Storm Stoppers Before Shark Tank
John DeSmith, from Orlando, Florida, has come to the Shark Tank. John is the creator of Storm Stoppers, and is seeking a $100,000 investment in exchange for 10% equity in his company. John wants to tell the Sharks about hurricanes; he compares them to in-laws. Just like in-laws, hurricanes give you little time to prepare, and can leave your house a complete mess. To give an example, standing behind John is a cutaway of a house, and an alarm flashes behind John as he presents. “Hurricane O’Leary is approaching!” the siren warns.
Storm Stoppers On Shark Tank
John calls on Barbara to help him protect the house from Hurricane O’Leary, aptly named after Kevin O’Leary, the Shark. As John and Barbara slide utility gloves on, this issue is faced by people in the southern United States every time there is a hurricane – everyone grabs plywood, which is heavy and takes two people, and slides the plywood over the window. There are some pegs for the plywood to be slid through, and John then attaches winged nuts which helps to keep the plywood sheet in place.
However, John then brings out the Storm Stoppers protector. Just like the plywood, simply line up the Storm 
Lori asks how Storm Stoppers is attached, and John explains that the product that actually keeps the Storm Stoppers protection in place is a product created by 3M called ‘Dual Lock.’ John then pulls out a table with random equipment assorted throughout it, much to the amusement of the Sharks, and explains that he also wants to show the Sharks how to appropriately cut and size the Storm Stoppers material. There are two sized panels of Storm Stoppers, there is a 76 by 76 inch panel, and an 85 by 108 inch panel.
Robert then asks how the Storm Stoppers panel can be taken off – there are handles on the outside of the Storm Stoppers panel, which is useful for moving it around as well as taking it off, but there is actually a second way. While everyone else bolts the product in front on, like the plywood method, but if there was a fire, for example, you could easily boot out the Storm Stoppers panel. John steps behind the cut-away of the house and kicks out the panel, climbing out through the window.
Kevin explains that he is trying to discover what it would take to make the Storm Stoppers panels the new standard, instead of plywood, which has been around for decades. Kevin then asks what the numbers are, since John gave it a valuation of a million dollars. John explains that this is his 10th business, and so far, they have done a little over $5.5 million in sales to more than 500,000 customers – in 2005 and 2006 alone, the year that Hurricane Katrina and numerous other hurricanes hit the southern part of the United States – Storm Stoppers grossed more than $1.6 million. Within the past 12 months, Storm Stoppers has brought in $200,000.
Mark points out the drop off in sales, but John compares the sales of the product to the economy and the weather – the sales of Storm Stoppers are strongly dependent on a strong economy where people will invest money once in a larger sum rather than in a smaller sum continuously, as well as the imminence of storms coming in from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. There needs to be rain to sell an umbrella, John explains. However, in a bad year with fewer hurricanes, Robert says he can imagine sales falling down to around $800,000 to a million, but to fall down to $200,000 is such a huge decrease from where Storm Stoppers once was.
Kevin says that the one thing that he hates about Storm Stoppers is that there is nothing proprietary about it – if Kevin wanted to, he could easily start a similar company manufacturing panels, buy the 3M product that John is using, and start his own while maintaining the entirety of the equity. James admits that there is nothing proprietary, but however, he likes Coca-Cola; he doesn’t buy Coca-Cola because there is a patent, but rather, he likes the taste and the way it makes him feel, which prompts Robert to question if James still fully believes in his business. James reaffirms that he will always stick through Storm Stoppers, since the customers believe in it.
Unfortunately, Robert admits that he sees so many challenges in getting Storm Stoppers to be successful, and exits the deal first. James explains that the one thing that the customers have continually mentioned is the safety of the Storm Stoppers products, but Kevin says that there is nothing that could change his mind – James then quips that Kevin isn’t a mind reader, which causes all of the Sharks to become much more interested in what he has to say, since he just lost Kevin by insulting him and refusing to listen. Kevin admits that the sales are horrific, and while there is a really interesting technology behind the product that works, it simply isn’t a good investment. Kevin is also out of the deal.
While Barb admires the product and thinks it’s a good buy for any homeowner, the idea that in an emergency the Storm Stopper is easily removeable is very attractive. However, like the sudden hurricanes, James must have a massive amount of Storm Stoppers on hand for when the consumers need to immediately purchase them. There needs to be a massive stock in inventory, and James also has to hope for a hurricane soon – this ties up the cash for a long, long time, and James won’t even know when he is going to sell off his inventory. Barb is also out of the deal.
Mark calls James an expert in hurricane safety and protection, but comments that his interpersonal skills and sales skills are awful. He challenged Kevin when the business was on the line, and the “mind reader” comment really turned Mark off from the idea of investing in the business, so Mark can only imagine that James would get flustered in a situation where he is dealing with a customer. Mark just does not trust James, and is the fourth Shark out of the deal.
Lori is the final remaining Shark, and starts by saying that the Storm Stopper is a very smart product, but her biggest concern is with how the sales just completely dropped off. Lori is also out of the deal, leaving James without an investment in the Storm Stoppers series of products.
Storm Stoppers Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
John might not have gotten a deal but he did get a considerable amount of exposure from being on the show. A few months after the episode aired, he also brought on three different distributors: one in Hawaii (Hawaii Hurricane Protection), one in South Carolina (Myrtle Beach Storm Prep), and one in North Carolina (Southport Storm Protection). What’s more, is that many of the distributors also offer installation services. Given that, it’s probably fair to say that sales have gone up since he was originally in the tank.
As of 2024, the company is still in business. From the looks of it, however, they’ve rebranded themselves from Storm Stoppers to Plywood Alternative.
As far as their product goes, however, it’s still the same as when they were on the show. According to their website, it features a large plastic panel that is 80 percent lighter than plywood and lets in more light compared to regular wood. Not only that but it’s also much stronger. At the same time, it’s also easy to cut with just a straight edge and carpet knife.
That’s not all, their Plywood Alternative panels are also three times stronger against UV light. In fact, you can leave them on for up to a month at a time without any negative effects. However, leaving them installed for longer than 30 days can shorten their lifespan.
In terms of price, it depends on the size of the plywood alternative. With that said, they cost approximately $45 to $60 per sheet (each sheet is around 15/32 thick).
For those who are interested in purchasing the Plywood Alternative, you can fill out the form on their website and fax or email it to their team. There are three main sizes that you can choose from 40 x 84″, 48 x 96″, and 76″ x 85″. And if you buy more than ten panels, you’ll also get a free DIY cutting tools kit (a value of $95), which comes with a Stanley Surform Shaver, Stanley 6.5″ Retractable Carpet Knife (with spare blades), a Sharpie Marker, a BucketBoss 13 Pocket Apron, 2 Spring Clamps, and a 96″ cutting straight edge.
For those located east of the Mississippi river, freight shipping will be $4250. For those west of the river, there will be an additional $250 surcharge.
You can also request a free sample from their website. Simply fill in the form here and they will mail you a free sample (they will put the postage directly on the sample so there won’t be any envelopes!).
