Now Brian Hux and his partner Shane Lassiter are hoping to capitalize on that vision through an invention: The Tailgate Buddy.

Hux demonstrates installion.

The Tailgate Buddy is built upon the principle of the cargo rack, a device which fits on a 2-inch trailer hitch. The device, however, which has a patent pending, goes beyond the rack itself to address a myriad of tailgating, sporting and recreational needs, the pair said Thursday.

The device, which is made to store inside a truck toolbox, can be fitted with numerous items: Swivel chairs, a grill, umbrella, fishing rod holders and a deer loader, all based on a structural steel cross attachment.

The idea came to Hux seven years while doing scuba exercises when he was a member of the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad. Divers were training at Fantasy Lake in Rolesville, a rock quarry turned into a dive park. “When I came out of the water with my dive equipment the picnic areas were full. My truck was over there. I thought how nice it would be to have a seat on the truck bed.”

The idea stuck with him and he got a neighbor who is a welder to come up with a prototype which was made on a T design from what Hux describes as junk steel. The prototype worked and Hux began figuring out what to do with his idea.

After dealing with an unscrupulous invention adviser, the plans were shelved. He saved the design book. While doing some cleaning in October, he found the book.

Talking with Mark Collier, who is commander of the rescue squad and runs Collier Harley-Davidson, where demonstrations on the system will be held Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., they went over what worked and what didn't. “He said if we were going to make it, we'd have to be able to sell it. We would have to make it so it would fit in the toolbox so it wouldn't be sliding around the back of the truck. If it would fit in the toolbox it would be right for shipping.”

Hux knew if the device could be made where 2-inch steel could slide into the other the problem could be licked. “I drew some hand drawings. I drew a cross on a piece of paper and took them back to Mark. He liked it so much he said he'd buy it.”

Grill attached.

With help from Leslie Deaton, who runs Deaton's Design & Fabrication, another prototype was made and then the pitching and researching of patents began. “He spent a whole day with me. He built it out of steel. Every piece of it worked the first time.”

With help from Jeffrey Batts, an attorney, Hux began researching patents. What he discovered was there was no real patent on the cargo rack and he knew he was home free and could begin working on the patent for the accessory system. “It's limitless the things it will do. We're trying to listen to everything people say. We're giving a quality product at a great price that parents can hand down to their children like grandma handing down that old cast iron frying pan.”

Lassiter said the way the Tailgate Buddy is made, with strong, powdered steel, means customers won't have to buy a second system, just the accessories that go with it.

Lassiter, a construction worker with experience in the structural steel who grew up with Hux in the rescue squad, was impressed with his longtime friend's idea. “I immediately saw the potential for it, what he could do with it.”

Sitting on the swivel chairs.

Tailgate Buddy is now to the point Hux and Lassiter are ready to begin taking orders for the product, which will be handmade and available within two weeks of order.

Hux hopes the demonstrations Monday will help he and Lassiter come up with 50 orders, which will give them leverage for a North Carolina Rural Center loan for startup money. 

Mark Stewart of Halifax Community College's Small Business Center helped Hux and Lassiter wade through the process. “That man is amazing,” Hux said of Stewart. “When I walked in his office is when things really started to roll.”

The ultimate goal is to find a building and hire welders to make the Tailgate Buddy on full production, Hux said. “We want to find a place to make the product and hire 30 to 40 people. They would be top paying jobs. One of the biggest things we need is for the community to support this by purchasing the product.”

The support will be critical for deciding whether to manufacture the system locally or look elsewhere, Hux said. “I want to be home. I want to be here. I want the support of the community.”

Hux believes there is a market for the product. “It's going to work. I have no doubt in my mind. This is going to be my life's work.”

The cross design.

The team of Hux and Lassiter believe there is something compelling that the system is built on the cross.

Lassiter's pastor, Randy Martin of Calvary Baptist Church, told him that's how the project needed to start. “Everything is built on the cross.”

As Hux's faith began to grow, he said, “I realized everything Shane said is right and everything his pastor said is right.”

For more information or to order a Tailgate Buddy contact Hux or Lassiter at 252-862-7874 or 252-862-7873. Email them by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it