Nora Caley
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Lee Bagby hopes for extremely cold weather. And it's not only because he likes to ski. He hopes to sell more of his product, the Psolar.EX Respiratory Heat Exchange Mask, designed to keep people warm in subzero temperatures.

The Psolar.EX mask, made of Polartec fabrics, contains a heat exchanger near the mouth. The wearer breathes through the device, which contains a plastic piece coated with a drying agent.
``It's very complicated,'' said Bagby, an engineer trained in controls, heat transfer and other areas. ``But basically, when you exhale, the heat is captured in the heat exchanger, and when you inhale the heat is released back into the air you're inhaling.''

Bagby came up with the idea when he lived in Spokane. ``I ski when it's really cold because the powder is lighter,'' he said. ``I was skiing in Canada when it was 20 below zero.''

An HVAC engineer introduced Bagby to the heat exchanger used to heat and ventilate buildings. Bagby decided he could use the technology in a lightweight version to help him stay warm while skiing. He built a prototype.

While he worked on his invention, he moved to Colorado and joined DMCE Engineering. He also attended the executive MBA program at the University of Colorado. After the first year of the program, he showed his classmates his prototype of the Psolar mask.

``They had a retreat where we would bring up business ideas and then vote on them,'' Bagby said. ``This was in 2000, so most of the business plans were dot-com this and dot-com that.''

The business students each voted with $1,500 in make-believe venture-capital funds. ``I think I had at least twice as much as the second-place business,'' Bagby said. ``It was pretty encouraging. Those people are pretty bright.''

David Beigie handles public relations for the executive MBA program. He said that although most attendees of the two-year program participate because their employer pays for it or because their employer encourages them to attend, a few people wind up leaving their corporate jobs to try something new. ``After two years, a number of them are excited to start a business,'' Beigie said.

Beigie also was a classmate of Bagby's at that retreat. ``Most of us went back to our careers,'' said Beigie, who is senior vice president at public relations firm Weber Shandwick. ``For some it's a life-changing experience. They want to release the entrepreneur from within.''

Bagby didn't quit his day job, but his DMCE Engineering partners joined him in creating Psolar Inc. Now Bagby, Denis Miller and Randy Wartner run the engineering firm as well as Psolar from their facility in Arvada. The heat-exchange devices are made at the facility. Colorado Contract Cut and Sew manufactures the mask.

``I found them on the Internet,'' Bagby said of Colorado Cut and Sew. ``I looked at three or four. I chose them because they worked with me on four prototypes and helped me come up with the final product.''

Bagby said he has sold 3,000 masks since September, when he shipped his first orders.

The $30 Psolar mask is available at Larson's Ski and Sport, Applewood Ski and McGuckin Hardware, and at retailers in other states. It's also available on the Psolar Web site.

He donated five masks to a homeless shelter, hoping his generosity would win free publicity for Psolar. ``I was on a radio show, hoping they would mention the name of my company on the air,'' Bagby said. ``They ended up talking to me for three minutes.''

He tried handing the mask to Everest climber Ed Viestures, Iditarod winner Martin Buser and other famous cold-weather adventurers who come to Denver for book signings.

``None have endorsed it, but they all agreed to try it,'' Bagby said.

Meanwhile, he waits for the cold weather to bring the reorders. He plans to license the technology to other manufacturers who will put the heat exchanger in other wearable items.

``We're negotiating with three clothing companies,'' Bagby said.

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