With 20 years in the telecom industry, Jim Nalley found his next
venture from the evening news. After watching a missing person
story, he was determined to find a technology that could help
locate lost loved ones. He partnered with Chris Buehler and
launched EmFinders in 2007. The team did the patent work and a
software trial, spending between $70,000 and $80,000 of their own
money on research and development. The result was a wristwatch-like
armband that works in conjunction with cellular technology to send
a signal to EmFinders staff to locate the missing person. EmFinders
remotely activates the missing person's EmSeeQ armband device, and
the device calls 911. The EmFinders armband recently helped locate
missing individuals in two separate cases in California. "That
helps prove that it works," Nalley said. Nalley was interviewed by
staff writer Shashana Pearson-Hormillosa.
Q. How did you get 911 to get involved? How long did that
process take?
A. That was a lot of work. It took a good solid year of
demonstrations and working with the National Emergency Number
Association and Association of Public-Safety Communications
Officials-International. We have a lot of advocates in the area,
and we've brought demonstrations that we've done with large cities
like Dallas and smaller cities like Plano to the rest of the
nation. (Having the backing of the 911 system) is a big barrier to
competition.
Q. What are the benefits of using the service only after
emergency personnel have been contacted?
A. Some of the (competitor) units out there use GPS chips, and
they have to send their information over the Internet. When it's
indoors, it doesn't work very well. If it's in a heavily wooded
area, it doesn't work well. We use some advanced carriers like
AT&T and
T-Mobile that work in
obstructed areas. It is secure, so everyone can't see where your
loved one is. We then notify the emergency team who would need to
go get them in the first place. It's a security issue: You wouldn't
really want an 83-year-old grandma going to get your 85-year-old
grandpa.
Q. How much does it cost? Does insurance cover any of the
costs?
A. We have two models: one with a clasp-like a watch, which
sells for $185 per unit, and one with a clasp that requires two
hands to remove, which sells for $225 per unit. Each unit has a $25
service fee. It is not currently covered by insurance, but we are
working toward that. Medicare and Medicaid is a tough nut to
crack.
Q. What's been the hardest part of getting this company
going?
A. Name recognition. Sales and marketing. We've been focused on
the R&D side, so we just started pushing the marketing piece in
January. We market to three main sources: consumer-direct sales,
law enforcement and long-term care facilities. Consumer side is our
most successful so far; the other two are longer cycles.