The Story of An American Inventor
SHARED IN HONOR OF THE LATE FORDYCE B. TOWNES II.
Our story of invention began, like many others, with an idea to make life easier and solve a problem. In this case, my uncle, the late Fordyce B. Townes II, a family member, friend, and business partner, who originally came up with the product design of the MKAT (Microwave Kitchen Accessory Tool), now known as The Doublewave.My name is Reggie Reynolds, and I am the current founder of The Doublewave, LLC, which was formed in November of 2021 in honor of my late uncle Fordyce B. Townes II, who created the first iteration of what we now call The Doublewave, originally created in (2008) and the winner of the prestigious INPEX design award in 2010.
The product's inspiration, as told by the inventor:
One day, while in the kitchen, my wife, Katrina Dudley, and I wanted to reheat some leftover food from the previous day. Our problem was that we could only heat one plate at a time, and after the first plate was done, while waiting for the second plate, the food on the first plate was already cooling off. It was at this moment that I thought about creating a tool to allow us to heat both our meals at the same time. It was a simple solution, but for some reason, no one had solved the problem yet, so I decided to do something about it myself.
I looked at the standard microwave and realized there was plenty of room to double the capacity but no current stackable products that could accomplish my vision.
I had been a designer for more than 30 years, so this seemed like a problem I could solve. I examined the standard microwave measurements and drew some sketches. From my vision came a three-sided, adjustable tool that would provide a second platform, designed for low-cost fabrication and without any need for electronic or motorized parts. This product would be made here in the USA and have a low-cost price point so that it could be easily produced and affordable for everyone.
Building
The Vision
In the quiet of my home in Happy Valley, Oregon, I collected my thoughts, developed my plan, and set out to gather the needed materials. My first stop was at my local Home Depot, where I purchased a radial drill press because the prototype was initially made of wood. I used the prototype to measure the space requirements, height, and rotation, and it worked perfectly. Armed with the confidence that my new product would work, I moved on to the next iteration, which I called Peek. This new model had a higher temperature range and was lighter in weight, safer, more durable, and used only FDA-approved materials. The goal was to make a product that could save time and energy and make life easier by providing opportunities to spend more time enjoying wonderful meals together with the people you care about most.
The Legacy
From the Next Generation’s Perspect
My uncle worked on this project for years to get it on the market but could never get over that initial hump. It wasn’t until I (Reggie Reynolds) met a gentleman and successful businessman in Denver a little over 2 years ago, that things started to move.
We were introduced to retail channel decision-makers at Walmart who approved our DoubleWave product offering across both the retail and e-commerce levels at a special event hosted by Walmart named Open Call. Open Call is a conference held annually by Walmart to assist entrepreneurs in introducing their products. We also had enough funding to simultaneously begin working with Harvest Growth to begin our online e-commerce store, which officially launched in March 2021. There have been many challenges that we have had to overcome, but none greater than Fordyce fighting cancer. He lost that battle on October 21, 2022. However, his spirit continues to drive the values and integrity of our business to this day.
And to continue the spirit of giving back, we have decided as a company to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of America with a portion of our proceeds.If you have gotten to this point, I want to thank you for taking the time to learn about our history, my family, and a dream that has now, hopefully, become a kitchen accessory to remind you of the importance that spending time together brings.
Reggie Reynolds
Managing Partner and Co-founder
Doublewave, LLC
We are made in America, and every
purchase helps us continue to sponsor
the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Programs.
