During the COVID-19 pandemic, while many of us were working remotely through 2020 and perhaps felt like we were putting our lives on pause, ambitious entrepreneurs were plowing ahead with their hopes, dreams and business plans. In the case of Stephanie Riegel’s two guests on this edition of Out to Lunch Baton Rouge, this perseverance has turned out extremely well.

Cool Heads

Jack Karavich, inventor of the air-cooled football helmet and other air-cooled headwear

Jack Karavich, inventor of the air-cooled football helmet and other air-cooled headwear

Jack Karavich is owner of Tigeraire, a sports technology start-up founded at LSU’s Innovation Park that has developed an in-helmet airflow system for use in sports helmets, construction hardhats, and military helmets.

This high tech head wear utilizes a small device that leverages the air vents in a helmet using a small battery, a couple of tubes and a tiny fan. It enables air circulation that keeps athletes and other wearers cooler, drier, safer, and better able to perform.

Jack developed the helmet-cooling technology in partnership with LSU which has since licensed the product for its football team. Several other universities, including Albama, Auburn, Clemson, and Texas A&M have since followed suit. Tigeraire is now designing batting helmets that incorporate the technology and has plans to tackle lacrosse helmets and ice hockey helmets after that.

Tigeraire has opened new offices in Richmond Virginia, which will serve as its corporate headquarters. Prior to founding the company, Jack served as chief digital architect of Honeywell, GlaxoSmithKline, Walmart Labs, and Capital One.

Hot Bodies

Yoga instructor April Hill keeps it hot with her high-temp workouts

Yoga instructor April Hill keeps it hot with her high-temp workouts

While Jack’s technology is designed to keep its wearers cool, April Hill is focused on making them hot. April is owner of Yoga Studio 90, a health and wellness studio offering high intensity interval training, yoga and Pilates in one complete, full body workout that is intended to be done in a steamy 90-degree-room.

April has owned the studio for more than a decade, but one month into the pandemic in 2020, when everyone was under lockdown and no one could go to the gym, April rebranded her studios and launched an online platform of virtual workouts available on a subscription basis that has enabled her to reach a much broader clientele from anywhere in the country.

Stephanie Riegel suits up for the season with her Tiger Aire air-cooled helmet

Stephanie Riegel suits up for the season with her Tiger Aire air-cooled helmet

This show was recorded over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. Photos by Erick Otts. And check out more lunch-table Tiger entrepreneur talk with Matt Flynn.