BackStrong chair inventor Dr. Dennis Colonello is a Hollywood chiropractor to the stars. He spent years developing the ergonomic chair with his friend Jim Grove, a titan in the office chair industry. Neither one of these men will be pitching Back Strong in episode 1210, their CEO – Bing Howenstein – will get that honor.
Appearing alongside Howenstein is a “mystery guest,” one of the many celebrity endorsers of the product. Howenstein and Dr. Colonello have a lot of Hollywood connections and they have dozens of movie stars and sports celebrities endorsing the product. I am going out on a limb and predicting Paula Abdul will appear in this pitch. She’s publicly acknowledged her back problems and she has past affiliations with ABC when she was a judge on Dancing With The Stars (Robert Herjavec appeared on the show in 2015 where he met his new wife).
As for the chairs, they’re unlike any desk chair out there. The seat is suspended from the arm rests cradling your body in a good ergonomic position. The company that makes Back Strong Chairs is called All33, which is a reference to the fact the chairs put all 33 of your vertebrae in proper allignment. The company made a big splash on IndieGoGo and Kickstarter back in 2018 when they raised over $1.3 million to get things started. Since then, they’ve had good sales and have been well received in the industry.
My Take on BackStrong
I have a pretty good desk chair. It’s a neccesity for someone who spends a lot of time typing, like me. I sometimes take my laptop to the kitchen counter/bar where I’ll stand and type for an hour or two. I read a lot of reviews on BackStrong and I believe it’s a quality chair. The way it works is the seat glides with your movement, preventing you from slouching or locking your hips.
The chair’s design improves circulation, reduces fatigue and puts you in a perfect posture postion. At $799 each, it’s a big investment (more than I paid for my first car back in 1981), but as a person with back issues, it’s well worth it if you spend a lot of time sitting. They come in fabric or “vegan leather” and there are three color options for the leather version. The fabric version comes in any color you want – as long as it’s black. I am seriously considering speending my next stimulus check on this chair. I will post about it if and when I do.
Will Sharks Bite This Chair?
One thing I’ve learned writing this blog for 9 years is reality TV is 90% TV and 10% reality. This pitch is all TV. The company is well funded, has wealthy founders and doesn’t need a Shark. The Hollywood connections got them this opportunity and it’s one of those pitches – particularly with the “mystery guest” – that is designed for pure entertainment. I Don’t expect a deal, but if one gets done, it will surely never close.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
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