A photo of Stephen Ira

Stephen Ira

SEO Auditor
Stephen Ira worked as an inventor for a small manufacturing company where he developed several patents that included Velcro® brand products which led to his founding of HookandLoop.com in 1989, distributing Velcro® brand fasteners across the country. Stephen’s company has grown into a business that specializes in manufacturing hook and loop products that are used in the final products in many industries around the world. Stephen is a graduate of the University of Memphis with a BS degree in mechanical engineering and specialized in machine design and solar engineering. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida where he enjoys an avid outdoor lifestyle and spending time with his two daughters.

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    Can Hook and Loop Products offer Health Benefits?

    Modern medicine offers a large array of products designed to reduce or eliminate joint stress and pain, making our lives easier. Let's see how hook and loop products are used to treat various medical problems.

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    Create More Closet and Drawer Space Using Hook and Loop

    Did you know hook and loop can provide inexpensive solutions that allow you to obtain more storage space? We offer DuraGrip and Velcro® brand hook and loop fasteners that enable you to squeeze extra room from closets and drawers in a stylish, attractive way! Just consider some of these ingenious closet and drawer organization options:

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    Hook and Loop in the Wild

    Burrs: the Inspiration for the Hook and Loop Fastener

    In 1941, the Swiss engineer George de Mestral was removing burrs from his dog. These barbed seeds come from a variety of plants, and are evolutionarily specialized to attach to animals and humans as a way to spread to new areas. Commonly, however, they are seen as a source of irritation, as the barbs can be painful, and at their worst, they can cause severe damage to livestock and automobile tires. George de Mestral, however, saw something different: a potential use for the hooked barbs on the seeds he was holding.

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    Off to College? Velcro® Brand Fasteners Can Help

    Heading off to college means you are about to face some significant changes in your life. As you adjust to life away from home and the pressures of classes, homework and meeting new friends, it's important to feel comfortable in your dorm. Velcro® brand hook and loop can help you do that with a few dorm room hacks.

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    Everyday Improvements through Hook and Loop

    We use Velcro® brand fasteners and other hook and loop products every day. They've become so commonplace that we rarely consider what we did before its invention in the 1940s.

    Consider an ordinary trip to your family physician. You'll likely have your blood pressure taken. Can you remember how the cuff was secured before Velcro® brand fasteners came along? Cuffs used to be tied or snapped into place, which doesn’t sound comfortable. If your doctor prescribes an arm or knee brace, how would you position it without the Velcro® brand fastener? Well, you would have to tie it in place which means you wouldn't have the versatility and adjustability we enjoy today with hook and loop braces and other VELCRO® Brand blood pressure cuffs.

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    Hook and Loop for the Classroom

    Hook and loop tape is a great classroom tool with a myriad of uses. It can be used to create a safe and orderly school environment and is great for making teacher-created learning tools. From organizing the classroom, to building fun and interactive lesson plans, hook and loop fasteners can help teachers of all grade levels keep their sanity. Here are five ways in which hook and loop can be utilized in any classroom.

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    How Long Will It Stick? Understanding the Lifespan of Hook and Loop

    Hook and loop closures are easy to use, safe, and discreet, but they don't last forever. Every type of hook and loop closure has a lifespan, or cycle life, after which it will no longer be able to stick as well as it used to. At this point, it will need to be replaced.

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    Sew-On, Stick-On, or Iron-On: Which Hook and Loop Should I Use?

    When it comes to hook and loop fasteners, there are a wide range of styles from which to choose. It can be overwhelming for someone who isn’t used to all the product terms. Here is a quick summary of the most popular hook and loop styles and when to use them.

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    National Bike to Work Week: May 11th to 15th

    At HookandLoop.com we want to highlight that May is National Bike Month. The League of American Cyclists represents bicyclists in the movement to create ?safer roads, stronger communities, and a bicycle-friendly America. As part of their efforts, they organize National Bike to Work Week, which runs from May 11th to May 15th this year.

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    5 Inexpensive Ways to Entertain Kids With Velcro® Brand Fasteners

    Clothing, sports equipment, home improvement—hook and loop fasteners show up in many applications. Even many toys and games feature hook and loop fastenings. Sometimes known better by brand names such as Velcro® or DuraGrip®, hook and loop fasteners come in a huge array of sizes, shapes, colors, and strengths. It even supplies the basis for a hilarious carnival game where participants don suits made with Velcro® brand fasteners and then run and jump on a springboard, launching themselves to affix their bodies as high as possible on a wall made of Velcro® Brand wide loop.

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