A little early to pass judgement on a guy that revolutionized safety in motocross. If he can deliver new products in 2010 then he's worth the money. What I found interesting was the number of downhill mountain bike posts on their website. New products, opening new markets, updated financial news, getting the stock relisted. After some early growing pains the company appears to be delivering.
As far as the EVS brace a friend of mine had a Leatt and bought the EVS for his son. I tried it and the fit was awful and it was a cheap piece of plastic. I'm sure at the hill climbs you saw plenty of cheap HJC helmets, but do you wear a POS like that when you ride?? EVS is a cheap knockoff and and I doubt you will ever see a rider wearing one in professional competition. Since you do business with powersports dealers you should try putting the EVS brace on then a Leatt and tell me which you would rather wear.