Esurance Announces Winner Of The 2013 Road To Maker Faire Challenge

Brother's Battle with Parkinson's Inspired His Passion for Empowering Others

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May 17, 2013, 01:18 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company, announced the grand prize winner of the Road to Maker Faire Challenge.

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The contest encouraged flourishing "makers" to enter do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for exhibition at Maker Faire Bay Area. Each project also needed to embody Esurance's inventive, pioneering, and tech-savvy approach to car insurance.

The winner, inventor Lance Greathouse, received $2,500 to travel from his home in Phoenix to the Bay Area and exhibit his prize-winning creations, all built in his garage with inspiration from various art and mobile objects.

Lance has more than 30 years' experience in machinery design and technical support for medical equipment, which he's put into designing and building one-of-a-kind wheelchairs and other edgy, experimental, and fully functional machines. His ingenuity began as a child, when his father turned their garage into a classroom for learning fabrication and electrical skills. Working with his father and younger brother, they created more than 40 custom car projects together.

In 2003, Lance's brother was diagnosed with a rare form of Parkinson's disease. Watching his brother Brent lose mobility and become wheelchair-dependent inspired Lance to design him the wheelchair of his dreams. Unfortunately, his brother was unable to enjoy Lance's magnificent creation as he passed away from his debilitating illness in 2004. His life inspires Lance to help individuals with mobility challenges resume their daily activities and live better lives.

"My work combines my love of helping people with my passion and curiosity for building really cool and functional machines," Lance said about his inspiration for creating. "I spend every waking minute in my garage when I'm not at my day job. This is where my heart is, and I hope to one day do this full-time so I can provide really original and functional wheelchairs to people who deserve but cannot afford them."

Maker Faire Bay Area attendees can check out Greathouse Labs creations and meet Lance at his exhibit alongside the Esurance booth on May 18-19, in San Mateo, California. For more details on the creative process and story behind Lance Greathouse Labs, visit: http://www.greathouselabs.com/greathouse-labs/.

About Maker Faire
The launch of Maker Faire in the Bay Area in 2006 demonstrated the popularity of making and interest among legions of aspiring makers to participate in hands-on activities and learn new skills at the event. A record 165,000 people attended the two flagship Maker Faires, in the Bay Area and New York, in 2012 with 44% of attendees being first timers at the Bay Area event, and 61% in New York. A family event, the vast majority attend with children. In 2013, over 60 community-driven Mini Maker Faires are expected around the world, including Tokyo and Rome. For more information about Maker Faire, please visit http://www.makerfaire.com.

About Esurance®
Esurance provides auto insurance direct to consumers online, over the phone, and through select agents, including sister company, Answer Financial. With an easy-to-use mobile app, quick comparison quotes, and online repair monitoring, Esurance is the smart choice for today's web-savvy consumer. As a member of the Allstate family with an A+ rating from A.M. Best, Esurance is a reliable choice for car insurance, offering anytime, anywhere service just a click, call, or tap away. For more information, visit www.esurance.com or call 1-800-ESURANCE (1-800-378-7262).

Related Links:
Esurance
Greathouse Labs

SOURCE Esurance