Rip Hanks is a Pensacola native who founded Centerpin Technology in December of 1995 with the assets being one US Utility Patent. Through improvements and new innovation, Centerpin has built an extensive portfolio of US and International Patents and Trademarks. The premise of the company is to make it easier to terminate electrical wire and coaxial cable for consumer, commercial and military products and applications.
Since 1997, Centerpin has won six International Innovation Awards in marine and consumer electronic industries. Through the licensing of company patents and trademarks, Centerpin has achieved name recognition and a reputation for quality and innovation in the consumer and marine industries. Centerpin is presently licensing intellectual property to Shakespeare Marine Electronics, JASCO Products Company under the GE brand, and Audiovox Corporation under the RCA and Acoustic Research brands.
The Centerpin line is made up of sixteen coaxial products, two high performance battery terminal products and four coaxial products designed for the Air Force Special Operations. Under these co-branding agreements, Centerpin products can be purchased in major retailers such as Best Buy, Home Depot and West Marine.
“My success as an innovator stems comes from a constant drive to improve our technology and lower manufacturing costs. As a business man, my success comes from being a student who has an unrelenting hungry for knowledge and progression. However, the heart and soul of my success comes from the friendships and associations with other successful entrepreneurs and business people. In some cases, it’s resulted in direct business. In others, it’s provided energy, knowledge and priceless creative thought.” said Hanks. Centerpin has continued to innovate over the last several years with the most recent patent filed in May 2006.
Hanks serves on the Consumers Electronics Association Accessories Board and the Small Business Council in which he is a member of the Networking Expert Program, mentoring in the areas of patents and licensing. Hanks was the presenter of a webcast forum on the subject of intellectual properties entitled “Little Guy in the World of Giants”. He has been featured the 2005 Inventors Guidebook and has published several articles in various publications.