Local inventor considers herself an artist at heart

Mazy Holiday, a Forest Park resident and successful designer of innovative, sustainable consumer products, also has a background in sculpture.

In fact, she considers herself an artist at heart and said that experience helps her.

“If I didn’t have so much experience designing, drawing and building, my products wouldn’t be as successful,” she said, adding her artist’s sensibility also pushes her to make her products more aesthetically pleasing.

And Holiday must be doing something right.

She was named a finalist in two categories in the 2016 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. 

She was a finalist in the Female Entrepreneur of the Year category, and her company, WhatBox Inc., was a finalist for Most Innovative Company of the Year. 

The winners were set to be announced in New York Nov. 18, after Iron City Ink’s press date.

Holiday, with 15 years experience in 3-D design and construction, has designed such items as Paples, which are shreddable, recyclable staples; the eco-safe FragranceFilters, which capture lint, dust and pollen while releasing scents; and the iStand Walking Cane with SmartWalk Technology, which helps prevent dangerous falls by seniors.

She said she loves inventing.

“The most exciting part is when you put something together that you thought of, and it actually works,” Holiday said.

Holiday said she is most proud of her fall-prevention products.

“You can see the result,” she said. “They’re actually going to help people.”

FragranceFilters are available at walmart.com, after the inventor’s successful pitch to the retailer in June.

Lindsay Williams, president of Blanks Boutique in Birmingham, was also a Stevie Awards finalist as Female Entrepreneur of the Year.