It was in the Marines that University student David Kidd first came up with the idea for "Tan Hand."

While stationed in Spain he noticed that many of his fellow soldiers burned their backs on the beach. Everything else was easier to reach and covered with suntan lotion.

Now with "Tan Hand," those who don't have anyone to put suntan lotion on their backs need never burn again, said Kidd (freshman-general sciences).

Kidd, 32, attends Ogontz campus and recently completed an associate degree at the campus in letters, arts and sciences.

The "Tan Hand" is a plastic arm with a hand at the end measuring 14 inches in length, he said. On the hand is a place to put adhesive-backed sponges where lotion can be added.

"Tan Hand," which is licensed under Davalin Products (a combination of the first names of Kidd and his wife Linda Fox), is sold by Shark Products. The $5.99 product will probably be in stores this May.

Universal Studios has already ordered "Tan Hand," as well as Bloomingdales, Clover and Wal-Mart, who have placed tentative orders, he said.

Kidd said he had ideas for potential products before, but always feared they would not work.

"There's one thing I learned and that's in order to get anything you have to take risks," he said. "I didn't learn that until I started doing this."

Fox played an equal part in the making of "Tan Hand."

"I do a lot of the negotiating with people," said Fox, a 1981 University graduate in advertising. "Dave is the one with the ideas and we both take it from there."

At every step of the way, she said, there was constant worry that things were going too well.

Kidd chose Shark Products to market "Tan Hand" because of the company's specialization in beach products. Shark Products is best known for its "Sand Shark" product, an item that can be used to secure towels on the beach.

Kidd said he was reading a Philadelphia Inquirer story on Shark Products one day and decided to call the company to get some input on his product.

"I didn't think I'd get through," he said. "I thought I'd get a secretary or something but (the owner) Mike Mayer answers the phone."

Kidd asked Mayer if he would look at his "Tan Hand" product, which was still in the development stage. Mayer agreed to a meeting.

"I showed it to him and he said, 'I've seen a lot of ideas before and this one shows a lot a merit and possibilities,' so I was really psyched," Kidd said.

In looking into marketing the "Tan Hand," Kidd and Fox decided that money could be problem and approached Shark Products with the prospect of selling their product for them.

"We decided that instead of taking a big risk and getting $150,000 to start a business and possibly blowing a good idea, we thought why don't we talk to Mayer," he said.

Two weeks later, after Mayer consulted with other members of the company, "Tan Hand" became a part of Shark Products.

"I couldn't believe it, it felt like we hit the lottery or something," Kidd said. "Everything's happening so fast."

Mayer said, "Dave's biggest advantage is his flexibility. He accepted the big decisions and realized in new experiences you can't go in with too many expectations."

Shark Products gets 20 to 30 calls a year, he said, and not many of the ideas for products are workable.

Fox said, "I'm looking forward to the first time we'll see ("Tan Hand") in the stores; that's going to be amazing."

The product, recently introduced at a Chicago trade show, was received well, said Kidd.

Now that cash has started rolling in, Kidd said he is already working on two new ideas for Shark Products.

"It's not just the money," said Fox. "At each stage of development with "Tan Hand" there was satisfaction. Every step is exciting and thinking of the possibilities is in itself exciting."

Kidd said, "Although the money's really great, I ended up realizing I really got a rush out of knowing that my idea was being seen by thousands of people. There was something about that that made it seem more important than the money -- for a couple of seconds (laughs)."