Pekin man father of invention: Specific device still a secret, but intent is to make road construction crews safer on the job
Jackie C. was watching television one night far from any road construction site when he suddenly thought of a great way to make things safer for road workers. Jackie headed out to his garage and started tinkering around with an invention he hopes will save lives someday. Called the C & C Safety Light, the device increases the visibility of road workers, thereby decreasing the chances of injury or even death. "There's so much on the news these days about the road construction on I-74, and there's always commercials about the high fines you'd pay if you injured or killed a road worker," Jackie said, explaining how the idea for a special safety device occurred to him. "I've always wanted to try to make something that would help people," he added. "I enjoyed that even when I was a kid and I had a little tool box."
Jackie and his wife Kim, have hired a Florida firm, Invention Technologies, to try to market their invention to manufacturers. Until the product is picked up and a patent is secured, Jackie has to be frustratingly vague about his invention. "He likes to talk, so he'd like to tell more people about it, but he can't," Jackie's wife, Kim, said with a laugh. Even though the product is simply constructed, it helps drivers to be prepared for changes in driving conditions ahead. It would also be helpful for school crossing guards and utility workers," Jackie added. "It's one of those simple ideas that makes you wonder why no one else has thought of it," Kim said. "I love the idea." Before developing the product, Jackie met with safety officials from the city and department of transportation.
Both agreed that his invention is a new idea that could help improve safety conditions for road workers, he said. A letter to Jackie from David P, superintendent of streets for the city, indicates that he would be interested in having more information about the product. "I'm always interested in new ideas to keep our employees safe," David wrote. "There are many situations when it would be very useful to have extra attention drawn to the workers and advantages for safety control." Jackie and his wife are hoping to sell the idea to a manufacturer and then earn royalties on future sales.
Money earned would certainly help the family since Jackie has been on disability since being injured at a foundry five years ago, but that's not the main reason he's put so much time into it. "I just enjoy it," he said. Kim added, "He's been thinking up new inventions since we were first married" 24 years ago. The initials in the project name come from Jackie's children, Cassie, a college junior majoring in elementary education, and the late Chad, who would've been 23 this year. Jackie and Kim are better known locally for starting the St. Jude satellite run four years ago in their son's memory.
Chad died of Cancer at the age of 18. This year's St. Jude run is set for Aug. 6. "We've been trying to save children's lives through St. Jude, so now we thought we'd try to save adult lives, too," Kim said. As a boy, Chad liked to help his dad come up with the inventions, Jackie said. "I've always bounced ideas off both Chad and Cassie," he said. "You have to see how people feel about something before you pursue it." This isn't the first invention that Jackie has tried to market. He's had other ideas dealing with a special grass seed to cut down on the necessity of mowing and a special fishing lure that would be more attractive to fish. "I made one out of the lures and tried it out when I went fishing, and it made a big difference," Jackie said. "I tried making contact myself with manufacturers of fishing lures, but it was a hard avenue.
They get calls all the time, I guess, from people with ideas of new kinds of fishing lures." That's why Jackie decided to go with an established technology firm to market this product this time. "I considered trying to make the product and selling it directly, but I found out how much detail that would take, plus the expense to get started," he said. "I do have some investors backing me on the idea to help me promote it." The frustrating part has been the waiting and jumping through all the hoops to try to sell the product, Jackie said. "It's not simple to do. Finding people you can trust isn't easy. But I'm real excited about it, and so far everything's been positive." Jackie appears to be in the good company of other investors waiting for manufacturers to pick up their product ideas, according to Invention Technologies' Web site at www.invent-tech.com.
Among other inventions the company is representing are a bandana collar for dogs, a dust stopper to prevent the accumulation of dust, a device to light up car seats at night and a flavored pacifier. For his part, Jackie isn't sitting back on his heels while waiting for word on his C & C Safety Light. "I have another idea that I'm working on that deals with cars and power windows," he said. "I think that will be a pretty good one.