Entreprenurial spirit leads to Ferrari donation to SCAD

<p>About 30 years ago, Paul Bradley's father came up with an idea for a new bank box-defeating key after taking a trip to the dentist.</p><p>William Houdini Bradley of Bradley Lock and Key, a downtown Savannah landmark since 1883, was at the dentist having a crown removed when the dentist's tool caught his eye.</p><p>That gave him the inspiration to create a tool, the "Bradley Puller," to open bank lockboxes.</p><p>Bank boxes were designed to be difficult to break into. So when a customer lost a key, that made things difficult for the bank as well _ a manufacturer's rep would usually show up days later with a drill that would break into the box in a matter of hours.</p><p>William Bradley's tool could open a bank box in 60 seconds.</p><p>Paul Bradley, then a teenager, told him he should sell it.</p><p>"I don't have time," his father answered, "I just wanted to make my life easier."</p><p>So Paul Bradley took the lead in selling the lockbox tool and never looked back. On Friday, he shared some of the spoils of his success by donating to the Savannah College of Art and Design a 1975 red Ferrari 308 GT4 _ a sports car he bought with the proceeds from his entreprenurial venture.</p><p>When he first began trying to sell the Bradley Puller, Paul Bradley placed ads in a locksmith magazine. But after only a few orders came in, he realized he needed to contact banks.</p><p>He found an encyclopedia of bank names, all 22,000 of them. The 13-year-old hired a Kelly Girl for a secretary and had her start typing envelopes.</p><p>He recruited his classmates at Savannah Country Day School to stuff envelopes for minimum wage and a free lunch. To save money with bulk rate, they sorted all 22,000 pieces of mail.</p><p>Not too long after, his postmaster brought him a tray full of orders.</p><p>Paul used the Bradley Lock and Key stationery and phone number for his budding business. Shop employees took great delight when bankers would call and asked for the company president, Paul Bradley.</p><p>"He's in school," they would answer with a chuckle. "He'll call you back."</p><p>Banks from all over the world placed orders and Paul Bradley kept track of them with pins on a map. He shipped as many as 500 at a time. One order even came from the CIA.</p><p>After graduating from high school, Paul bought a sports car.</p><p>He found the red Ferrari _ the same model Elvis owned _ for sale in Mississippi. He and his future wife, Mindy, went on their first date in the red car more than 22 years ago, she said.</p><p>On Friday, during the car's donation, Victor Ermoli, dean of the School of Design, said he wants students to hear the sound of the powerful car's engine, spend time underneath the car and experience it firsthand.</p><p>"It's a carburetor car that 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds don't know. They don't understand the love," Ermoli said. "This is the real deal."</p><p>Two SCAD design students used a camera phone to take pictures of each other standing behind the open door of the Ferrari.</p><p>"Did you see the looks in those kids' eyes?" Paul Bradley asked. "That's why I donated the car."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdde54)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/7/120181