OUR STORY

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In 2021, Anna founded Spanton Board to bring her and her late father's innovative designs for a sports injury board to market. As the driving force behind the company, she has been deeply involved in every aspect of its growth, from collaborating with engineers on product development to navigating complex regulatory landscapes. Anna's visionary approach includes strategic outreach, where she has forged key partnerships with leaders in professional sports, emergency medicine, and healthcare, positioning the Spanton Board for widespread adoption and long-term success. 

James has watched his grandfather's early concept go to prototyping and then to commercialization of the Pro Sports Board. He has participated in demonstrations across the country including with professional sports leagues, EMS, fire, law enforcement, and the military. As an entrepreneur at the age of 16, James anticipates carrying on his families legacy and stepping into his mother's shoes to continue growing the Spanton line of products.  

From the beginning, John worked with his father on the Spanton Spineboard concept. He possesses a wealth of knowledge concerning the company’s early design, engineering, testing and promotion efforts. John’s professional history is highlighted by diverse, cross-industry experience in sales, marketing, teaching, business  development and operations. John is extremely tech savvy, conversational in Japanese. He received a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from Temple University and a Master of Education in teaching from the University of Hawaii.  

With over 40 years of successful national and international business creation and leadership experience, Curt has directed the development and successful launch of over 100 new businesses and more than 500 new products for the communications, IT, military, transportation, medical, health, food, and gardening industries worldwide. Curt is a seasoned public speaker, entrepreneur, investor, consultant, and three-time veteran of Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest- Growing Private Companies® list 

Suzanne has been designing and implementing effective business strategy for over 20 years. She provides investor, legal, and corporate finance guidance to Spanton Board, and has worked with dozens of start-ups and early stage businesses throughout the country. Suzanne has also executed sell-side and buy-side transactions including buyouts, corporate restructurings, sourcing deals, and transaction negotiations. Suzanne received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California at Davis, and holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco School of Law.  

Dr. Doug Kleiner is a nationally renowned expert in the "spine-injured" athlete. He was the former Chair of the Inter-Association Task Force for Spine-Injured Athletes, where he led a prestigious group of scientists and clinicians. Dr. Kleiner was the first (and remains the only) person to receive Fellowship status in each of the three leading sports medicine organizations. Later in his career, he "invented" the concept of "the tactical athlete," which describes the similarities between sports medicine and human performance in athletes as compared to Law Enforcement and Military personnel. He continues to work in sports and emergency medicine, and holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physiology from Auburn University. 

Pete Trapani has been a full-time Firefighter and Paramedic with the Orange County Fire Authority for over 20 years. He was also appointed to the Emergency Services Agency Quality Assurance Board, and spent over 5 years researching EMS products and applying their use in field studies. Furthermore, Pete serves as lead instructor at Orange County EMT, teaching courses on paramedics, emergency medical training, and CPR. As a specialist in trauma care in the pre-hospital setting, Pete is an expert on best practices, particularly surrounding spine injury and immobilization. He serves as an advisor to Spanton Board, bringing integral EMS and Firefighting knowledge.