What happens when an electrician wakes up at 2:00 AM from a dream showing a totally new hardware design? Jason Stile, Founder and CEO of Ajustco, turned that late-night vision into a patented, self-adjusting barrel bolt lock before launching a revolutionary pre-pour concrete anchor system. His Penn Argyl, Pennsylvania company manufactures patented construction hardware that eliminates job site drilling, saving time and keeping workers safe on major infrastructure projects across the United States.
In this episode:
- Why traditional barrel bolt locks fail when doors shift from weather and age
- How a dream at 2:00 AM led to a patented, automatically adjusting hardware design
- Bringing a consumer hardware product to Home Depot, Lowe's, and Tractor Supply
- Why drilling holes for post-pour concrete anchors creates labor and safety issues
- How the Anchor Thread system attaches directly to concrete formwork before pouring
- Partnering with national distributors like White Cap to supply major infrastructure jobs
- Expanding product lines for California seismic codes and corrugated metal decks
About Jason Stile:
Jason Stile is the Founder and CEO of Ajustco, a hardware design and manufacturing firm headquartered in Penn Argyl, Pennsylvania. A former electrician who owned a firm in New York City, Jason launched the company after patenting an automatically adjusting barrel bolt lock called the Adjust Lock. Ajustco manufactures patent-protected construction hardware, including the Anchor Thread pre-pour concrete anchoring system, which eliminates post-pour drilling for safety netting, fall protection, and MEP installations. Their products use steel bolts sourced from a foundry in Michigan, plastic parts molded in New Jersey, and final assembly at their Pennsylvania warehouse to serve major general contractors nationwide.
Website:
About What's Made in the USA:
What's Made in the USA is hosted by Carl Holden of Zellus Marketing, a technical SEO agency in Huntsville, Alabama that gets American manufacturers ranking on Google and AI search for the exact products they make. Each episode is a conversation with an owner or operator about what their company makes, how they make it, and how they built the business behind it. https://whatismadeintheusapodcast.com https://www.zellusmarketing.com
Watch the full interview to learn how innovative hardware design is transforming modern construction sites.
Topics covered:
pre-pour concrete anchors, self-adjusting barrel bolt locks, construction hardware manufacturing, anchor thread systems, formwork attachments, fall protection anchors, seismic slip form anchors, corrugated deck anchors, hardware distribution
Chapters:
0:00 Barrel bolt lock innovation and origin
2:54 Pre-pour concrete anchor system demonstration
9:26 Company naming and brand strategy
10:42 From electrician to hardware inventor
15:29 Manufacturing supply chain and assembly setup
18:30 Construction sales and White Cap distribution
24:18 Designing anchors for seismic and metal deck applications
28:00 Tracking school experiences in New Jersey
