Move over Henry, Jerry’s rolling now
Ford takes clean sweep at 2005 Minnesota Inventors Congress with Safe T Chair brake system

For the first time ever in the 48-year history of the Minnesota Inventors Congress (MIC), one man claimed first place in all four categories over dozens of inventions and inventors from around the nation.

Local inventor and owner of the Jerry-Lock Brake System, Jerry Ford, knew within the first hour of the 3-day show held June 10-12, that his braking system for manual wheelchairs received a unanimous first place vote for the University of Minnesota’s Agrability Award.

“I knew right then it was going to be a heck of a weekend,” said the self-proclaimed dirt farmer. In addition to the $300 first place Agrability Award; Ford was also presented with the Maynard Speece People’s Choice Award ($500), a Gold medallion, and the F. Robert Starr Grand Prize for $1,000.
A total of nine Gold medallion winners were awarded during the 2005 MIC, which was exceptional, stated past MIC president Raymond Walz.

“The economic development potential of the inventions exhibited this year is at least as good and probably better than any show in recent memory,” Walz stated.

According to Ford, in the history of the MIC only one other inventor had ever been awarded with all of the honors with the exception of the Agrability Award, which had not been created yet.

“This just doesn’t happen every day,” said Ford who was elated after returning from the event.

In addition to exhibiting his Jerry-Lock Brake System, he also demonstrated his Incline and Attendant brake system.

While Ford continues to gain notoriety for his revolutionary brake system, he soon hopes to take his product to the airwaves. “There isn’t a door I won’t try to kick down to show my invention to.”

His passion for trying to help eliminate costly falls to seniors and disabled patients is heard in his statement, “I will get my chair in front of George (President Bush).”

Ford sees the implementation of his relatively low cost brake system as a way to provide substantial savings to not only the Medicare and Medicaid systems, but also to insurance companies throughout the United States, and eventually, the world.

Ford anticipates an end of June mass production start date.