Page 32 - Flathead Beacon // 10.7.15

TRANSACTIONS 33 BUSINESS IS PERSONAL 34
Business
Lyman Bishop, founder of Hoplite Armor. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
PROTECTING THOSE WHO SERVE
KALISPELL ENGINEER DESIGNS NEW FORM OF BODY ARMOR BY MOLLY PRIDDY
Alittle more than 11 years ago, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Lonnie Young was shot in his left shoulder, the bullet traveling across his back, stopping just short of his spine.
Young also received facial inju- ries from shrapnel from another bullet during that firefight in An Najaf, an Iraqi city about 100 miles south of Baghdad. Looking back now, Young says if he had
had sufficient shoulder protection on his body armor, he might have been spared the injuries.
Lyman Bishop, a mechanical engineer living just south of Kalispell, had heard this and other stories from friends in the military, and wanted to do something about it.
He started Hoplite Armor, LLC, a company that designs lightweight body
armor, in January. Now, the company is releasing its new design for a hard-armor shoulder plate system, weighing in at 1.1 pounds each.
“A very good friend of mine took a shot in the shoulder,” Bishop said. “All of these stories – the very real threat of lateral impact – that’s really where it started.”
Nine months after starting the com- pany, Bishop has found investors and
filled numerous orders of his polyeth- ylene plates, which are nestled into a universal plate framing system devel- oped in conjunction with S&S Precision of Virginia.
The entire set of Hoplite body armor, which includes chest and back plates, weighs about 10 pounds. Bishop said he’s beta tested the design with military and police, and said they have approved.
SOUTHSIDE IS
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS! WITH 12 MONTHS OF GIVEAWAYS!
Furniture, Gifts & Decor Galore!
2699 Hwy 93 S. Kalispell • 756-8526
OCTOBER “DATE NIGHT”
Two Nights stay @ Kalispell Grand Hotel
$100 Desoto Grill Gift Certificate
$75 Bullman’s Pizza Gift card • $40 Cinemark gift card $25 Twisted Bliss gift card • Champagne
(2) Waterford crystal champagne flutes Vintage hatbox • See’s Candy
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OCTOBER 7, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM