I.P. resident enters the ‘Shark Tank’

Local entrepreneur pitches synthetic ice on ABC’s hit show, to air Dec. 9

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Jim Loughran walked down a dim hallway, flanked with video monitors depicting simulated sharks swimming in crystal blue waters, at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif. As he made his way a little further, crew members told him where to stand. Loughran then hit his mark and faced the real sharks — self-made entrepreneurs who double as filthy-rich investors and reality television stars.

Loughran stood in silence. The “look of death” commenced, as he surveyed the millionaires, or in Mark Cuban’s case, billionaire. Cameras swarmed the business moguls as they sized up the man seeking an investment for the first time.

“They don’t start right away; there’s no turning back and there’s no retakes,” Loughran said, reliving the September filming. “Then it’s just total quiet and you’re the first one to go. Once they give you the green light to go, it’s all you.”

The Island Park resident, 57, who turned his backyard into a synthetic ice rink, has morphed the design into a full-fledged business, and entered ‘the Tank’ earlier this year to pitch his company to the investor sharks.

The television series, which premiered in 2009, features venture capitalists who invest in companies and products with their own money at their own discretion. In addition to Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Loughran pitched to cyber security businessman Robert Herjavec; Lori Greiner, coined the “Queen of QVC”; real estate tycoon Barbara Corcoran; and Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful. Daymond John, founder of the clothing brand FUBU, is also a regular personality on the show. The results, which Loughran said he could not yet reveal, will air on ABC on Dec. 9 at 9 p.m.

Loughran spent years in the construction business as a project manager, and always carried a passion for hockey. He taught his son, Brian, now 22, to skate at a young age, and coached him in his youth, but as he tried to create a place for him to practice outdoors in the winter, mild temperatures often spoiled the fun.

“Every year, I would build a little ice rink in the backyard,” Loughran said. “I would flood it, and then I would pray for cold weather. If I was lucky, maybe I’d get three weeks out of it.”

He wanted something that lasted longer so that his boy could train year-round. As Loughran tinkered with synthetic ice surfaces, what started as a hobby in 2010 became his full-time job two years later.

“I was a typical spoiled little kid and I wanted to have a rink in my backyard,” Brian said. “My dad, being himself, found the best way to get that rink in there, and he started selling it and it worked out for him. It’s very exciting and we’re all very excited to see him go on to the next step.”

Loughran’s company, Home Ice Supplies, focuses on bringing synthetic ice, made of polymer plastics, to families at an affordable price. The company offers different sized panels that interlock together to ensure a tight, nearly seamless connection that simulates skating on real ice.

The smaller, light-weight panels give the company an edge in the market when catering to families, Loughran said. Some competitors offer synthetic ice with slip agents to spray on the panels, he added, but his design has that within the plastic, making it a “no-maintenance” product. Loughran has design and utility patents pending.

Though synthetic ice has been around for decades, it has constantly evolved through the years. Loughran said the affordable application for people’s homes — whether it’s in a garage, basement or backyard — is the “untapped” market he is after, as many of his competitors focus on selling commercially.

“You’d be surprised how many people really don’t know about the product,” Loughran said. “There are a lot of people who, when they see it, they think it’s real ice, like on a float at the Macy’s [Thanksgiving] Day parade or something like that. They don’t put much thought into it.”

Loughran said he had done a test run with an online distributor, and though it did well, he soon realized he needed an investor. A casual fan of “Shark Tank,” Loughran applied to appear on the show in December of last year.

“I kind of just forgot about it,” Loughran recounted. “I was like, ‘Well, it was worth a shot, but they’re not going to call me.’”

But a few months later, they did. After a phone interview, he was asked to send in a video, and when the show’s producers were interested, he and his family were thrilled.

“I have been a huge fan of the show for a very long time and this is truly a dream come true,” said Loughran’s daughter, Jackie. “He is so passionate about his work and his product. My dad is a very hard-working man, and Brian, my mom, Donna, and I couldn't be more proud. It’s going to be fun watching him on television Friday night. We can't wait!”

With the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came pressure, and Loughran began meticulously preparing for the pitch by watching many episodes in the months leading up to it. He said he learned from previous entrepreneurs the dos and don’ts when eye-to-eye with the investors.

“It’s like a huge infomercial,” Loughran said. “You’re really putting yourself out there, but if you don’t do it right, it could be a bad-fomercial. You try to present yourself and the product the best you can.”

Loughran said he will be viewing the episode at a bar in Long Beach on Friday, and is excited about where he thinks his company is headed.

“There’s a lot that can be done; there’s room for growth, and definitely there’s the interest because people love to skate,” Loughran said. “There are some exciting things that I have now and I have some really exciting things planned for the future. It’s going to be something that no one’s ever seen before.”