If you’re a “Shark Tank” fan, you’ve probably seen Donny McCall’s Season 3 Episode 2 pitch for Invis-A-Rack. It was a promising product that many people could find benefit in a product. foldable cargo rack for truck beds. Indeed, cargo racks have almost always been permanent fixtures of trucks, and their installation and removal require an extremely long time. These types of traditional cargo racks also feature a sturdy design; This means that you can practically not carry it with you when it is not attached to the bed. A foldable model would solve all these problems; This is where Invis-A-Rack comes into play.

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Unfortunately, Invis-A-Rack couldn’t get along with any of the sharks and Donny McCall had to leave without shaking hands. However, the sharks’ reaction to the product was very positive. So while the concept didn’t make it on “Shark Tank,” it was far from a failed presentation. Sullivan Generatorcausing loud laughter from the sharks. Still, the sharks’ criticism of Invis-A-Rack was reasonable, if not entirely fair. Kevin and Daemon expressed key concerns about the business model, specifically the owner’s reluctance to expand production internationally.

But McCall’s stance against foreign production was noble; because he claimed his vision was to use the product from where it was designed as a way to revitalize the economically depressed region of North Carolina. Invis-A-Rack has had obvious hurdles, and it’s been more than a decade since it appeared on “Shark Tank.” Surprisingly it is still available for purchase.

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While no deals have been made for Invis-A-Rack on “Shark Tank,” that doesn’t mean the sharks aren’t intrigued. The introduction, for example, wasn’t much of a show. the now famous Haven Door Lock and his desperate stunt to kick a locked door, but the practical usefulness of a collapsible cargo rack was enough to impress. Founder Donny McCall initially asked for $100,000 for 10% of the company and valued the company at $1 million. By this point, the product had sold 150 units, generating $50,000 in sales.

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Moreover, the retail price of the foldable cargo rack was under $350, which meant it could compete with similar products. But the first red flag was the cost of production. McCall admitted that the shelf cost $250 to make. so the profit per unit was about $100 – and the biggest shock was that these sales did not bring a single dollar of profit. The Sharks immediately began to question this cost of production and pressed McCall on why he should not move production overseas.

Invis-A-Rack’s pan-American focus was consciously on domestic production. It originated in North Carolina, where designer and owner Donny McCall claimed it could revitalize his town. In other words, this product depended on its potential to stimulate the local economy, so McCall’s reluctance to employ foreign production was admirable, if not stubborn. Therefore, Invis-A-Rack was destined to be entirely American-made, which is why a deal with the sharks could not be reached. But it seems that such a useful and coveted product does not need the support of famous investors to gain a foothold in the market, as it is still available today.

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Viewers who watched the second episode of the third season of “Shark Tank” might have assumed that Invis-A-Rack’s reveal was the end of the road for the company, especially since no sharks took the bait. Surprisingly, it’s still around. But the company has certainly changed since its launch in 2012, and some interesting developments have transformed it into something quite different from the business model presented on the show.

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For starters, founder Donny McCall’s refusal to outsource production was the main reason he failed to get a deal with the Sharks; but the pan-America focus caught the attention of Dee Zee Inc. sales manager Josh Knichel. , reached out to McCall and they soon formed a partnership. It helped that McCall was already aware of the Iowa-based company’s reputation for manufacturing throughout America as well as its expertise in vehicle accessories. Like McCall said about the deal:“Dee Zee has been on my radar for several years as a company that I thought would be a natural fit for Invis-A-Rack.”

The deal was completed in November 2012, which meant: Dee Zee now had the exclusive license for everything Invis-A-Rack related, including distribution, marketing and even production.. Invis-A-Rack moved to Dee Zee; Which means McCall’s dream of keeping the product entirely in North Carolina hasn’t quite come true. However, his insistence on being made in America definitely paid off in the end.

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Yes, Invis-A-Rack is still available for purchase It’s been more than a decade since he appeared on Shark Tank. Available at: Dee Zee Inc. websiteand you can also find: Product listed on Amazonalso (where reviews are quite mixed). Once again, Donny McCall’s noble goal of revitalizing his home state of North Carolina was not realized through Invis-A-Rack.

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In this episode, Donny McCall described how Invis-A-Rack dreamed of creating a source of jobs for his hometown in North Carolina, where the flight of industrial jobs was leading to the impoverishment of the community. This seems like a very common story in the United States, so these days It’s surprising to see “Made in America” ​​on products like appliances. However, Dee Zee’s production is located in Des Moines, Iowa. The Dee Zee product page claims that the company is keeping McCall’s promise by keeping manufacturing in America’s heartland. Hopefully Invis-A-Rack’s survival to this day is a testament to the power of that promise.

There is some good news for those who support Donny McCall and his noble vision. According to his LinkedIn account, Donny is doing well. After licensing Invis-A-Rack to Dee Vee Inc. in 2013, he founded Get Outdoor Events, which organizes races and 5Ks with the goal of connecting people through outdoor activities. This ended in 2022, and in the meantime, Donny obtained an insurance license and worked for North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company.

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While all this work was going on, Donny served as president of Perrycraft and continues to do so to this day. Unsurprisingly, the company focuses on offering “exclusive cargo management options.” This looks just like Donny’s alley. And as might be expected from the man who refused to move production overseas in the face of intense criticism from Shark Tank, all Perrycraft systems are manufactured in the USA.

Finally, removing any doubt as to whether Donny McCall has given up on his vision of revitalizing the local North Carolina economy. currently owns Pinpoint Local. It is a brand that aims to help small businesses improve their online presence by creating and hosting websites and improving the SEO of those websites. Pinpoint Local, which launched in 2019, is still open for business. All of these signs point to a career with the vision we saw on Shark Tank. Donny McCall is an advocate for small business; A noble initiative that even the sharks could applaud.

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