The door stops here

Rocklin's Michael Pendergrass is realizing the innovator's dream.He turned the vision of a man struggling to keep a door open so he could move large objects into a building into a multi-million dollar business.Pendergrass, inventor of the Rock'n Lock Doorstop, an alternative to the customary door wedge, has reached a deal with Ace Hardware to stock the Rock'n Lock nationally - a deal that could make the invention a staple in office buildings and households across the nation."The product will be located at Ace's 15 nationwide distribution centers and they're pushing for it to be stocked at their 4,500 stores," Pendergrass said. "On average, Ace sells 12 to 50 doorstops a month."The Rock'n Lock is priced at $6.95 at Ace, $2 less than its original $8.95 price tag. Pendergrass projects his company will gross $3.9 million annually based on his doorstop selling 12 units per month at each Ace Hardware store across the nation.Pendergrass is also negotiating deals for the doorstop to be placed in numerous mail order catalogs. It already can be found at local UPS Stores.The Rock'n Lock is a small rubber doorstop designed to catch the momentum of a door, rock back and then lock into place. Pendergrass said it is the first doorstop invention to hit the American market in more than 40 years.Adding to the versatility of the Rock'n Lock, a Spokane, Wash.-based company, Security Plus, asked Pendergrass to create a version of the doorstop with a security alarm installed. "I met Michael at a trade show in Las Vegas and he showed me his product, and I asked if he would consider making one with an alarm sensor," said Security Plus CEO Chris Stephens in a phone interview. "Right now, we sell a wedge that can be easily defeated if the door is pushed really hard. With the physics of the Rock'n Lock, that bug will be eliminated."The Rock'n Lock security device, which will be made of a harder plastic than the normal doorstop, will likely sell for $19.95.And with the prospect of new inventions like the security alarm Rock'n Lock, Pendergrass has been forced to upgrade his operations.The success of the Rock'n Lock has allowed Pendergrass to move from a small apartment on Sunset Boulevard to a 3,700-square-foot Rocklin home, which includes two home offices. With the new home office space, Pendergrass said he looks forward to developing new invention ideas and patents along with other Rock'n Lock Doorstop improvements."In my new office I have a workbench where I can lay out all of my design ideas and get to work," Pendergrass said.For more information on the Rock'n Lock Doorstop, visit www.rocknlock.com.- Keith Reid can be reached at keithr@goldcountrymedia.com.