Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/626951
Jump starters launched by 50-year-old company BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR Weego is a very new name to the industry. Launched just a year and a half ago, the brand of portable jump starters and battery packs is still establishing itself in the powersports mar- ket, making its largest push yet with a booth at October's AIMExpo, an exhibit at SEMA in November and sponsoring the Service & Operations Track at the Powersports Business Institute @ AIMExpo. Though Weego is a newbie, it's parent com- pany Paris Corporation is anything but. Paris was founded in 1964 as a converter, distributor and marketer of paper and office products for consumer and commercial markets. So how did the company get into the jump starter category? The innovation came as Gerry Toscani, son of Paris founder Dom Toscani, was looking for a way to diversify Paris in a time when individuals and companies are relying on paper less than they have in the past. Gerry Toscani began working full-time at Paris Corporation in 1982, becoming CEO in 1998 and buying the business from his father in 2001. He soon founded a brand of cable management accessories for mobile devices called Dotz. To further diversify the company, he launched Weego in the summer of 2014. "Two-some years ago we identified power as an unmet need. Everybody's always running out of power, and we didn't think the solutions in the market were serving people well, so we said 'This is where we're going to leverage everything we know, everything we do and become experts in the field,' and that's how Weego was born," Toscani told Powersports Business. Weego developed its initial jump starters and battery packs and launched with grassroots efforts. Weego purchased a 1965 Ford Falcon station wagon, and the Toscani family took to the road with its first shipment of Weego prod- uct, selling it door to door. "We thought, 'Wow! People are reacting the way we reacted. They love this thing.' And that really got us excited," Toscani recalled. Fast-forward to the present, and Weego has invested in developing its channels, hiring staff and creating new products. And door-to-door selling is no longer the focus. Weego is now looking to get its products in powersports deal- erships, among other retail locations. Powersports dealerships are ideal for Weego sales because Weego's jump starters are all powerful enough to power up any powersports battery. The Standard JS6 can jump start batter- ies on gas engines up to 4.6 liters and diesels up to 2.4 liters, and it has an MSRP of $109.99. The Heavy Duty JS12 — Weego's best-seller — can start gas engines up to 6.4 liters and diesel engines up to 3.2 liters, and it's available for $149.99. The Professional JS18 works with gas engines up to 9.6 liters and diesels up to 4.8 liters, and it retails for $199.99. Each is FOCUS PSB Service Dept. 16 January 25, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Weego brings new power to the industry Weego offers a line of jump starters and battery packs designed to power everything from powersports vehicle bat- teries to cell phones. Gerry Toscani, owner of Weego's parent company Paris Corporation, welcomes attendees to the Service & Opera- tions Track of the Powersports Business Institute @ AIMExpo in Orlando in October. Weego sponsored the track. See Weego, Page 17