A Florida entrepreneur has created a unique golf car accessory that is first-of- it’s-kind: plastic golf car hubcaps featuring licensed NCAA & NFL team logos on the entire surface of the wheel. John D. Smith, CEO of Clever Covers, Inc. invented these hubcaps in 1996 and successfully patented them several years later. “Unlike most inventors, I decided to manufacture and distribute my product myself.”

Tradenamed “Golf Car Wheel Clever Covers.” John’s hubcaps are made of durable PVC plastic and are screen printed with fade-resistant UV ink. They attach directly to the wheels with 3M Dual Lock fasteners and snap on and off the wheels easily. (Dual Lock works similar to Velcro, but is much stronger.) They also have an airstem hole for easy tire inflation. John reveals an interesting anecdote in the company’s history: “In 1997, I asked the owner of a well-known NASCAR racecar to allow us to speed test a set on his car. He said yes. The car peaked at 140 mph for 15 laps and our wheel covers stayed on. This successful test on Dale Earnhardt’s race-car proved that 20 mph on a golf car is no sweat.”

Thanks to his persistence, John has built distribution to over 100 golf car dealers in 9 states. John says that he works hard after the sale to help his retailers sell their inventory. “As a goodwill gesture, I pitch news stories to local newspapers in my dealers’ coverage area. I offer this service at zero cost to my dealer.” Since January of 2004, over a dozen news articles have been written. Each story has mentioned the golf car dealer & shows photos of the collegiate hubcaps. John’s growing network of golf car dealers rave about his PR efforts. “In March, John got an article written about our LSU Hubcaps in the local paper,” says Jim Johnston of Tioga Golf Cars in Pineville, Louisiana. “This free publicity helped us sell over a dozen sets and we keep a copy of it by the register.” Stuart & Alexis Anderson of Sun City Center Golf Cars near Tampa, Florida concur. “John got an article written in the Sun City Center Observer in May and we sold out.”

John says his top 5 selling collegiate golf car hubcaps are: 1) Georgia 2) LSU 3) Texas 4) Texas A&M 5) Florida Gators. John’s top 5 selling NFL/NASCAR hubcaps are: 1) Dallas Cowboys 2) Carolina Panthers 3) Tampa Bay Bucs 4) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and 5) Jeff Gordon. Suggested retail is $49.95/set of 4 and average wholesale is $28/set of 4. To order, call Clever Covers, Inc. at 877-253-8371 or 407- 423-5959. Visit them at www.golf-carhubcaps.com.