Solar and cellular electronics technology has converged in the Worksite Hawk to provide remote job site monitoring during the daytime and security at night. The result is improved productivity and the protection of property from theft. The mobile trailer system can be deployed wherever it is needed.
Business Description:
The first Worksite Hawk prototype was created in just 3 months and the first sale was made 4 weeks later. The manufacturing system is now in firmly place and there is a proven need for our mobile security/monitoring solution. Next we need to build product awareness and with the help of the Dream Big grant, we will hit the road to do face to face demonstrations to jump start sales.
The Worksite Hawk provides remote video monitoring using trailer based solar power, cellular modem and other electronics with a camera that provides 360-degree pan, tilt and zoom. During the daytime the boss can view productivity from his computer, tablet or smart phone. At night the camera is fixed on equipment and materials and provides email/text alerts (and activates a strobe light) if there is an intruder.
We are unique in our combined solution - power usage (solar generation and battery storage vs draw), technology (integration of the camera, modem, video analytics, internal heater, etc), trailer design (footprint dimensions, mast functionality with internal secured wiring, etc). Some of these are more important than others but it really is the combination of all of these elements with an affordable price that is key.
We sell primarily through equipment rental companies when we can match them with customers. If no distributor is available, we sell or rent direct. We are currently building our distributor base and have a successful marketing plan in place to create leads with end-users.
Feedback continues to reinforce both our solution and our price point. We are entering the market at a good point. Technology for solar powered equipment as well as cellular bandwidth has allowed us to create a better and less expensive solution than our competitors. This has been reinforced by customers who are shopping other options as well as manufacture reps with market knowledge. It was also identified in market research done by Advance Iowa.
The market size is huge and growing. According to New York Times, "The National Association of Home Builders, a trade group, estimates that the annual cost of theft to the industry has reached $5 billion." There are regular new stories of equipment and materials theft. The Worksite Hawk also provided productivity benefits of monitoring employees.
Our business model utilizes very low overhead and we only need one sale per month to cover costs.
Reason for Entering:
We just attended the World of Concrete Show in Las Vegas and have sales trips planned south and east. We have numerous inquiries in the southeast and the Dream Big grant would allow us to do a two week sales trip to that region to provide demonstrations to create sales. We know these first sales take a little more effort but soon word of mouth and seeing our units deployed will help create additional interest - and sales.
In a nutshell, we have built a better mouse trap. It is priced better and does more. The Dream Big grant will help us fund our ongoing efforts to get the word out. The sales trip will put us in front of dozens of equipment rental companies and their customers. We sold our first unit last year after just four weeks of on and off demonstrations. There is excitement and momentum is building - we would appreciate the funding to help us educate and inform our potential customers!