Theresa and John Stiefvater of Sterling have invented "Protective Pants," to assist pet owners in preventing their dogs from soiling furniture and households. The Protective Pants can also be used on pets after surgery to protect the stitches.
The couple have created a prototype and are looking to market their product in different sizes to accommodate all types of dogs. The original idea is being made available for licensing, according to a press release from Invention Technologies Inc.
Name: John "Jack" Stiefvater and Terry Stiefvater
Town/Neighborhood: Sterling
Years in the Community: 26
How did we come up with the idea? We have a female dog and every time she went into heat, my wife for 43 years, Terry, would say that there had to be a better way to handle this, and eventually she came up with the idea.
Occupation/Position: For the past five years, John Stiefvater has been writing training programs for a software company in Herndon. Before that, he was an instructor/analyst at the Xerox Training Center in Leesburg for 20 years. His wife is currently unemployed but has had many different administrative positions through the years.
Achievements: 1) John Stiefvater served on the board of directors of the Loudoun Literacy Council for six or seven years and was chairman for one year. 2) While employed by Xerox, John Stiefvater took social service leave for one year to serve as executive director of Wheelchair Athletics, U.S.A. during which time he attended the Paralympics in Atlanta. 3) Together with all family members, we plan and run the Sterling Classic Car Show to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, held for the past 15 years at the Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling on Labor Day weekend. To date we have raised about $150,000. Visit www.sterlingclassiccarshow.org.
Family: We have three children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Our oldest daughter, Debbie, lives in Sterling with her two sons, one of whom, David, has Muscular Dystrophy. She is a single mom and runs her own business to support her family. Her business is Dassaw D'Signs, a sign company. Her work is very prominent around Northern Virginia this time of year, as she paints holiday scenes on storefront windows. Some places to see her work are Leesburg Honda, Anita's Restaurants, Champions Billiards, Coleman Power Sports, Sterling Glass and corporate-owned McDonald's. Our son, John, is a licensed massage therapist and lives in Bradenton, Fla. Our daughter, Michelle, resides in Winchester with her husband and three children and is a substitute teacher for the Frederick County school system.
What do you like or dislike about your community?: Where we live has been a great community for our children to grow up in, but now facing retirement, I'm afraid we will be taxed right out of our home.
Favorite local restaurant/place: Olive Garden and King's Buffet in Sterling and Cantina D' Italia in Herndon.
Sports Interests/Activities/Hobbies: We love to travel (cruises mostly) and I like to work on cars.
Community Concerns: Uncontrolled growth.
Personal Goals: After my wife just having open heart surgery, we are looking forward to her recovery and then retiring and traveling and enjoying ourselves.
<lst>Send profile nominations to The Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to
loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.