This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.

I have commented before how fascinating it is to see how businesses start and flourish. Sometimes just a personal need or desire translates into a dynamic, successful company.

Linda Kennedy loves to scuba dive. She had seen how many people had personal property lost or stolen while in the water. She decided it would be helpful to have a light, easily used container to protect her valuables while pursuing her scuba hobby.

The result? Watchful Eye Design, headquartered in Park City, which now sells these protective containers to not only water devotees but to a vast audience of users all over the United States and in 25 countries worldwide.

Linda really started her company in 1998 but in 2003 she transformed Watchful Eye Design by concentrating on the transparent bags that were included in her first products, the Splash Caddies. These bags look like the plastic bags you might use to store items in your refrigerator. However, the difference is like comparing diamonds to cubic zirconias.

Watchful Eye Design's bags protect against water, dust, humidity and air. Its ALOKSAK containers are patented leak-proof, airtight containers that are waterproof to 200 feet. They are very strong and can't be punctured or ripped without a great deal of effort. The medical profession loves the bags to store and dispose of bio-hazard material. The military uses custom-sized bags to protect guns and equipment.

The new OPSAK polymer bags offer a patented odor-proof barrier that has many uses. For example, hunters and campers love using the bags to store food and equipment because wildlife can't smell the contents. Mothers also love the bags to use for diaper disposal while traveling. And an entire list of additional uses for the bags is mentioned on www.watchfuleyedesigns.com.

Yes, Linda found a way to protect her valuables while scuba diving, and in doing so, she also developed a world-class business.

For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.

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