We Are EZ-Xtend
It Started With Just A Girl
As a young 19 year old woman living aboard in south Florida, I walked into a local sewing shop and saw a girl just a little older than I was sitting at a sewing machine sewing something unidentifiable. I don’t remember why I was there, but I do remember saying to myself, " that has got to be the worst job ever".
It's kind of funny when I look back at my sewing career. I did not even really like sewing at that age. The only thing I knew for sure was that I enjoyed creating and making things with my hands.
I knew by the age of 25 that I was going sailing and that I would need a career I could travel and make a living with , so I began considering my options.
While attending the Miami Boat show and walking around admiring all of the beautiful boats, I started looking at the covers on these boats and thinking I could do that! I must have forgotten about the girl behind the sewing machine!
Living Aboard
In The Early Days
<--- Freestyle
Pau Hana --->
I found a job in a local Marine Canvas & Upholstery shop and began my apprenticeship at $4.64 per hour. What I did not realize at the time was that I was beginning a lifelong career sewing for boats that would combine creativity and art with a natural engineers mind, and I had actually stumbled onto my God given talent.
Many happy years have gone by, and I have fabricated thousands of covers and cushions for my customers' boats. I found out that sewing is not so bad after all, especially since I still love the water and boats with a passion.
The people who know me have told me I have a gift for educating customers about the products they are buying and also for helping them navigate the decision making process. I'm so thankful for my career and customers, and I hope you'll reach out to me if I can be of help to you!
Next came EZ-Xtend Zippers - read on to see how that came about.
Happy Voyages!
Tammy
The First EZ-Xtend Zipper Customer
Was a Sea Ray Owner!
The plan for my customer, Steve, was to make two large sundeck cushions for his 41’ Sea Ray. Before heading to the boat, I was asked to take a look at his 1 year old enclosure and see if I could add some “snappy extenders” that would solve the shrinkage problem.
Before EZ-Xtend Zipper
After EZ-Xtend Zipper
Steve's boat enclosure would no longer snap into place. It occurred to me that it was the zippers that needed extending. I returned to the boat with 7 machine stitched zippers.
Once the zippers were attached, the enclosure easily snapped into place again all the way around. Steve was thrilled! He called them “Tammy’s Zen zippers”.
The idea was born...
I went to work on finding a way to bond the zippers. I wanted to be able to cut them to length anywhere in the world.
After that, I worked my way through the patent process. I think I’m still emotionally scarred from that, haha!
EZ-Xtend Zippers have helped solve problems for a whole lot of people through the years with their boats, jeeps, golfcarts, and restaurant enclosures.
As a young girl, when I dreamed of doing something to impact the world in a positive way, I sure never thought it would be with a zipper!
Since this zipper was developed, we have successfully grown EZ-Xtend into a brand and have developed many other problem solving products.
Our products are built to last using the hightest quality raw materials I can find, and are also sewn in the USA. We think that’s important. Whenever possible, we also source in the USA.
We hope you will try our products and see for yourself the difference we are so proud of! Read on and meet our team to see who really makes it all happen!
Our Crew Makes Things Possible!
Sarah
Sarah is my lead fabricator in the shop. Sarah couldn't be any happier than when she is sewing. Well except maybe when she's with her family. Sarah has a love of fashion, lake life, and being a mom. She has a beautiful stitch and puts her heart into everything she sews and it shows. We are sew glad (pun intended) to have her here at Cover Girl!
Dottie
Dottie is our EZ-Xtend Boat Zipper and Strap maker extraordinaire! She does such an awesome job with our incredible straps and zippers. We could not manage without her. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Dirk, and traveling in their RV.
Tricia
Tricia is our shipping/store manager. She takes care of our customers! She loves her family, friends, and her Griffon dog. She also enjoys puppies, music, fast cars, and boats. She is a wonderful asset to our business.
Mary
Mary is part of almost everything: manufacturing, web development, and anything else we need to put her on, she's multi-talented. She loves the ingenuity and quality of Cover Girl and EZ-Xtend products and looks forward every day to working with the team. Mary is a long-time resident of South Hall County. She enjoys the lake sights and sounds, and especially enjoys the wildlife around the lake.
Judy
Judy is our IT support specialist for all things internet related. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dogs. She and her husband, Tom, love going to the beach for much needed sand between their toes!.
Suzanne
Suzanne is part of our IT team and takes care of all things fabric related. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Bob, and her dog, Nutmeg. They also enjoy hiking and exploring nature trails together.
Charley at the Shop!
Charley
is our
Guardian
Puppy
She enjoys barking at everybody and laying in everyone's way.