Entrepreneurial Inspiration
Photos/Story: T-Bone
At the recent SEMA Show there was a cool green patina’d Buick hot rod with electric chair seats and an electric motor. Like good booth dressing, the vehicle was the exclamation point on the exhibitor’s products. In this case, the exhibitor showed only one product. Pretty risky move we say. That’s where Jonathan Mill steps in. Jonathan is no stranger to risk. When developing this product with his father-in-law, he went all-out to make the best product available at a very competitive price. He produced a limited run of a finish product to test the market and found an incredible need. His product; E-Stopp, “The Push-Button Emergency Brake”.
Back to the SEMA Show; The expense of setting up a 10×20 booth at the SEMA Show can be overwhelming and a great risk to find buyers. The risk paid off. Not only did he gain new buyers, but also won the inaugural SEMA Launch Pad competition! The Launch Pad Competition prize package includes advertising in Hot Rod magazine, a booth space for next year’s SEMA Show, shipping department overhaul by UPS and more.
We were intrigued to find his shop is a short drive west and we set up a shop tour.
Billy and I asked each other; Why? Why would anyone want or need an electric emergency or parking brake? I love these questions. It makes me think about what goes through an entrepreneur’s head. We found three reasons: Custom, Security and Mobility.
Jonathan is a young entrepreneur and somewhat new to the automotive industry. A talented advertising writer, producer and actor, was looking for a way better solution to the electronic emergency brakes found in converted mobility vehicles. The products on the market were cumbersome, faulty and expensive. He knew there had to be another solution. With a bit of product engineering and extensive testing he found a nice solution in a small package.
CUSTOM
The E-Stopp is a compact set of elements. There’s the controller box and switch, an actuator, and cable. The E-Stopp actuator can be mounted on the inside of frame rails or almost anywhere on the chassis. If you use sleeved cables you can mount it almost anywhere. For open cables you may want to use pulleys to go around corners. The controller box is about the size of a pack of Lucky Strikes and should be mounted inside the vehicle. The green lighted button is connected to the box and can be mounted almost anywhere. You can order a blue button or a button that looks like a cigarette lighter if you like.
SECURITY
This is something I would not have thought of and is the main reason I am considering the E-Stopp system for our ’56 Fairlane . With a hidden button (or newly released remote button) you can actuate the system. The potential thief may get in your vehicle but when they try to drive it away, the e-brake is engaged and the rear wheels will not spin.
MOBILITY
This is something that we first noticed as a benefit. I guess we are sensitive to this with Billy’s condition and all. Fortunately he is able to use his legs enough to push the brake and gas pedals, but heavy pushing like that of a truck’s clutch or e-brake would require assistance. The E-Stopp is a great solution for any mobility-aided vehicle.
Let the tour begin.
E-Stopp is part of the facility at All American Wheel who produces billet wheel blanks for the custom wheel industry. They share the manufacturing equipment and space, and have a small assembly room where they fill the aluminum cases with the actuators and package the components to ship to it’s customers.
In another corner of the building is a build shop where Art Gooding is building a custom 1948 Ford Truck, which will be the signature vehicle in this year’s SEMA Booth. The truck is built with rat-styled components but will be completely finished in black satin paint and flames. The nailhead Buick engine fits nicely in the frame rails, which have been Z-knotched almost a foot. It will practically lay frame and still cruise down the road with plenty of travel. We are looking forward to seeing the truck at the show.
All-in-all a great product for ground-up builds or custom applications. Congrats Jonathan for your recent wins and continued success!
Check them out at www.EStopp.com