Edward “Alex” Higginbotham is a builder and self-taught inventor who has made leading contributions in the world of gutters and gutter protection.
Alex Higginbotham
Growing up on a farm in rural Missouri, Higginbotham was aware at an early age the importance of being able to fix a piece of mechanical equipment when crops needed to be harvested and the rains were on the way. He transferred these skills to the U.S. Air Force, where he was part of an elite team of troubleshooters sent into the field whenever something needed fixing – anything from a computer hard drive to a navigational system on a fighter jet. Following his service in the Air Force, Higginbotham worked as a contractor who earned his living working on homes in greater Lynchburg, Virginia. He made a name for himself as the go-to guy for solving the difficult problems his fellow builders were faced with. On one occasion he gained local notoriety when he single-handedly installed a 76-foot gutter run, an installation which typically requires two or three men to prevent the gutter from twisting and being ruined. Higginbotham did this several times, once climbing up a ladder to a second story and effortlessly hanging the gutter on his own, a feat which earned him a full-page picture in the Lynchburg News and Advance.
Though he worked hard to support his family, he sometimes found it hard to make ends meet. Years of hard work had taken their toll on his health, and his hands became so stiff that he used to duct-tape his hammer to his hand to maintain his grip. Then a local builder asked if he could create a better leaf guard, an item often requested by the builder’s customers. Having risen to the other challenges he been given in his life, Higginbotham turned his attention to gutter protection.
Higginbotham’s efforts turned him from handyman to inventor. You can read the story of how he came to invent micromesh gutter guards here.
When he is not inventing, Higginbotham spends his time reading the Bible, taking long walks in his beloved Blue Ridge Mountains, and composing country music songs.
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