Founded by Matthew McCarthy in a one-car garage, StoveGuard grew from a family-centered effort to eliminate the chore of scrubbing messy gas stovetops. The company makes custom-fit kitchen protection for homeowners, including its precision-molded StoveGuard PRO, designed to catch spills before they reach the appliance.
Picklehead LLCAt Picklehead LLC, teenage inventor Robert “RJ” Batts created Tip Tough®, a kitchen safety product designed to protect chefs and home cooks from cuts while preparing food. The company began after RJ sought a way to protect his professional-chef father’s hands and developed the product through the Young Entrepreneurs Academy while still in middle school. Picklehead’s products are made in the USA, and RJ now uses the business to encourage other young people to invent and pursue entrepreneurship.SALISBURY, MD
Budge Industries, LLCKnown as the original car-cover company, privately owned Budge Industries has been developing protective solutions since a 1940 Philadelphia invention inspired by trolley sparks. Today, the company applies that long experience to custom protection for industrial, government and OEM customers, alongside its established retail business.LANSDALE, PA
Door Guard IncFounded in Pittsburgh in 2005 by Vietnam veteran Briane Hartley, Door Guard Inc. manufactures made-in-America elevator protection systems that shield cabs and building interiors during moves, deliveries, and renovations. Its custom-fit liners use a patented locking system for fast installation while keeping elevators operational, a practical alternative to repairing a damaged cab. The company says its products now protect more than 1,000 buildings nationwide.PITTSBURGH, PA
ESS Energy Products, IncVeteran-owned and family-run since 2002, ESS Energy Products grew from founder Jim Melesky’s effort to address overlooked energy loss at attic entrances. The company makes its Energy Guardian® covers in the USA for homeowners, contractors and home-performance programs, with a design intended to improve comfort and indoor air quality while reducing heat transfer. Melesky now works alongside his sons in the business, which holds 10 U.S. patents.PAOLI, PA