IndyStar.com reports that Andrew Shelton was just 21 years old, a junior at Wabash College, when he had an idea for a new product: a backpack cooler that keeps drinks cold and easy to carry.
He got the idea after lugging an oversized cooler to the Indianapolis 500 with a friend, with drinks spilling everywhere.
“I just figured that had to be a better way to do it,” he said.
He designed a prototype, formed a company, found financing and a manufacturer.
Eight years later, Shelton has sold nearly 100,000 TrackPack Coolers, backpack coolers that carry up to 20 12-ounce beverage cans, using a plastic frame, an insulated cover and a waterproof liner.
Inside, the cans are stacked in four vertical columns, like a soda machine, kept chilled by ice packs.
Last year, Shelton rang up more than $1 million in sales, selling the coolers through Kroger, Dick’s Sporting Goods, United Package Liquors, his website and at special events.
Photo by IndyStar.com.