Matthew Boyer and Kevin Smith grew up together in Rossmoor where they attended Oak Middle School. They graduated from Los Alamitos High School in 2002.
In 2010 they decided to pool their resources and talent and with Boyer leading the way, founded a company called QuakeKits.
“I started the company in August of 2010 with the goal of providing my community of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos with quality emergency survival kits,” Boyer said. “My business partner (Smith) and I have been active in the community, attending the Rossmoor Community Festival and Seal Beach C.E.R.T. meetings since the company’s inception.
They were a presence with a booth last weekend at the Irvine Emergency Preparedness Expo.
“Seal Beach, Sunset, Long Beach, and Los Alamitos are vulnerable to a Natural disaster because of their proximity to the shoreline. Awareness is critical,” Boyer said.
“With our community so closely located to the San Andreas Fault, it was shocking to discover how grossly under-prepared for a natural disaster people are, especially in the Orange County area. As concerned citizens, we made it our duty to ignite a grassroots emergency preparedness movement and founded QuakeKits in August of 2010,” Boyer said.
By bringing QuakeKits to the people, the pair hopes to reach those who would normally overlook emergency preparedness.
“Part of our mission is educating the community about preparedness,” Boyer said. “The staff at QuakeKits is dedicated to providing comprehensive emergency survival kits for individuals, families, and pets.”
The two young entrepreneurs have been able to use the social media platforms like Facebook to provide critical information about current disasters and preparedness. You can find out more about the company at www.facebook.com/quakekitshome or at www.Quakekits.net.”
September is FEMA’s emergency preparedness month and QuakeKits is encouraging people to “join the movement,” Boyer said.
“The traditional idea of emergency preparedness is purchasing a large trash can and filling it with supplies. However, those supplies are rarely updated and usually expire,” Boyer said. “QuakeKits are designed to safely equip a person for a 72-hour period following a disaster. All of our survival kits that come conveniently packaged in a grab-and-go style backpack or fanny pack. All food and water comes with a five-year shelf life and can withstand extreme temperatures.
“We recommend putting them in an easily accessible location close to an emergency exit.”
Since graduating high school Boyer has received a bachelor’s degree in history from California State University at Long Beach and plans to take the bar examination in February 2012. Smith is also a graduate of CSULB.
“Since graduating college Kevin and I have made it a goal to prepare our community for a natural disaster and we turned this passion into a career last August,” Boyer said.
Below is a sample of a one person QuakeKit:
Emergency Preparedness:
(1) Quick Access Backpack with custom QuakeKits logo
(1) QuakeKits Emergency Preparedness Guide
Food and Water:
(1) ER™ Food Bars (three-day emergency ration with a five-year shelf-life)
(3) ER™ Water Boxes with straws (three-day emergency ration with a five-year shelf-life)
(10) ER™ Water Purification Tablets
Lighting and Shelter:
(1) Hand-crank powered LED flashlight/radio (AM/FM)/Cell phone charger—No batteries required.
(4) Emergency candles
(10) Strike anywhere matches
(1) Thermal heat blanket
Search and Rescue:
(1) Multi-function tool (includes: large knife, can opener, screw driver, and bottle opener)
(1) Dust mask
(1) Rain poncho with hood
(1) Roll of duct tape (10 yards)
(1) Pair of all-purpose work gloves
(1) Safety whistle
First-Aid and sanitation:
(1) First aid kit (28 pieces, includes: multiple size bandages, antiseptic wipes, aspirin, and gauze)
(1) Individual tissue pack
(1) Large waste disposal bag
Recreation:
(1) Deck of Playing Cards
The one dog QuakeKit consists of the following items:
Emergency Preparedness:
(1) Quick Access Fanny Pack with custom QuakeKits logo
Food and Water:
(1) ER™ Bag of Dog Food (three-day emergency ration with a five-year shelf-life)
(2) ER™ Water Boxes with Straws (three-day emergency ration with a five-year shelf-life)
(2) ER™ Water Purification Tablets
(1) Food/Water portable Bowl
Shelter:
(1) Thermal blanket
First-Aid and sanitation:
(1) First-aid kit
(6) Sanitation bags
Search and Rescue:
(1) Dog collar
(1) Dog leash
Recreation:
(1) Dog toy
