ABOUT RAINBOW COLORS

Mission Statement

To promote swimming and boating safety for organizations with waterfronts on lakes, ponds, rivers, and the ocean, as well as swimming pools, through the use of our colorful and durableBuddy Tags and Buddy Bands . Rainbow Colors, LLC is also committed to helping people of all ages become more aware of the potential dangers (sunburn and skin cancer) of too much sun through our UV Bead Bands.

Peter Markow

About Us: The History of Rainbow Colors

Rainbow Colors: Combining practical science with serious fun. A colorful beginning for science education

Rainbow Colors, LLC, was founded in 1988 when Dr. Peter Markow realized the small amounts of food dyes necessary for the experiment he had written ('Separating and Identifying Food Dyes By Paper Chromatography') were not readily available. He began selling theFD&C Dye Kitto high school and college/university science teachers in order to get the experiment published by Chemical Education Resources. Since the seven food dyes follow the colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) the company name Rainbow Colors was born.

A vibrant safety solution for swimming and boating

At the same time, as a young waterfront director at a YMCA camp, Dr. Markow had become frustrated trying to find the ideal "buddy tag" for his swimming and boating programs. After trying everything from cardboard key tags (fell apart) to poker chips (easily broken), he designed and produced theBuddy Tag™. Within the next few years, he began selling them in 10 bright colors to camps across the U.S. and Canada.

A few years after the creation of the Buddy Tag, Peter developed theBuddy Band™based on a request for a product that allowed the Buddy Tag to be worn on a camper's wrist for identification while swimming. Today, many camps use our Buddy Bands to identify swimmers in the water, as well as groups on land, in lessons or on field trips.

A bright idea for UV protection

Later, as a college chemistry professor at what is now University of Saint Joseph, Dr. Markow was giving a talk to middle school students about the different forms of light, one of which is ultraviolet light. It sparked the idea for theUV Bead Band™, which Dr. Markow developed by combining solid white beads that turned colors when exposed to UV light with the black elastic technology of the Buddy Band.

About Dr. Markow

Dr. Peter Markow began his career as a waterfront director at a Boy Scout camp in 1971. He worked as a waterfront director for 30 years at six different camps, retiring from active waterfront work in 2006. He was a Lifeguard Training Instructor the last six years of his career. He is happy to consult with anyone who has questions about waterfront safety and buddy systems. Dr. Markow also taught chemistry, environmental science and science education for 30 years at the University of Saint Joseph.  Contact Dr. Markow today.