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Bobby Amore is an inventor, coach, and life enthusiast whose numerous experiences
have taken him to many places, both in his career and around the world. As
a hockey coach and inventor, Bobby has dedicated his life to aiding others.
Through his latest adventure of taking his newest product, TonerBelt, on to
ABC's American Inventor, Bobby was able to show millions of viewers the passion
he has for helping people have a healthy, active, high-quality life. And with
TonerBelt's continued success, Bobby gives back to the community, not only
by offering it a life-enhancing device, but by also donating a percentage
of his profits to organizations that fight childhood obesity.
Bobby fell in love with sports as a child in New York City, where he spent numerous hours playing roller hockey. He was recruited for the ice hockey team at SUNY Brockport (in upstate New York), where he majored in business and communication. While in college, he also gained real-world education in advertising-in front of the camera-appearing in commercials for Levi's 501 Jeans, Sprint, Old Spice, and a Verizon long distance Olympic spot.
After graduation he became a sports ambassador with "People to People Sports" and was a member of one of the first US hockey teams to play in the Soviet Union. For the next five years he regularly traveled to Europe, visiting countries throughout Eastern and Western Europe.
Bobby then decided to pursue a career in the world of finance, where he worked in the commodities market in Chicago and New York City. But he had a wake-up call in 1993 when he was in the World Trade Center when the first terrorist bomb attack took place. Surviving such a harrowing experience reminded Bobby that needed to live life chasing his passions and bringing them to fruition.
Bobby returned to the sports world as the youth hockey director for the Hockey Travel Program, a non-profit organization that makes the sport accessible to children of all backgrounds. Based at Manhattan's Chelsea Piers (where he has also been head advisor to some of its summer hockey camps), Bobby runs the coaching staff alongside four-time Stanley Cup winner Butch Goring.
But his drive to help others wasn't limited to coaching. As the popularity of in-line skates rose in the 90s, he noticed how many people were injured while trying to stop. His creative mind went to work, and he developed "Skids," an easy-to-use front-end brake that is now sold throughout the world. Skids were a huge success, and Bobby began to receive attention as both inventor and commercial producer. The New York Times ran a feature on him in 1994, and his self-produced commercial for Skids won several awards, including a Cleo for best low-budget commercial, an AICP Award for best writing, and a Telly Award for being one of the best television spots in 25 years. Bobby is perhaps proudest of the fact that the ad has been added to the pop culture archive at the Museum of Modern Art.
Bobby's creativity knows no limits, and while pitching his many ideas (including snowboarding tools, eyeglass accessories, and a web business that allows people to self-monitor their own health), he realized that his own enthusiasm and dedication is his best asset. Standing in his way, though, was his fear of public speaking. Never deterred, he decided to enroll in theater classes, and as he's the ever-evolving sort, he's done more than become a comfortable public speaker-he has actually landed speaking parts in several films and has worked with one of his hockey-playing friends, Academy Award winner Tim Robbins.
As Bobby reached his forties, he noticed that people his age were falling out of shape and that most of America was unhealthy. His father died of heart disease, his uncle Ray had a slight heart attack, and his mother also deals with the affliction. He wanted to do something to help-to keep people healthy and combat one of the country's deadliest killers.
He built the prototype for the TonerBelt, did a patent search, and began the amazing journey that led to his appearance on ABC's American Inventor. He continues to persevere-to promote TonerBelt, invent new ways to help others, and to live by his mantra: "Anytime you start something, you must finish it."
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