Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 6 -- Ever wonder what those cords that hang around the neck and dangle employee badges are called? They're lanyards and they're about to debut as a new fashion accessory. Made by Chisco, a Salt Lake City-based sports accessory company, lanyards will be introduced at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market show in Salt Lake Aug. 13-16 at the Salt Palace.

Lanyards have traditionally served a utilitarian purpose at work for companies that require employees to display security or ID badges. But Chisco believes lanyards have additional value for holding knives, keys, pagers, money clips, or garage door or car door openers. Their usefulness can also extend to a variety of other settings - while jogging or hiking, in daily activities, or for safety reasons such as retrieving a set of keys from a purse while walking to a car in the dark.

Two other lanyard varieties will also be available from Chisco -the Clipper, which attaches to hats and collars, and the Lil Clipper, which attaches to ski gloves and cuffs. "Our customers are always telling us that hats and ski gloves seem to be the most vulnerable accessories in the elements. Now we've invented a keep a hat on in a wind storm or help skiers from losing gloves while they're out on the slopes," said Beirne Chisolm, co-founder and president of Chisco.

The neck lanyard measures about 20 inches and is made from nylon cord. All Chisco lanyards come in assorted solids and assorted weaves. Stainless steel, rustproof badge clips are used as the holding device. These products will be ready for shipment August 15, 1998.

Chisco is a Salt Lake City-based company established in 1988 by Beirne and Gregg Chisolm, two brothers from Rye, N.Y., who settled in Utah to attend college and enjoy skiing. Because of their love of outdoor sports, especially skiing and wind surfing, Beirne and Gregg first developed THE BANDĘ, a watchband that would survive rigorous use, especially water sports, and prevent the watch from being lost, even if the watch pin broke. That product, which became successful worldwide, was followed by a line of sports accessories that include bi-fold and tri-fold wallets for men and a checkbook/wallet organizer for women, keychains, belts, a shoe pocket, neck wallet, and dog collars and leashes. Chisco products are sold all across the United States and in many foreign countries around the globe.