Master Sergeant Dennis Piper, United States Air Force
Keepzit Kooler (https://keepzitkooler.com)
Our brave Veterans are almost always under pressure and it can be difficult to keep one’s cool. As they are so invested in the team, it can also be challenging for military people to stand out.
After years in the USAF entrepreneurial careers as a construction estimator and lighting distributor, Master Sergeant Dennis Piper decided to do something about this in order to help his fellow Veterans and others who might need support with keeping things cool and being more creative.
The result was the Keepzit Kooler®.
Not only does this extra-thick beverage insulator keep any bottle or can from 12-16.9 oz. cold with no sweat (thanks to the sweat-proof materials), the lightweight yet solidly stable containers are also decoratable and can be ordered with special markers that do the job brilliantly!
If you want a beautiful image but are not so confident in your own talents, Keepzit Kooler® products can be ordered with artwork and are already officially licensed by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and available in other patriotic and high-flying motifs.
What does your company do?
Keepzit Kooler® makes a new patented premium insulated beverage holder…. They are impact-resistant ABS plastic (a similar material used in protective headgear) with two insulating layers and wrapped completely in high gloss photo quality images.
What promoted you to launch it?
My brother and business partner was in his Jacuzzi one night in 2015 watching the US Open and drinking a beer in a stainless steel can cooler. Feeling the weight of the steel cooler, he thought he had some beer left, but to his surprise, it was empty! While watching the US Open, he admired that year’s pin flag colors and image and wondered how it would look on a can cooler. He called me and asked what I thought of his idea. My immediate response was, “How many beers have you had?” We laughed…[but] the next day he pasted an image of the pin flag on a stainless steel can cooler and it looked pretty good! We then started researching and found no one made a lightweight plastic can cooler that could accept high-quality images. After a lot of research, Keepzit Kooler® was born and patented
How has your military life educated and influenced your business life?
I’m retired Air Force and loved the experience and would do it again! While in the military, I leaned so much- from social skills, higher education, occupational trades, computing, supervisory to managerial skills. My military life molded who I am today.
What do you hope to do with your business?
Be my own boss and make money from a business I started thanks to the best loans for bad credit.
What advice would you give other Veterans looking to own a business?
Jump in with both feet! Owning a business is not easy, but the rewards and self-satisfaction are great! If you need help, reach out to the Small Business Administration…. They are a wealth of knowledge and excellent source for guidance. If you need tools to market your business, a digital business card may be a good recommendation.
What is the most important thing you want people to know about Veterans?
Veterans are a breed of people who believe in their country and what it stands for. The majority willingly chose to serve to protect the rights and freedom our great country affords
