Bob Clark, now Slender You, was working as a salesman for Motion Industries, Inc. in Orlando, Florida when I first met him. I was buying motors, gear reducers, bearings and many other industrial components from Motion Industries, Inc. to manufacture my Toning Tables. I had 15 toning tables in my first exercise salon when Bob Clark came to my salon under the pretext that he needed to know why I was buying so many industrial products from Motion Industries, Inc. He wanted to remove the side panels from some of the machines and see how the components were being used. I flatly refused his request. Bob Clark insisted saying he wasn’t sure Motion Industries, Inc. could continue to sell me any more industrial products without his inspection and approval. I was upset by such a threatening tone. The ball was rolling for me. I had other people who were interested in buying sets of machines and setting up salons. The last thing I needed was any delay caused by finding a different industrial components supplier. I told Bob Clark that these exercise machines and the system of weight loss I developed were my secret information and they involved my proprietary ideas and trade secrets. I told him I was concerned about keeping all the information about my exercise machines and weight loss system confidential and that I was worried someone would realize how incredible they work and try to steal my ideas. Bob Clark’s exact words were “Kathy, I am a very successful salesman for Motion Industries. I make over $50,000 a year. What would I want with your rinky dinky exercise machines?” “I said OK Bob, then you wouldn’t mind signing my rinky dinky non disclosure agreement would you?” Bob Clark agreed. I went into my office and wrote up a 1 page confidentiality and non disclosure agreement. Bob Clark signed the agreement.
As I continued to buy more and more industrial components to manufacture my exercise machines, Bob Clark befriended me. He said that he could help me to “speed up” my manufacturing process by having drawings and prints made of each machine, instead of constantly measuring. I paid Bob Clark to make these “prints” for me. The name of his company was called R C Engineering. That means that I allowed Bob Clark to measure and write down every single detail of my exercise machines because I trusted him and after all, he did sign a confidentiality and non disclosure agreement. Let’s not forget I also paid him to do these “prints” for me. Shortly afterwards I learned Bob Clark started manufacturing my exercise machines under the name “Slender You ” in Orlando, Florida. I was upset and hysterical. I felt betrayed and angry. My biggest fear was coming true and from the very person who swore he had no interest in copying my exercise machines. I filed a lawsuit against Bob Clark, his wife Diane Clark, RC Engineering, and Slender You for theft of trade secrets and violation of the non disclosure agreement. Bob Clark made enough money from the theft of my trade secrets to buy an airplane!!! Through some clever manipulation, Bob Clark was able to get his wife, Diane Clark removed from the lawsuit saying she knew nothing about the exercise machines and was not involved. Immediately after that, Bob Clark signed all his assets and those of Slender You over to Diane Clark. So as I chased Bob Clark through one court proceeding after another, Bob Clark continued to manufacture my machines without missing a beat. As I got one court order after another to “Take possession” of his assets, my yield was to find empty, abandoned buildings. It took three (3) years of chasing Bob Clark through a judicial system that is so slow literally any criminal can evade prosecution in the meantime. All during these three (3) years Bob Clark manufactured and sold hundreds of exercise machines that were based on measurements, designs and other information he took from my exercise machines.
Originally I had 5 different exercise machines. One at a time I invented more exercise machines. The 6th one was called the Body Bender. Since my factory is located in Florida, it is hot and all the bay doors are kept open. We test all the exercise machines on all speeds to be sure they meet the highest possible quality control standards. Bob Clark saw us testing the Body Bender at the maximum speed. He raced back to his place and “copied” what he thought he saw. Bob Clark called his machine the “Sit up” machine. Unfortunately for Bob Clark, he got the concept all wrong. He put the customers head on the moving part of the machine, whipping them up and down 900 times during a 10 minute session. What a mess. Without direct access to duplicate the design of my exercise machine #6, Bob Clark couldn’t make a machine. After that Bob Clark did not even attempt to copy my exercise machine #7, my exercise machine #8 , my exercise machine #9 and my latest exercise machine #10. Bob Clark knows how to copy but not how to create.
After the very long 3 year court battle an agreement was reached whereby Bob Clark paid me $250,000 for the theft of trade secrets and he was allowed to continue manufacturing machines as long as they were 20% different than my original designs. Evidence of the court orders are public domain documents and are posted on my web site.
I have spent years “handling” all the lies Bob Clark has told so he can sell exercise machines. Bob Clark has repeatedly told people his wife Diane Clark invented the machines. (This is the same Diane Clark that was removed from my lawsuit because she “Knew Nothing” about the exercise machines). Bob Clark maintains he is the oldest manufacturer of these exercise machines. Clearly Bob Clark was not the originator of these machines or the court would not have found him guilty and Bob Clark would not have paid me $250,000 for said theft. I trusted Bob Clark. He was a likable person and believe me, he is a very convincing salesman. He “sold” me that I could trust him. Bob Clark’s latest slap in the face is his “25th Anniversary” machines. Please see the picture of my daughter Rachael at age 10 surrounded by all his supposed “25th Anniversary” machines in the parking lot of my manufacturing building. Rachael is now 34. Bob Clark’s “25th Anniversary” machines aren’t his either.
I have invented and manufactured several other things including an Infra Red Sauna, Tool Tubs, Lockout Tools, Magic Massage Chairs and now the Cardio Hop. My passion is to help people. Every invention I have developed is a direct result of trying to solve a problem.
My reason for coming forward with all this information after all this time is because Bob Clark has filed a lawsuit against me. He wants me to take the court orders showing the court found him guilty of Theft of Trade Secrets and Violating the Non Disclosure agreement, off my web site. I have refused. He is apparently threatened by me. I have sat back and watched him get away with his lies for way too long. Over the years several customers who bought machines from Bob Clark have called me literally crying saying that they were lied to by Bob Clark. I am not a very good salesman. I tell people the way it is not what they want to hear. I lose a lot of sales that way. That’s OK. I can sleep well at night.