"Unwind"ing With LSC Alum

LSC alumnus and entrepreneur Steve Mahon has spent countless hours studying, scheming, and intuitively honing in on his idea for a new business.

Originally, Mahon developed The FACE Mask; a homey, loving brand of winter facial protection. Commonly known as FACE, the brand has been growing from a small town self-run production company toward a full-fledged local business, with his facemasks lining the shelves of many Vermont ski-shops.

Though the company has been breaking onto the scene with a head of steam, Mahon has encountered a couple roadblocks.

"Right now, my target market is a seasonal market," said Mahon, "and FACE is a brand that is marketed specifically for face products."To attempt to fix his seasonal production dilemma, Mahon needed to come up with something fresh; a product that would still target the "extreme" athletes, but not be inhibited by the change in season, or the body part used to sport the product.

"I came across a microwavable heating pack. When I learned how the contents are natural and easy to get, I knew it was a good product as long as it had a good direction, brand, and target market," said Mahon. Mahon defines his target market as any action sports lover, and an action sport as "an individualistic sport that focuses on self progression."

"I like that market because that's the type of person I am, I understand the type pretty well, and they're most likely to be sore after a day of fun," Mahon laughed.The idea has been manifesting itself into it's own new brand: Unwind.

"I call it Unwind because it can appeal to a wide range of products, mainly which are for after high activity; something that's soothing and relaxing for people after a day of stress," said Mahon.

The product is projected to be available in May, but Mahon isn't shy to say there's a lot of work ahead of him before then. "There's more than I can see past," he said. "I'm trying to learn all trades to a business, which seems like insanity, but I don't know 'no'."

"What I'm trying to do now is look at little things from a bird's eye view.  Overall, I'm looking to start a localized industrial revolution geared toward freestyle products and a way of life. In the end, I want there to be opportunity for anyone interested in the industry and production of valuable product in this area," he said.