{"id":14115,"date":"2025-12-19T21:11:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T21:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/?page_id=14115"},"modified":"2026-08-06T13:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:12:09","slug":"new-about-smartplug","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/new-about-smartplug\/","title":{"rendered":"New About SmartPlug"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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About US<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Company Story \u2022 Since 2007<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Where Safety Meets Innovation.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Overheating is the leading cause of shore power failure and fire on boats and RVs. SmartPlug\u2019s patented sleeve-in design eliminates 80-year-old twist-lock technology, providing over 27x the metal-to-metal contact for a cooler, more reliable connection. Experience the first major innovation in power delivery since the 1930s.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Problem We Started With<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The inspiration behind SmartPlug began as a scribble on a napkin.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It’s often assumed electrical shorts are the leading cause of shore power failures and fires. The reality is far less obvious: the greatest risk comes from overheating caused by poor electrical conductivity at the connection point. Over time, loose or compromised connections generate excessive heat, creating a serious safety hazard \u2014 long before a breaker or a GFCI can cut the power.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Not So Fun Fact\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Shore power delivery systems remained virtually unchanged since they were invented in\u00a01938<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 until we took over.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Patent No. 3,845,451 \u2014 the twist-lock design we set out to replace.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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SmartPlug’s patented sleeve-in design throws out the twist-lock entirely. Instead of pins meeting a socket at a few narrow points, the full sleeve makes contact along its entire surface \u2014 over 27 times the metal-to-metal area of a standard connector. Less resistance means less heat, and less heat means the leading cause of shore power fires is designed out of the system rather than warned against.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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It sounds like a small mechanical change. In practice it’s the reason a SmartPlug connection stays cool under sustained load, stays locked without a twist, and keeps working season after season in salt air, freezing rain, and everything a dock or a campground can throw at it. That’s the part of the story that doesn’t show up in a spec sheet: the plug isn’t just safer on paper, it’s the one people stop thinking about once it’s installed.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"We didn't set out to make a better plug. We set out to remove the reason boats and RVs catch fire at the shore power connection \u2014 the plug just happened to be where that problem lived.\"\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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– John C. GreenWood, Chief Executive Officer<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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That mindset \u2014 treat the failure mode as the design brief \u2014 is still how the team evaluates every part that goes into a SmartPlug kit today. Below is the plate we’d bolt to the product if we could: the numbers that came out of chasing that brief for almost two decades.<\/p><\/article><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Our vision<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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SmartPlug Systems is a privately held manufacturing firm specializing in power delivery systems. It was founded in 2007 and is located in Seattle, WA. Its flagship product, the SmartPlug, is a patented device positioned to replace the current power delivery system for RV\u2019s, Boats, and a variety of specialty vehicles and miscellaneous industrial applications.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Honoring Our Founder\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We honor SmartPlug founder Ken Smith, who passed away on March 16, 2026, and recognize his 40+ years in the marine industry that inspired a safer shore power solution. After repeatedly seeing yacht fires caused by faulty shore power connections, Ken turned a pencil sketch in 2007 into a market-ready marine product by 2009.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Safe. Simple. Secure.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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His legacy lives on as we continue pressing forward toward the same safety goals he built this company on \u2014 the ones that guided SmartPlug Systems from its founding in Seattle to a trusted technology used throughout the marine and RV industries, and in specialty vehicles and industrial applications around the world.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Ken Smith<\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Founder of SmartPlug<\/div><\/div><\/p>\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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How We Got Here\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Two Decades on the Dock<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTimeline Component \u2014 SmartPlug<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0\">\r\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\">\r\n<link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Oswald:wght@400;500;600;700&family=Source+Serif+4:ital,opsz,wght@0,8..60,400;0,8..60,500;0,8..60,600;1,8..60,400&family=Bebas+Neue&family=Montserrat:wght@400;500;600&display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\r\n<style>\r\n :root{\r\n --paper:#f5efe2;\r\n --ink:#17202b;\r\n --ink-soft:#4a5361;\r\n --rust:#e2551f;\r\n --rust-deep:#b1401a;\r\n --navy-deep:#0a1930;\r\n --rule: #0D1C38;\r\n }\r\n *{box-sizing:border-box;}\r\n body{\r\n margin:0;\r\n color:var(--ink);\r\n font-family:'Source Serif 4', Georgia, serif;\r\n }\r\n\r\n \/* ===== TIMELINE ===== *\/\r\n .timeline-section{max-width:820px;margin:1px auto;padding:0 vw;}\r\n\r\n .tline{position:relative;}\r\n .tline::before{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:9px;top:9px;bottom:65px;width:2px;background:var(--rule);}\r\n\r\n .tline .step{\r\n position:relative;\r\n display:grid;\r\n grid-template-columns:20px 1fr;\r\n column-gap:15px;\r\n padding-bottom:20px;\r\n }\r\n .tline .step:last-child{padding-bottom:0;}\r\n .tline .step::before{\r\n content:\"\";\r\n grid-column:1;\r\n grid-row:1;\r\n width:20px;height:20px;\r\n margin-top:9px;\r\n justify-self:center;\r\n border-radius:50%;\r\n background:#fff;border:3px solid var(--rust);\r\n }\r\n .tline .yr{grid-column:2;grid-row:1;font-family:'Bebas Neue',sans-serif;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:1.5px;color:#E96F33;font-size: 25px;}\r\n .tline .step p{grid-column:2;grid-row:2;font-family:'Montserrat',sans-serif;font-weight:500;font-size: 15px;line-height:20px;color:#000000;}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<\/head>\r\n<body>\r\n\r\n <section class=\"timeline-section\">\r\n <div class=\"tline\">\r\n <div class=\"step\">\r\n <div class=\"yr\">2007<\/div>\r\n <p>SmartPlug is founded on a simple observation: shore power fires kept starting in the same place, and no one in the industry had redesigned the connector to fix it.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"step\">\r\n <div class=\"yr\">Early Years<\/div>\r\n <p>The patented sleeve-in connector goes through years of engineering and field testing across marinas and RV parks, chasing the failure points that twist-lock designs couldn't solve.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"step\">\r\n <div class=\"yr\">Growth<\/div>\r\n <p>Adoption spreads from individual boat owners to OEM boatbuilders, dealers, and campground operators who standardize on SmartPlug as the safer default.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"step\">\r\n <div class=\"yr\">Today<\/div>\r\n <p>SmartPlug is the safety standard referenced across marine, RV, dockside, and commercial power delivery \u2014 still built and tested with the same brief the company started with.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>\r\n\r\n<\/body>\r\n<\/html>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a896364 e-flex e-con-boxed wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a896364\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03096e5 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"03096e5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3761f8d e-flex e-con-boxed wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3761f8d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f2ec217 e-con-full e-flex wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-child\" data-id=\"f2ec217\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-41be2b3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"41be2b3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Innovators of SmartPlug<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a993a6 e-grid e-con-full wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0a993a6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21ac2cd elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-wpr-team-member\" data-id=\"21ac2cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{"_animation":"zoomIn","_animation_delay":200}\" data-widget_type=\"wpr-team-member.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wpr-team-member\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Jhon_LE_upscale_prime_light_ai_30_tone_enhance_30_color_enhance_30.jpg\" alt=\"John C. Greenwood\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-content\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wpr-member-name\">John C. Greenwood<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-job\">Chief Executive Officer<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-description\">John is the visionary leader driving global growth and disruptive solutions for energy transformation. His background in sustainable mobility and strategic partnerships guides SmartPlug\u2019s mission to set the new safety standard.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c8e122b elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-wpr-team-member\" data-id=\"c8e122b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{"_animation":"zoomIn","_animation_delay":200}\" data-widget_type=\"wpr-team-member.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wpr-team-member\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Scott-Cock.png\" alt=\"Scott Cook\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-content\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wpr-member-name\">Scott Cook<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-job\">VP of Operations<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-description\">Scott focuses on driving growth and operational excellence, ensuring scaling capacity for global and tech-enabled demand. He brings 15+ years of experience in scaling DTC and P&L portfolio companies.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1586652 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-wpr-team-member\" data-id=\"1586652\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{"_animation":"zoomIn","_animation_delay":200}\" data-widget_type=\"wpr-team-member.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wpr-team-member\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ron-bailey.jpg\" alt=\"Ron Bailey\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-content\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wpr-member-name\">Ron Bailey<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-job\">VP of Sales & Marketing<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-description\">Ron leads the sales and marketing strategy, focused on product market fit for recreational and commercial marine, RV, and specialty vehicle markets. He is the voice of the safety-focused message.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-299c949 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-wpr-team-member\" data-id=\"299c949\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{"_animation":"zoomIn","_animation_delay":200}\" data-widget_type=\"wpr-team-member.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wpr-team-member\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chris_LE_upscale_prime_light_ai_30_tone_enhance_30_color_enhance_30.jpg\" alt=\"Chris Vialpando\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-content\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wpr-member-name\">Chris Vialpando<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-job\">Creative Director<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpr-member-description\">Chris oversees the visual narrative and brand experience for SmartPlug. His expertise in conscious industrial design and art allows him to translate complex engineering into powerful, intuitive communication.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93e1cbf e-flex e-con-boxed wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"93e1cbf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6af7d7e e-con-full e-flex wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6af7d7e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86d18e2 e-con-full e-grid wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-child\" data-id=\"86d18e2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93fdb03 e-con-full e-flex wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-child\" data-id=\"93fdb03\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-854978d e-con-full e-flex wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-child\" data-id=\"854978d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c7578f e-con-full e-flex wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7c7578f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About US Company Story \u2022 Since 2007 Where Safety Meets Innovation. Overheating is the leading cause of shore power failure and fire on boats and RVs. SmartPlug\u2019s patented sleeve-in design eliminates 80-year-old twist-lock technology, providing over 27x the metal-to-metal contact for a cooler, more reliable connection. Experience the first major innovation in power delivery since the 1930s. The Problem We Started With The inspiration behind SmartPlug began as a scribble on a napkin. It’s often assumed electrical shorts are the leading cause of shore power failures and fires. The reality is far less obvious: the greatest risk comes from overheating caused by poor electrical conductivity at the connection point. Over time, loose or compromised connections generate excessive heat, creating a serious safety hazard \u2014 long before a breaker or a GFCI can cut the power. Not So Fun Fact Shore power delivery systems remained virtually unchanged since they were invented in\u00a01938\u00a0\u2014 until we took over. Patent No. 3,845,451 \u2014 the twist-lock design we set out to replace. SmartPlug’s patented sleeve-in design throws out the twist-lock entirely. Instead of pins meeting a socket at a few narrow points, the full sleeve makes contact along its entire surface \u2014 over 27 times the metal-to-metal area of a standard connector. Less resistance means less heat, and less heat means the leading cause of shore power fires is designed out of the system rather than warned against. It sounds like a small mechanical change. In practice it’s the reason a SmartPlug connection stays cool under sustained load, stays locked without a twist, and keeps working season after season in salt air, freezing rain, and everything a dock or a campground can throw at it. That’s the part of the story that doesn’t show up in a spec sheet: the plug isn’t just safer on paper, it’s the one people stop thinking about once it’s installed. “We didn’t set out to make a better plug. We set out to remove the reason boats and RVs catch fire at the shore power connection \u2014 the plug just happened to be where that problem lived.” – John C. GreenWood, Chief Executive Officer That mindset \u2014 treat the failure mode as the design brief \u2014 is still how the team evaluates every part that goes into a SmartPlug kit today. Below is the plate we’d bolt to the product if we could: the numbers that came out of chasing that brief for almost two decades. Our vision SmartPlug Systems is a privately held manufacturing firm specializing in power delivery systems. It was founded in 2007 and is located in Seattle, WA. Its flagship product, the SmartPlug, is a patented device positioned to replace the current power delivery system for RV\u2019s, Boats, and a variety of specialty vehicles and miscellaneous industrial applications. Honoring Our Founder We honor SmartPlug founder Ken Smith, who passed away on March 16, 2026, and recognize his 40+ years in the marine industry that inspired a safer shore power solution. After repeatedly seeing yacht fires caused by faulty shore power connections, Ken turned a pencil sketch in 2007 into a market-ready marine product by 2009. Safe. Simple. Secure. His legacy lives on as we continue pressing forward toward the same safety goals he built this company on \u2014 the ones that guided SmartPlug Systems from its founding in Seattle to a trusted technology used throughout the marine and RV industries, and in specialty vehicles and industrial applications around the world. Ken Smith Founder of SmartPlug How We Got Here Two Decades on the Dock Timeline Component \u2014 SmartPlug 2007 SmartPlug is founded on a simple observation: shore power fires kept starting in the same place, and no one in the industry had redesigned the connector to fix it. Early Years The patented sleeve-in connector goes through years of engineering and field testing across marinas and RV parks, chasing the failure points that twist-lock designs couldn’t solve. Growth Adoption spreads from individual boat owners to OEM boatbuilders, dealers, and campground operators who standardize on SmartPlug as the safer default. Today SmartPlug is the safety standard referenced across marine, RV, dockside, and commercial power delivery \u2014 still built and tested with the same brief the company started with. The Innovators of SmartPlug John C. Greenwood Chief Executive Officer John is the visionary leader driving global growth and disruptive solutions for energy transformation. His background in sustainable mobility and strategic partnerships guides SmartPlug\u2019s mission to set the new safety standard. Scott Cook VP of Operations Scott focuses on driving growth and operational excellence, ensuring scaling capacity for global and tech-enabled demand. He brings 15+ years of experience in scaling DTC and P&L portfolio companies. Ron Bailey VP of Sales & Marketing Ron leads the sales and marketing strategy, focused on product market fit for recreational and commercial marine, RV, and specialty vehicle markets. He is the voice of the safety-focused message. Chris Vialpando Creative Director Chris oversees the visual narrative and brand experience for SmartPlug. His expertise in conscious industrial design and art allows him to translate complex engineering into powerful, intuitive communication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_canvas","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14115","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14115"}],"version-history":[{"count":58,"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14619,"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14115\/revisions\/14619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.smartplug.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- This website is optimized by Airlift. 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