WHS Grad Lands in the 'Shark Tank'; Debuts on ABC Tonight

One Westlake High graduate has made it into the Shark Tank.

WHS Class of 1992 graduate Aaron LeMieux had an opportunity to meet The “Sharks,” stars of ABC's popular "Shark Tank" and convince them his idea, nPower PEG is a worthwhile investment.

The Sharks are tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons -- who give budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires. His episode airs tonight on ABC at 9 p.m.

Each week, entrepreneurs from across the country have an opportunity to present their idea to the Sharks, offering a piece of their company for financial backing. In some cases, entrepreneurs walk off with millions. In other cases, they walk off emptyhanded. This week will feature LeMeiux, a Westlake native, who now lives in Cleveland with his wife Jill.

On tonight’s show, LeMieux, 38, will present his patented alternative resource nPower PEG to the Sharks. (Due to a confidentiality agreement, LeMieux could not discuss the show, including how he came to meet the Sharks.)

“I came up with the idea when I was a college student at the University of Toledo,” LeMieux, the owner of Tremont Electric in Cleveland, said.

He said he’s been working on it full time for the past six years, but the concept was born during a 1500-mile trek of the Appalachian Trail. That journey, which started as a solo trip, left him some thinking time.

“I was walking on the trail and knew there was a lot of kinetic energy,” he said. Carrying a large backpack, he had to keep stopping to buy batteries. The idea was in its infancy. LeMieux said at the time, there wasn’t a lot to power.

“It was 1996, I was trying to power a CD Walkman,” he said. “There weren’t any cell phones back then. “When I was done with the trip I went back to engineering school.”

His first attempt at a device that created energy didn’t go so well.

“It turned into a stunning failure,” LeMieux said. “But it gave me a data point. There were a lot of trials and tribulations.

He began working on nPower PEG full time six years ago and now sells the product to the public through the company’s website and some large out-of-state outlets. The product retails for $129.95.

Tremont Electric bills itself as an alternative energy company and LeMieux sees other product potential down the line using the patented generator that drives the nPower Peg.

In the meantime, he is focusing on nPower PEG.

Click here to read about how the nPower PEG was developed                  

The 9-inch device uses the energy a person generates while walking, running, or biking to charge your smart phone, music player, GPS and other devices.

“There really isn’t anything else out there like it,” LeMieux said.

The nPower PEG is a 9-inch tube that has magnets and a lithium battery packed inside.

According to Tremont Electric’s website, once the PEG's internal battery is fully charged, it holds that charge for up to 100 days sitting still. 

“If it's in your bag moving and harvesting kinetic energy, your PEG will continue to stay charged beyond 100 days,” the site said.

So did LeMieux walk off with big money and a backing from the Sharks? You’ll have to tune in tonight to find out.