It is sometimes difficult to track the one idea that creates a new business. Researchers contribute internationally and one idea sparks another that finally generates a new medicine, a solid-state device, or even the Internet. In some rare cases, the nucleus of the idea is so instantly clear, the vision so strong, and the enthusiasm so relentless immediately that an invention takes on a life of its own. Such is the case of the PenAgain™ but first, a little background on the partners who formed PACIFIC WRITING INSTRUMENTS.

Partners Colin Roche and Bobby Ronsse first met at Cal Poly down in San Luis Obispo, Ca. They have been friends and business partners in one way or another ever since. The idea for the PenAgain™ came to Colin when he was still in high school but his first business venture with Mr. Ronsse came along during their college days. It was this successful original venture, now long buried, that spurned their desire to create a new enterprise.

Back in college, the partners formed a tidy little business to help clean neighborhood yards of dog waste, which generated a nice monthly fee business; the perfect thing to finance a couple of college students. The Doo-Doo Dudes, as they were known, generated a lot of press for their new business with the slogan "Business is really picking up!" It became a cause celeb, in a small town way, and helped sponsor the Wiggle-Waggle-Waddle-Walkathon, which encouraged children to raise money for the animal shelter by walking their pets. Clean up was provided, gratis.

Successfully graduating from college, the pair went on to take promising jobs with esteemed high technology firms in Silicon Valley. The Doo-Doo Dudes were retired, but the smell of entrepreneurship remained strong. The partners dreamed of working together again and always came back to Colin's high school idea of the pen.

The genesis of the pen came one Saturday afternoon in the mid 1980s. Colin, being the social type, had accumulated a few too many tardies during his tenure at Palo Alto High School and so was called to Saturday Detention. This grueling 8-hour sit-athon was designed to provide meditative time to foster rehabilitation in wayward students. It seems to have worked.

Mr. Roche, interested in having even more to think about during the afternoon session, bought a toy pen at the flea market next to the school campus during lunch hour. Colin broke the pen apart after lunch. Using a lighter borrowed from a colleague to his left that afternoon, Colin managed to smelt a new form for the writing instrument and an idea was born. Not satisfied with the lab work done that Saturday afternoon, Colin continued to tinker with his new invention in his Dad's workshop for several hours that very same night. An obsession was born.

Most people who knew Colin, knew of his vision for the pen. Awakened by a telephone call from a friend one night, Colin announced "I just had a dream about the pen again." The name 'PenAgain' was born a decade after the idea for the pen itself.

Over the years, Colin most often obsessed to his friend Mr. Ronsse. During one phone conversation, it was Mr. Ronsse who, thankfully, suggested it was possible to do a real mechanical model and get the prototypes made. Mr. Roche's obsession could now become a reality thanks to Mr. Ronsse's forte as a Mechanical Engineer.

The PenAgain™ went through several design iterations before it was brought to market. The partners gathered user feedback and honed the shape to accommodate a wide range of users. Consideration was given to the size, the weight, the ease of use, the flow of the ink, the ability to write without gripping, the reduction of writer's cramp, and all manner of accommodations.

The enthusiasm for the new design generated a bevy of interested bystanders at the bank or supermarket, or wherever it was shown. And, the partners knew they had a winning idea when purchase orders came through even before the device went to full-scale production.

Most encouraging is that Mr. Roche is living his dream instead of losing sleep at night. His wife appreciates that the PenAgain™ allows her to be able to read her husband's handwriting.

And, happily, the partners are working together again.

About the Company: PACIFIC WRITING INSTRUMENTS produces fine writing instruments that are ergonomically designed to deliver a superior script with reduced hand fatigue and greater comfort. The PenAgain™ line of fine pens relies on the natural downward pressure of the finger to produce a controlled line, while offering increased hand support and reduced gripping. This privately held entrepreneurial company based in Pacifica, California has patents pending. The PenAgain™ is available for sale through better retailers and at the company's website. www.penagain.com