— About the Founder —

Barbara Bigford
Chief Inventor, Founder and President

Barbara Bigford is chief inventor, founder and president of Seabreeze Products, Inc., a company specializing in the manufacture and sale of beach and patio accessories. Based within the Philadelphia-metro area, Bigford’s business is the fulfillment of an entrepreneurial and inventive spirit that faced a problem that needed a solution.

Bigford established her company in 2000 after years of research and development that ultimately led to the design of Beach Pockets^®, a beach accessory that prevents beach umbrellas from blowing away in the wind.

The genesis of Seabreeze’s signature product dates back to Bigford’s days as a mother out for a day at the beach with her children. Faced with three small children asleep on their towels and three beach umbrellas blowing away in the wind – each child insisted on having his or her own – Bigford decided to investigate available products that would prevent this ordeal from occurring again. When she was unable to find a product that worked effectively to meet her needs and specifications, she decided to make it on her own and Beach Pockets^® was born.

Bigford and her invention have been featured on The John Walsh Show’s “Ideas That Will Make You Rich” (NBC) and in an episode of Tech TV’s “Invent This,” a show dedicated to covering today’s most fascinating inventors and what drives them to create devices, gadgets and games that may end up in your hand or house.She has also been covered by Philadelphia NBC10’s 10!, The Suburban and Wayne Times and Mainline Today, and was voted Mother of the Year by Philadelphia Style Magazine in 2001.Her invention was also chosen as a national finalist out of thousands of entries by the 2004 Invent Now® America contest, a program founded by the National Inventors Hall of Fame® and the United States Patent and Trademark Office to recognize and celebrate everyday inventors.

In addition to building her business, Bigford serves on numerous planning committees at organizations dedicated to education and health, including the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education program, American Cancer Society and the internationally-respected Rock School for Dance Education and continues to pursue opportunities in theater and television.She holds a Bachelor of Science from Columbia University.

Bigford lives with her husband, Douglas, and their three children in PA.