September 7, 2017

Meet Stephen Pennington of King Penn Industries

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Pennington.

Stephen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well, I must give credit where it’s due because without our founder Robert King Pennington and a truly unique product that he invented there would be nothing for me to talk about.

My little brother Robert, aka Bob invented the laser etched, illuminated wind deflector about 12 years ago for his convertible because he was unhappy with the wind deflection systems that were available at the time. Today that product is known by the brand name WindRestrictor®. He began playing around with ideas on the back of our grandparent’s porch in Garland Texas and eventually came up with a finished product which he used local DFW vendors to help him fabricate from scratch. That product turned out to be the number one selling convertible wind reduction system in the world today!

Shortly after bringing his product to market, perfecting it and establishing a strong customer base Robert’s health began to decline. He was a transplant recipient at the age of seventeen in 1997. The transplant that he received allowed us to spend ten more years of quality time with him and for that we are truly grateful. Before his passing in 2007 he built a website with the help of some friends and put several people around him to work making his invention. He wanted to leave something behind for his family that he built with his own hands. When he passed away he was surrounded by many loving friends and family members. Even a few customers of his were there to spend time with him during his last hours. He did everything in his power to ensure that his customers were taken care of properly and that they felt special.

Our family came together and decided that we wanted to make sure that WindRestrictor® grew into the company he had envisioned. I wouldn’t say we are there yet, my brother dreamed BIG and we are all still catching up to what he did over a decade ago. We’ve made progress though and I know he’s proud. This year we’re projecting 1MM in annual revenue and have had an opportunity over the last 10 years to help a great number of people with jobs. We’ve given back to organizations that had special meaning to our founder including the Southwest Transplant Alliance, Special Olympics, Churches and many outreach programs. It’s been a fascinating experience for me getting to help my brother carry out his dreams.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Well, I wouldn’t say it’s been all smooth sailing. Don’t get me wrong, the product pretty much sells itself. We treat people right and we produce a quality automotive accessory. Sales have increased year after year. We’ve had our share of growing pains though. Our first licensing contract was a bit of a challenge. Because of the overwhelming response we were getting at the time to the products I think we were just a little overambitious. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. That licensing deal helped set us even further ahead of the competition and it proved to be one of the key factors in growing the business. We decided to explore this option because many of our customers had expressed a desire to order trademarked images on our deflectors. This way, they could show off the logos and symbols that meant so much to them as automotive enthusiasts. There were a few bumps in the road but we learned a great deal that would help us over the years. Today we’re licensed by all the “Big 3” automotive manufacturers.

Inside our first year of being incorporated we filed our first patent on the product along with the Trademark WINDRESTRICTOR®. It came as no surprise at the time, but we had our first competitors pop up and begin trying to use some of our technology. Cease-and-desist letters were sent by our attorneys and were honored reluctantly. However, there was one company that did not want to compete fairly so we had to take legal action against them for trademark infringement. We had lots of learning to do and we did it quickly. We were prepared to defend our late brother’s product at any cost and still are today. Over the course of a couple of years we won our case in court and was awarded a judgment that we are still collecting on today. Good always prevails!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about King Penn Industries – WindRestrictor® – what should we know?
We are currently leaders in the wind blocking industry for fine convertibles around the world. Our products are offered for over forty vehicles with at least fifty more on our development list. We’ve shipped products to just about every country imaginable. As of this year we’ve received our sixth US Patent and our trademark WINDRESTRICTOR® is registered worldwide. As of 2017 we’re Official Product Licensees of General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler-Mopar. We now have over 50 online retailers and dealers that sell our products daily. We’re proud to have a wonderful group of employees year around at our facility here in Northeast Dallas. Beyond that we’ve employed many contract workers and have done business with a multitude of businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We are constantly looking for new talent to bring in and help us expand the business. Our family has pulled together and carried on Robert’s legacy the way we know he wanted us to.

Our products are different than other wind deflectors on the market because of the quality and the personalization properties. They are constructed from only the best materials, manufactured in the United States and assembled right here in Dallas Texas. We are the only company in the world that offers personalized, photo realistic laser engravings as well as ambient lighting systems with our wind deflection systems that are installed on convertibles. The system produces a “fiber-optic” like glow around the glass when it is installed on the automobile. It is truly a unique effect and customers absolutely rave about it.

We work hard and we treat our customers right. We do what we say we’re going to do and we are upfront with people if we make mistakes. Our customers respect us for this and because of the treatment they receive they tell all of their friends about us. Well that and we do offer a truly incredible product!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Rebekkah Pennington- CFO, Pam Shaw- HR/Administration, Ashli Corbin- Operations Manager and Charlotte Pennington, AKA “Granny” – Our current President. Our company would not exist if it weren’t for these three special women. They keep us organized and they make sure we are always doing the right thing even if it’s not the easiest thing.

Charlotte and Ray helped Robert in the early years. If it weren’t for their prayers, support and hard work who knows where we would all be today. “Granddaddy”, Ray Pennington served as our president until a few months ago when he passed away. He’s the man that I have looked up to the most in this world and has helped me understand why it is so important to operate with honesty and integrity.

I also want to shout out to a few of our key employees. Lisa, Garrett, Steven, Shelby, Haley, Kent, Gloria, Mitzi and Chevy. Their hard work and dedication to serving our customers and helping us build the company will never be forgotten.

Most of all, my little brother Robert is responsible for the success our company has had. The product would not exist without him and I cannot imagine my life today if our family would not have come together and started building the company in his memory.

Our family and company has always placed God above all else.

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