITTLE STIK™ that make it much easer to get the ball up in the air off of fairways and out of the rough . Click here to read more about these new titanium drivers.

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In 2001, Divnick founded a global communications internet company that sells a technology that lets you talk with anyone in the world over your computer 24 hours a day for low unlimted rates. The voice quality is better than the telephone. It can be one-on-one or with hundreds of people in the virtual room at a time. Click here to experience a live demonstration and see what all the excitement is about.

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iBizGrams.com provides topical business-class ecards on motivation, appreciation, announcements, congratulations, and teamwork. The sender can add his or her own message to the variety of astounding graphics that populate these unique cards.

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Divnick's customers become loyal followers and are responsible for a large portion of the company's ongoing sales. Divnick comments, "Our customers are our best source of advertising. It only makes sense to treat them like I would want to be treated."

Divnick and his partners appreciate your interest in their products, and hope you enjoy your tour through the various web sites.

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Inventing Information

If you are interested in inventing, how to get a patent, and related questions, we invite you to click here and review our free page about inventing.

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Divnick's Beliefs about the Marketplace, College, Religion, and the Ideal Job

Divnick has become an outspoken advocate of small business innovation and self-employment. He regularly lectures to students and at other business and motivational venues. Through the years, he has developed strongly-held opinions about business, politics, and a variety of other subjects. Click here to read more about these topics.