Wes Mullens never imagined a fly-fishing problem would give birth to a business idea — or maybe he did because as Mullens puts it, the idea was “just the tip of the iceberg.”

This example is due to a recent trip, but Mullens has gone through many other problems like being born with a disability.

Mullens, a junior business management major from Lewisville, was born without a right hand, which, he said, has helped him find ways to always do something differently.

“I took a hanger and I cut the end of it off and I melted it around the end of my rod,” Mullens said. “I kind of made myself a little attachment that would allow me to strip in line and still fly fish with one hand.”

He ultimately 3D printed a model using CAD software he accidentally learned in his freshman year at ACU.

“I wasn’t really sure why I took that class, but I’ve been 3D printing a lot of things,” Mullens said.

That triumph sparked a bigger idea: to create attachments for disabled people who love the outdoors like himself.

Though many details are unreleased due to the product not yet hitting the shelves, he began designing a wheelchair that uses bike components to allow users to push themselves using less energy.

“It’s gonna enormously, tremendously help these people be able to go from point A to point B with a lot less effort,” he said.

Mullens pitched his idea to ACU’s Springboard competition judges with a stop-motion pitch video.

“We heard on an email that night if we got in or not,” Mullens said. “I got the email. And yeah, I’m still sort of in shock about the results.”

He was awarded $30,000 to fund the project and bring the product to the outside market.

Mullens expressed how grateful he was for the opportunity to continue pursuing this kind of work.

“I wish I kind of took advantage of these resources sooner,” Mullens said. “But COBA really pours into the students a whole lot.”

And to answer the why?

“I just wanna help others the way I’ve had to help myself,” Mullens said.