An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

I’ve been an entrepreneur for most of the life and I have a good sixth sense around people and opportunities. There have been too many times when I’ve ignored that gut feel and regretted it later.

As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs. I had the pleasure of interviewing Rick O’Shea.

Rick O’Shea began his career as a professional golfer spending ten years on the PGA, Mexican, Canadian and Asian tours. After leaving the tour in 1999, he founded Elite Golf Cruises, the only comprehensive onboard golf academy in the world. It was during this time that Rick began witnessing demand and ultimately researching the complexities of the sanitization industry and identifying the gap in solution providers servicing the roughly $30 Billion dollar a year industry.

In 2010, he began working with Steve Cooper, the founder of Electrostatic Spraying Systems Inc. (ESSI) which was based on a technology he co-developed as part of a Master’s Degree project at the University of Georgia. ESSI developed the first commercially successful electrostatic sprayers for agricultural and ornamental crops which are still used today in over 20 countries around the world. Together, Rick and Steve adapted the ESSI technology for the infection control industry and ByoPlanet was born.

The Company has invested thousands of hours in research and development, as well as securing the intellectual property rights for electrostatic technology that is currently used in the ByoPlanet devices today.

This past year, ByoPlanet partnered with Clean Republic a manufacture of stabilized hypochlorous acid for the Jan/San and retail markets. The combination of state-of-the-art chemistry portfolio coupled with the electrostatic technology, creates an infection control system that is unrivaled in the industry.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

The impact the COVID pandemic on the trajectory of Byoplanet could have never been predicted. The business was manufacturing 100–200 devices per month and had been for the better part of a decade. In March of 2020 the demand for our technology exploded and our manufacturing team found themselves faced with device demand of thousands. In the span of 4 months, our team grew from 25 people to over 150, we moved into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and learned some hard lessons about supply chain, customer service and business infrastructure. On the other side of that meteoric ride, our company, has come out bigger, better and stronger, with the ability to provide education, support and equipment to the infection control industry on a scale we could have never imaged a year ago. The Covid Pandemic has completely changed how the entire world views cleaning and disinfecting and we’re there to supply and support every step of the way.

Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?

Electrostatic technology has been used in agriculture for decades and in early 2010, I recognized that there was real value in having electrostatic delivery of disinfectants, particularly for large areas that required quick turn-around times. The cruise ship industry was a prime example of an environment that was in real need of innovation in this area. Fast forward to mid-2020 and again, we identified that when coupled with the right product, our sprayers can eliminate 99.999% of virus out of the air. By using our equipment, both air and surface transmission of germs can be reduced with one operation.

How do you think this might change the world?

One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is it sparked innovation and the brought awareness to the benefits of cleaning and disinfecting for health, not just for aesthetics. The efforts of janitorial staff have all too often been taken for granted. Too much work, inadequate tools and little recognition, yet these were the front-line workers that cleaned our hospitals, our schools, buses and trains when everyone else was scared to leave their homes. Suddenly, their impact on our day to day lives came into the spotlight. We’ll always be fighting pathogens but with proper training, and tools, we’ll arm the front-line work force with everything they need to reduce the risk of transmission.

Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

They feel that the technology does all the work for them, tech only works when you point it in the direction it needs to hit. It’s great tech, but not magic.

Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?

Carnival Cruise used our technology during dry docks to disinfect the ships starting back in 2010. The first ship was Freeport Bahama’s the Carnival Triumph. Carnival wanted to protect the crew members during the cleans of all the HVAC vents, lots of nasty stuff in those vents that build up after two years. Our equipment was used for the first time and from there it became a standard in the industry.

What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?

  1. Education on the benefits of the technology and how an organization can do more with less and still achieve better outcomes.
  2. How the choice of disinfectant has a hug impact on the customer experience. Education on what is in our disinfecting products is just as important as the application method.
  3. Byoplanet is more than just a device manufacturer — our public health team can be the “phone a friend” when an organization is just figuring out their infection control game plan.

What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?

Our primary sales channel is through distribution, however most of the customer service interactions have been funneled through our own service department. We have a group of account managers whose job is to “catch” the incoming inquires and direct them to the right department. Those account managers are the ones that are having real conversations with our users every day. They hear firsthand what’s working and more importantly, what isn’t. This allows us to have real data collection that has all the color and nuance that comes with having human interactions, not just sales numbers or call frequency data. Our account managers are our superpower. The information they funnel into the organization feeds not just engineering and quality but marketing and sales strategies.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My father always said you can’t win unless you’re in the game. That was true during my golf career and it’s certainly true in business. You must take the leap and believe that you are bringing real value to our consumers.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Giving back to other is our greatest gift. My involvement with my church and community is my channel through which I choose to give back. Whether its time, financially or emotionally, I want to share the resources, teachings, and blessings that I’ve gained throughout my life.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

  1. Only work with people you like (if you can). I only want to do business with people that enjoy working with. I had an opportunity to partner with a Fortune 100 company but my early interactions with them was painful — no one had a sense of humor; everyone imbued this arrogant corporate persona. Financially it may have been a windfall for the business, but personally it would have absolutely sucked. I chose not to partner with them.
  2. Tell people the truth, even if it’s hard to hear. Whether its managing employees or dealing with business partners, telling the true will lead to trust and respect. The “spin” is often the downward spiral in the relationship — people need to hear what’s really going on.
  3. Listen to your gut. I’ve been an entrepreneur for most of the life and I have a good sixth sense around people and opportunities. There have been too many times when I’ve ignored that gut feel and regretted it later.
  4. Honor both the letter of the contract AND the spirit of it. Just because the contract allows it, doesn’t mean you should exercise the option. Contracts only come into play when the relationship has broken down. Most of the time that can be avoided if the spirit of the contract is honored.
  5. Be a consumer. Of all the businesses I’ve started or been a part of, they have all been technologies or products that I would use myself. If you’re not passionate about the product or service, that should be your first indication that you’re in the wrong business.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Grit. We need a generation whose objective isn’t the number of followers or the most likes but the greatest demonstration of grit. That’s what makes the Olympics so captivating. Athletes are putting years of work and pain on the table for this one event. I want that spirit to infuse everything we do. Never settle for defeat, that last yard might be the end zone. Push yourself beyond comfort and follow your gut.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Go put a dent in the universe! Steve Jobs…

No opportunity is too big, too bold. Every business that I’ve started began with a vision of what was possible. Often it was daunting to consider all the possible reasons for failure, but with one step at a time, the pieces start to fall into place. You must approach even the most ambitious projects with a breakdown of what is possible in a day, in an hour…

Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

Byoplanet is better, faster and bring real value to your bottom line. The life you save might be your own.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

www.byoplanet.com

https://www.facebook.com/ByoPlanetInternational

https://www.instagram.com/byoplanet_international/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/byoplanet-international-llc

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.


The Future Is Now: Rick O’Shea On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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