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, originally conceived 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, initially developed 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 of creating a tool to allow us to heat both our meals simultaneously. It was a simple solution, but for some reason, no one had yet solved the problem, so I decided to take action myself.

I examined the standard microwave and realized there was plenty of room to double the capacity, but no current stackable products that could achieve 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 manufactured in the USA and have a low-cost price point, making it easily accessible and affordable for everyone.

Building The Vision

In the quiet of my home in Happy Valley, Oregon, I gathered my thoughts, developed a plan, and set out to collect the necessary 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, was lighter in weight, and was safer, more durable, and made from only FDA-approved materials. The goal was to create a product that saves time and energy, making life easier by providing opportunities to spend more time enjoying excellent meals with the people you care about most.

From the Next Generation’s Perspective

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 retail and e-commerce channels at a special event hosted by Walmart, known as Open Call. Open Call is an annual conference held by Walmart to help entrepreneurs introduce their products. We also had sufficient funding to simultaneously begin working with Harvest Growth on 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 reached this point, I would like 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 of spending time together.

Reggie Reynolds
Managing Partner and Co-founder
Doublewave, LLC