In his 70 years, Eddie Jones has been a Scott High School student, a singer with an R&B group called the Enticements, a U.S. Coast Guardsman, and a locomotive engineer for Conrail and Norfolk Southern.
Now the Monclova Township resident is adding inventor, patent-holder, and entrepreneur to his resume.
About two years ago, he had what he calls a divine moment. An idea came to him.
“I give my Lord and Savior all the credit for that,” he said.
“Me being a seasoned young man, I recalled how I used to get down on the floor and do push-ups and sit-ups with no problem. But as we get older, some of us have issues getting down there — or getting up.”
Utilizing the experience he gained in the military reading and drawing blueprints, Mr. Jones sketched out the device he called the Easy Jump, which enables people to safely exercise the same muscle groups that would ordinarily get a workout from push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, dips, and free weights.
In a few days, he had a complete drawing, which he took to Butz Welding and Fabricating Ltd., a Toledo company located on Champlain Street. There, he worked with Reggie Butz, who is the third generation of his family to run the company.
“I brought his idea to life,” said Mr. Butz. “He had a vision of what he wanted, but that didn’t work for us. We had to help him refine his ideas. We built him some mockups and would bring him in to ask what he wanted changed. It was a fairly long, drawn-out process.”
Once the prototype was complete, Mr. Butz went to Mr. Jones’ home and installed it in his garage.
“This is what we do,” Mr. Butz said. “We’re a custom job shop. We’ve been doing this since 1947. People come to us with ideas — and ideas are the root of creation.”
Once he had a prototype, Mr. Jones sought out a company that could manufacture the Easy Jump at scale. He took his drawings to Riverside Machine and Automation, a Genoa company that provides engineering, prototyping, fabrication, and precision machining services.
There he worked with Dave Orman, who’s in charge of the company’s sales and estimating.
“Eddie was in the very early stages of his process when he came to us,” Mr. Orman said. “He wasn’t coming from a manufacturing background, so there was a bit of a learning curve between his design and what we do, but it went well, and we built it for him.”
The Easy Jump has no moving parts but consists of a steel frame that attaches to a wall. Two padded arms enable users to support their weight on their elbows and forearms, leaving their legs free to bend up and down, mimicking the motions of a sit-up done vertically. Strong elastic bands with handholds enable users to work their arms and legs from several different positions.
“I designed this so people can still work their core without getting down on the floor,” Mr. Jones said. “You can do everything in the upright or midrange position.”
He applied for a patent on his invention, which was granted on July 9.
“I was exhilarated when I got that letter, he said. “I’m a first-time inventor.
Creating the Easy Jump was only part of Mr. Jones’ transition to entrepreneurship. For advice on how to set up and market his company, he turned to the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s Small Business and Nonprofit department.
There he worked with specialist librarian Lindsay Williams.
“Working with Eddie was really great,” Ms. Williams said. “He came in very self-motivated and had a clear vision of what he wanted to do. We helped him refine his target market and empowered him to seek opportunities that would open things up for him. We assisted him in getting the veteran-owned and minority-owned certifications which could help him get government contracts.”
Ms. Williams recalls that scheduling time to talk with Mr. Jones while he was employed by the railroad and working unusual hours was sometimes challenging.
“I’d call him and always have to ask, ‘Is this a good time, or are you sleeping?” she said.
Mr. Jones’ target market now includes gyms, schools, senior centers, rehab facilities, and individuals looking to maintain their strength and independence.
“Older people may not be able to get down on the floor like they used to, but the Easy Jump lets them still work the core and biceps to stay toned,” he said. The upright design increases their blood flow and oxygen levels and makes it easier to stay engaged.”
Right now, Mr. Jones is showing off the Easy Jump at health and wellness exhibitions. Plans are also in the works to sell the device directly from his website for $1,750.
Despite the Easy Jump name, jumping is actually not an activity that’s facilitated by Mr. Jones’ invention. He simply wanted his creation to bear his initials.
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