Local Brothers Who Invented Wireless Headphones Hope to Inspire Youngsters to Find Opportunity in Science and Technology

Pasadena brothers who invented wireless headphone technology are hoping to inspire future generations of Black students.

In an interview with ABC7 News, Earl and Cedric Woolfork, who own and operate One-E-Way, an electronic products design and manufacturing Delaware corporation with offices in Pasadena, say they faced obstacles after they invented the high-quality wireless music headphones powered by Bluetooth.

“We didn’t know anyone who had patents who looked like us,” said Earl.

 The brothers came up with the idea when they were exercising  on the Santa Monica Stairs when Earl was a student at USC studying electrical engineering. 

“I’d see people going up and down exercising, and the cord was not only a nuisance, but it was also potentially dangerous. So I said there’s got to be a better way to replace the cord. And not just replace it, but replace it with high-quality powered music,” Earl Woolfork told ABC7 News reporter Rachel Brown.

The brothers have received eight patents for their technology over the past 17 years and have eight more pending, according to the company’s website. They license their work to big-box retailers such as Sony, Sennheiser and Jabra.

They credit their success to their business savvy and ambitious parents, who inspired their entrepreneurship at a young age.

“Both my mother and my father played an integral role in us and where we are today,” said Cedric.

According to the company’s website, the company is “committed to meeting the electronic needs of today’s mobile society by leveraging cutting-edge technology with the objective of becoming a major participant in the wireless industry, targeting cross-platform wireless business opportunities.”

Their goal: “To provide innovative, convenient and affordable consumer electronic products in the domestic and international market. Our emphasis is on creating solutions that provide performance and value,” the site states.

Sales are good. One-E-Way just released a new product, the E-Clip Series True Wireless Earbuds. Throughout Black History Month, customers receive a 10% discount. 

The brothers hope to inspire the next generation and encourage more children to pursue careers in science and technology.

“When kids, especially kids of color, can see that, oh, there’s somebody that looks like me, then they can also say I can do that as well. And we want to inspire that,” said Earl.