We all love the beach. Everything about it conjures up memories of the surf against the sand, seagull calls, boardwalk lights and sounds, the scent of salt air and funnel cakes. Most of all, basking in the summer heat made jumping in the ocean so much more enjoyable. But, then, imagine one day realizing that those memories lead to the one thing that can be the most frightening of all things. In April 2003, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 melanoma cancer.

Many years of unprotected exposure to the sun caused cancer. I grew up spending summers on the beach. My family owns a beach home, and I will always love spending time on the beach with my family. So I knew that I needed to find a way to be protected against the harmful UV rays while still enjoying quality beach time with my family. Fortunately, my wife Ronnie is a registered nurse. She made it her mission to find products that would protect me from the sun. The one product that stood out was the UV-Blocker beach umbrella. It is unique in design and exceptional in performance. We now own three UV-Blocker beach umbrellas, which have become favorites among all family members. The UV-Blocker umbrella not only protected me from harmful UV rays, but it also kept me ten to fifteen degrees cooler than a regular beach umbrella. My Uncle Joe calls it "the air-conditioned umbrella". The patented design provides better airflow and stability by allowing wind to pass through the upper and lower canopies. So on hot days, you'll feel cooler and on windy days, inversion is not a problem.

With the UV-Blocker beach umbrella strapped over my shoulder, I'm able to go to the beach on weekends with my family. Every weekend people would ask where I purchased the UV-Blocker umbrella. So in 2006 my colleague Russ Coulon and I decided to contact the manufacturer and become a supplier for this wonderful product. We want to help people protect themselves and their loved ones from the sun's harmful UV rays.