SAN DIEGO — WD-40 Company is partnering with Edison Nation to give consumers a chance to create the next great WD-40_® product.

Individuals can submit ideas for a new WD-40 product or an innovation to the original WD-40 by May 20 at EdisonNation.com.  If a product concept is chosen, the inventor will receive a $2,500 minimum advance payment, a percentage of sales for up to 20 years and an opportunity to see the product sold through retail or industrial channels.

“It took a few people and 40 attempts to get the formula right for WD-40, but the product is now a staple in millions of homes across the world,” said Garry Ridge, president and CEO of WD-40 Company.  “We’ve benefited from the creative energies and technical expertise of scientists, inventors, designers and thinkers, and are looking forward to hearing more innovative ideas through this product search.”

Edison Nation was founded by the creators of PBS’ Emmy award-winning show, Everyday Edisons.  The company takes ideas for products from individuals and connects them with manufacturers or retailers that can help commercialize the concepts.  Product searches are coordinated through EdisonNation.com, the company’s online Web 2.0 community, which allows individuals to safely submit their intellectual property.  A $25 fee is assessed for each entry to offset a portion of the costs to review all submissions.

“When people told us they kept losing the little red straws off their WD-40 cans, we created the WD-40 Smart Straw_® can, which has the straw permanently attached,” said Ridge.  “WD-40 Company is looking for product ideas like these that offer unique value and innovative solutions to help our end-users continue to get the job done.“

For more information on the live product search, visit wd40.com/EdisonNation.

About WD-40 Company
WD-40 Company, with headquarters in San Diego, is a global consumer product company dedicated to delivering unique, high value and easy-to-use solutions for a wide variety of maintenance needs of “doer” and “on-the-job” users by leveraging and building the brand fortress of the Company. The Company markets two multi-purpose maintenance product brands, WD-40®, and 3-IN-ONE® and eight homecare and cleaning product brands. The homecare and cleaning product brands are X-14® hard surface cleaners and automatic toilet bowl cleaners, 2000 Flushes® automatic toilet bowl cleaners, Carpet Fresh® and No Vac_® rug and room deodorizers, Spot Shot® aerosol and liquid carpet stain removers, 1001® carpet, household cleaners and rug and room deodorizers, and Lava® and Solvol® heavy-duty hand cleaners. WD-40 Company markets its products in more than 160 countries worldwide and recorded sales of $317.1 million in fiscal year 2008.

About Edison Nation
Edison Nation (www.edisonnation.com) brings together inventors and innovators with retailers, manufacturers and ultimately consumers.  Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Edison Nation discovers, develops and shares groundbreaking products with the world.  Fueled by the ideas of an interactive online community of inventors, Edison Nation works with retailers and manufacturers to identify new products, create and renew brands, and become part of the product development strategy. Edison Nation hosts “Live Product Searches” (LPS) to afford members the opportunity to pitch product ideas and concepts to Edison Nation’s major retail and manufacturing partners. In turn, these searches attract volumes of product ideas, putting a face on innovation through the original ideas that come from garages, workrooms and sketchpads from around the nation.