Developing an Invention with Garrett Paloncy

Garrett Paloncy

Garrett Paloncy has been involved in the invention of at least two products. One product is moving through the patent process, and the other is in an earlier stage of development. Garrett Paloncy can safely be considered an inventor, although he might balk a bit at accepting such praise. In fact, Garrett Paloncy believes that everyone has a great idea buried deep inside, and sometimes, people just need to take the plunge and start the inventing process.

Garrett Paloncy & Inventions

When Garrett Paloncy has an idea for an invention, he begins a period of intense research. He makes sure that no one else has come up with the same idea, which often means spending days or weeks looking through online catalogs and patent applications. If Garrett Paloncy finds a product that's similar to the product he's developing, he looks closely at the design of the existing piece and thinks of ways to substantially change that design and make it better. Perhaps Garrett Paloncy could make the piece out of a different material, for example, or perhaps he could think of ways to make the machine run more efficiently.

Once Garrett Paloncy has a rough idea of his product, and he knows his ideas are original, he begins to draw out his product and think about how it will function. He uses computer programs to do much of this design, but he has also been known to use a pencil and paper to make rough sketches. Garrett Paloncy knows that manufacturing companies might use his sketches to produce the piece, so he does all he can to ensure that his drawings are at the proper scale and that his ideas are articulated clearly.

An idea remains an idea until it's acted upon, and Garrett Paloncy works hard to ensure that his ideas become a reality. He applies for patents when his products are truly original, and he looks for manufacturing partners that are willing to produce his ideas on a large scale.

It might sound like a lot of work, but according to Garrett Paloncy, the invention process can also be incredibly rewarding. There's nothing quite like seeing your internal thoughts become something concrete and real, and holding a patent on an idea you have is truly something to be proud of. Garrett Paloncy encourages all would-be inventors to get out their pencils and start the process today!

Running and Garrett Paloncy

Garrett Paloncy on Running

It's no secret that Garrett Paloncy was a spectacular runner when he was a young man. He won a conference title in track when he was in high school, running a 2-mile race in 10 minutes, 12 seconds. If you're not familiar with running scores, you may fail to be impressed by this number. But people who know running know that this is an incredibly low score for a 2-mile race, and Garrett Paloncy should be proud of this score to this day.

Garrett Paloncy & Running

Running like this is quite hard on the body, putting a lot of stress on the knees and ankles, so Garrett Paloncy has given up the sport in his adulthood. He does claim to miss running, however. He is a competitive person, and running satisfied that need on many fronts. When you're competing in a race, you're trying to outpace and outmaneuver other runners who are also trying to win. But in addition, Garrett Paloncy says, you're trying to beat your own best time. Most runners have an accurate sort of clock in their heads and they know when they're doing well in a race and when there's room for improvement. Garrett Paloncy loved this idea of competing against others and the self in a race, and it's a love he's put to use in his career in sales.

In his sales job, Garrett Paloncy sets goals for himself each and every month. He keeps these targets in the forefront of his mind and he mulls them over as he works, striving to beat his goals of the previous month and surpass the goals he's set this month. He also keeps an eye on how the other sales staff is doing in his department, and he tries to beat their sales records as well. This method of competing against others and the self might account for Garrett Paloncy's amazing success in sales. He often surpasses his goals by 100 percent of more, and he also wins frequent awards for his performance.

So while Garrett Paloncy rarely runs these days, he puts his lessons from his running career to good use in his work as a salesman. A healthy respect for competition, combined with a drive to win, serves him well and he believes he owes much of his success to the time he spent on the track.

Garrett Paloncy Catches a Big One

Garrett Paloncy

Over the years, Garrett Paloncy has developed a deep and abiding love of the sport of fishing. He enjoys the idea of spending time in nature, listening to the water and the birds, and he enjoys the ability to just spend time with his thoughts when he's surrounded by beautiful scenery. That's not to say, however, that Garrett Paloncy doesn't take his fishing quite seriously. In fact, the opposite is true. Garrett Paloncy is a competitive person, and he takes this competitive spirit with him when he goes fishing.

Garrett Paloncy & Fishing

Like most serious bass fishermen, Garrett Paloncy is always looking for the next big fish. Bass can grow to incredible sizes over the years, and many communities hold competitions to urge people to find and capture these monsters. In April of 2009, Garrett Paloncy won a competition like this. He landed a bass weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 20 inches long and 16 inches wide. This was the largest bass caught in the state that year.

Catching a fish this big takes a bit of time and patience. Large bass are often older, and this means they've probably been caught before. People fishing for fun often catch fish, remove the hooks and then toss the fish back in the water. The older the fish is, the more likely the fish has experienced this at least once, Garrett Paloncy says. In order to catch these experienced fish, Garrett Paloncy must use unique bait and he must have excellent casting technique to fool the fish into biting.

Bass also like to put up a tremendous fight when they're being pulled to the surface, and large fish can be a particular challenge to bring in successfully. While a 4-pound fish might not seem heavy, a fish like this that is pulling one way and another and jumping up and diving down can put a huge amount of pressure on the angler's arms and wrists. Thankfully, Garrett Paloncy is in good shape or else he would never have been able to pull this fish in properly.

Garrett Paloncy continues to fish on a regular basis, and he hopes to find another monster fish to fight with in the near future. Winning another award would be a thrill for Garrett Paloncy, of course, but he also enjoyed the challenge of finding the fish and winning it over. He hopes to experience this again soon.

Discussing Forklift Safety with Garrett Paloncy

Garrett Paloncy on Forklift Safety

Garrett Paloncy has been a certified forklift trainer since 2006. He has trained workers at large construction companies such as H.C. Beck, Fortune Johnson, and Bovis Landlease. These companies often must hire trainers like Garrett Paloncy in order to be compliant with state and federal safety laws, but employers also know that the training that Garrett Paloncy provides can help keep workers safe and keep insurance costs down.

According to Garrett Paloncy, driving a forklift is a lot different than driving a car. Often, this is the first point he must make during a training session. People who hop right into a forklift without understanding the mechanics that lie under the machine do so at their peril. In essence, a forklift is a bit like driving a triangle, says Garrett Paloncy. The operator must keep the load on the forklift carefully balanced so the machine won't tip over or the load won't fall backward and hit the operator. Often, this means the operator must keep a sort of triangle in his or her head, and think of the front axel of the forklift as the center point of the fulcrum.

In addition, a forklift with a heavy load can simply be more prone to falling over in rough terrain, Garrett Paloncy says. He often encourages his trainees to walk along the path they'll be taking with their forklift. On this walk, they look for loose dirt, large stones, rutted ground or anything else that could cause a hazard. Then, Garrett Paloncy can help them plan a route around these obstacles.

Garrett Paloncy also stresses that operators should wear a seatbelt at all times. Many people think they can avoid snapping on a belt when they're only driving a few feet with the forklift, but Garrett Paloncy thinks this is a mistake. It's best to remember that wearing a seatbelt can help prevent operators from being thrown out of the vehicle if an accident does occur. Staying in the vehicle could help the operator avoid being hit or killed by the load hauled in the forklift.

Finally, Garrett Paloncy reminds his trainees that the loads in a forklift often block the view of the driver. It can be hard to see pedestrians who dart in front, and it can be difficult to spot hazards on the ground. Garrett Paloncy provides some guidance operators can use to avoid hitting something during their trips.