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Eye-tracking technology that simplifies and predicts human intentions and actions

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smart eye technology

With everyone becoming more reliant on teleworking and technology in general, we need more reliable security for ourselves and our companies. Smart Eye Technology and it’s CEO Dexter Caffey are at the cutting edge of security, providing companies and individuals the ability to protect their information. Join Peachtree Corners Life podcast hosts Rico Figliolini and Patrizia Winsper as they explore the eye-tracking technology that simplifies and predicts human intentions and actions.

Resources:

Website: https://smarteye.se/technology/

Timestamp:

[00:00:30] – Intro
[00:02:45] – About Smart Eye Technology
[00:06:16] – Sharing Documents
[00:07:23] – In the Professional World
[00:09:38] – Ways to Recognize Users
[00:11:14] – Smart Phone Capabilities
[00:14:17] – Research and Development
[00:15:40] – Dexter’s Background
[00:16:37] – Financing
[00:18:13] – Development Team
[00:19:37] – In the Peachtree Corners Community
[00:20:37] – Working in the COVID Environment
[00:22:04] – Expanding
[00:23:53] – Information
[00:26:14] – Competition
[00:29:34] – Closing

“I said, what if we could create an app called Smart Eye Technology that will shut off if Patricia or Rico look at my screen. And at first everybody thought it was the craziest thing ever. And so I actually reached out to a group of Israeli software developers and they helped us create this amazing technology now that we have called Smart Eye Technology.”

Dexter Caffey

Podcast Transcript

Rico: [00:00:30] Hi everyone, this is Rico Figliolini host of Peachtree Corners Life. Appreciate you coming out to watch this as a live stream if you’re doing this or if you’re listening to this as a podcast or on YouTube as a video as well. So and of course if you’re on Facebook on our Facebook page, you may be listening to this later, but appreciate you coming out. We have a special guest today, but before we get there, we want to introduce our sponsor Hargray Fiber. They’re a cable fiber company in the Southeast. Really big. They’ve been expanding even further into the Southeast area, especially in Southeast Georgia and Southern Georgia and the metropolitan area here in Atlanta. You can get the services for your business, business-to-business to be able to use their wifi, their fiber optics, they have cable and the support that they give to small businesses and large businesses through bundled services. So they’re not the cable guy. They’re right in the community, they’re so involved in the things going on in the towns and cities, they go into that you’d be surprised. So check them out HargrayFiber.com and you might be able to even get 90 days worth of your internet service for free. Certainly you’ll be able to get some of their expertise. So check them out. Now to get to our show, today’s special guest, this is a followup to an article we had in our vibrant technology issue, and so we had that an issue or two ago, and now today we have a special guest. I’m going to let Patrizia introduce our guest. Go for it

Patrizia: [00:02:09] Good afternoon everyone. So nice to see you again. Dexter Coffey is joining us today from Smart Eye Technology and he is the founder and chief as he self-describes of this company. Hi Dexter.

Dexter: [00:02:26] Hey how are you Patrizia?

Patrizia: [00:02:28] I’m doing so well. Thank you. How are you?

Dexter: [00:02:30] Good. Thank you for having me on today.

Patrizia: [00:02:31] It’s our pleasure. It seems like a lifetime ago when we spoke last just a few months ago before this whole pandemic broke out.

Dexter: [00:02:38] Last time, I think I was in Israel when you spoke to me last.

Patrizia: [00:02:41] That’s right. We’ll have to meet in person at some point.

Dexter: [00:02:44] Exactly.

Patrizia: [00:02:45] Alright Dexter. So today we’re going to regale our listeners and viewers with screen privacy concerns for all of across all of their electronic devices. And that’s because of what you came up with and you had a brilliant idea. And I’d like you to take us through it because it actually really did happen for you organically. Why don’t you tell us how you started the whole idea of Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:03:10] Absolutely. Thank you so much Patrizia. So what happened, that was actually, in Israel about two and a half years ago, and I was at a cybersecurity event. And so I was sitting next to this speaker who was getting ready to speak. And he and I were just talking just like you and I are talking right now. And what happened, I noticed when I looked at his laptop, I could see documents, I saw word documents, I saw PDF documents, and I just said to myself, so why should I be able to see any document that’s on this cyber security experts laptop? It’s none of my business. I said, what if we could create an app called Smart Eye Technology that will shut off. If Patricia or Rico look at my screen. And at first everybody thought it was the craziest thing ever. And so I actually reached out to a group of Israeli software developers and they actually helped us create this amazing technology now that we have called Smart Eye Technology.

Patrizia: [00:04:03] And here we are. It feels like we’re living in an episode of the Jetsons the future is certainly here. And learning about these technology companies in the greater Atlanta area was such a joy and so exciting for me. So, Dexter, in order to protect our screen, so Rico, if you’re planning your next, birthday for your wife and you want to keep it secret. You don’t want her to come behind your back and look at your screen and see what all you’ve been planning, right? So Dexter, how is it that you protect our screens and how is it that they recognize only us.

Dexter: [00:04:38] Okay. What did you guys, it’s actually when you open up the Smart Eye Technology app, which will be out at the end of May this year, well that’s in 30 days from now, what happens is that when you actually open up Smart Eye Technology app and you upload, let’s say those secret documents, that Rico was planning for this amazing event, he’s going to put on for everyone in the family.

Patrizia: [00:04:57] No pressure Rico.

Dexter: [00:05:00] So once that document is actually inside the smart technology app. At that point, if his wife or his friends or whoever else walks in the room, that document when it’s open, only Rico’s face is recognized by the document, but then he put his facial recognition inside of smart technology app. As soon as another face comes in and looks at that document while he’s looking at it, it’ll shut it down, immediately, and block the screen and say warning multiple viewers.

Patrizia: [00:05:25] Isn’t that perfect? You get a warning message for multiple viewers. So your computer screen now recognizes both your irises, your face with a continual camera.

Dexter: [00:05:39] Yeah,absolutely. So, so what happens is that right now it’s facial recognition. So it recognizes just your face. You would have to actually register your face facial recognition by simply taking the picture inside of smart technology app. We also have voice recognition and we have fingerprint recognition. And so if you wanted to send, let’s say Rico, let’s just say Rico wanted to show you that document inside of Smart Eye Technology. You would download smart technology app and then he would send it to you cause you’re one of his contacts. And as
a result of that, then when he shares it with you, all you have to do is your face could be recognized, your fingerprint, or your voice before that document opens up to you.

Rico: [00:06:16] Does that document need to be shared through the same app? Like I would send it from my app to her app?

Dexter: [00:06:21] Absolutely. Everything stays with inside the technology app. So let’s say it goes from your app to her app, her Smart Eye Technology app.

Patrizia: [00:06:28] So both parties involved have to be signed on with Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:06:32] Exactly. Because we keep everything inside of the app for the security, for the sake of security. And so again, when Rico sent you that he can do two things, he could allow you to download that. Or he could allow you just to have the actual document and allow you to share it with somebody if he chose. So you can download it or you can share it with somebody if he chose. However if you download that document, if he gave you permission to download the document, security is off of it. It’s over, security is off.

Patrizia: [00:07:00] He also has the ability to choose for how long I would have access to that document, isn’t that right?

Dexter: [00:07:06] That’s a great point too. What happens Patrizia is that when, when Rico sends you that document. He can set the amount of days, like seven days or the amount of hours, let’s say 24 hours, 40 hours for you to have access to those secrets vacation documents that he has.

Patrizia: [00:07:23] It’s just perfection for those of us who value our privacy. Of course, taking it out of the personal context. This has tons of applications in the professional world where you have to maintain privacy within your company and within whatever organization you’re working for.

Dexter: [00:07:40] And you’re right. One of the big problems right now that’s going on is, let’s just say for example if you sent me an invoice for let’s just say $20,000.You say Dexter, here’s our service for $20,000. What would happen if you sent that by email, a hacker with, let’s say, is in your email, and so that hacker would then email me right back. Say, Hey Dexter, this is Patrizia you know that $20,000 it didn’t go through yet. Keep that the same, but just change our banking our wiring .banking instructions because we had a problem with our old bank, so go ahead and make those changes today and email me when you’ve wired the money. That was the hacker, that wasn’t you that said that, that was the hacker.

Patrizia: [00:08:19] No, that happens a lot in the real estate realm.

Dexter: [00:08:21] This happens in real estate, because a lot of those closing attorneys, they have the wiring instructions so that they are a target for hackers. So whenever a closing attorney sends those wiring instructions through emails hackers say. Yes, we love it. Let’s go and change it up and email that person. Hey, listen, this is the wiring attorney. Don’t use my email that just sent to you first, use the new wiring instructions because we’re no longer using that old bank anymore.

Rico: [00:08:47] Does the system allow for, let’s say I want to keep my documents up on the cloud with you. Can I continue adding to that account?

Dexter: [00:08:56] Absolutely. You can continue to add it to that account that will never, we’re not a storage facility, so you really don’t want to store things in Smart Eye. It’s more like really just we’re sending it off or, let’s say if you want to choose, you have to sign a document. You will send it to her to sign a document so she could sign with her finger inside of Smart Eye Technology. She does not have to download the app to print anything out, she would just simply sign with her finger and then you can now verify it was Patrizia because that document only opened up to her face. She’s the only person who could see that document. So you can verify now that she’s the only person who signed that document. Right now, when somebody sends you a document through one of those companies that allow you to sign online, what happens is that you can’t verify that person who actually signed it. I don’t know, somebody else could’ve signed it.

Patrizia: [00:09:38] Right. I wanted to walk it up just a little bit here, because it’s easy enough to understand the facial recognition and the fingerprint and even the voice, but how is it that your computer now can recognize your handwriting? I understand handwriting is also one of the ways in which you can make sure it’s the person you want to receive the document and no one else.

Dexter: [00:10:00] Absolutely. We have something called print behavior, and so what print behavior is, it analyzes exactly how you hold your physical cell phone. It analyzes how you move your hands in order to write the letters that we asked you to give. If we ask you to write letters, A, L, and P. Then it’ll analyze how you write it, and physically move your hands around. It’ll also analyze how much pressure you put on the screen to even write those letters with to understand, is this Patricia or is this Rico trying to access a document.

Patrizia: [00:10:29] Isn’t that something

Rico: [00:10:31] That is, can that be legally accepted also then I’m assuming?

Dexter: [00:10:35] Well that there’s not a signature, that’s just allowing you to actually access the document so that’s like your face or your fingerprint. And also print behavior is another access point so that you access the document through Smart Eye.

Rico: [00:10:49] But before you said, I can, if I send something for a signature. Can someone sign that form?

Dexter: [00:10:55] Absolutely. It’s just electronic signature. Absolutely.

Rico: [00:10:58] And send it back and then I’d have it.

Dexter: [00:11:01] Exactly, exactly. So you have a signature just like that. So it goes directly to the app. So again, you never have to worry about putting anything out and you can verify that Patrizia actually signed that document because that document only opens to just her face.

Rico: [00:11:14] So let me ask you something, because obviously there’s so many, there’s so many avenues here, because an iPhone has a GPS, has certain accesses that you have. You, can you verify if it’s allowed, I guess through terms and agreement. Can I verify then that number one I have a picture of Patrizia, can that be part of that evidence, if you will?

Dexter: [00:11:38] That’s a very good, very good point Rico, because what you just said, your profile picture is your facial recognition picture. So in our version one that’s coming out in about 30 days, your profile picture will be your facial recognition picture. So you can’t put another face in there let’s say of you and a friend it’s not going to work, it has to be your physical face.

Rico: [00:12:01] Okay. And what about GPS location?

Dexter: [00:12:05] We actually have inside a smart eye where we can, we can actually require, we can say, okay, I can set a physical location. Let’s say you’re located in Peachtree Corners. I can say only in Peachtree Corners can Rico open up my document? If you go to the city of Atlanta, the document will not open for you.

Rico: [00:12:22] Really? I could see so many things that could be done with. Actually fun things that the travel industry would love to have. For example, you are going to Atlanta? Well, let me send you this document and you’re not going to be able to open this up until you get to Atlanta and then you’ll know where you’re going to be.

Dexter: [00:12:42] Exactly. So then you can see exactly when they opened it up. So every time they touched that document, to open it up, you’ll see exactly that they opened it up in Atlanta. You’ll be able to see, you can actually even specify which wifi a person is using. So let’s say your home’s wifi or your office’s wifi by getting the IP address and saying only on that wifi. Can you open up my document.

Rico: [00:13:03] Wow.

Dexter: [00:13:04] If I chose, well actually it doesn’t matter, you could be on any wifi. It’s my choice, it’s my document.

Rico: [00:13:10] As many restrictions, or leave it loose if you want.

Patrizia: [00:13:15] It could be as specific as you like,

Rico: [00:13:17] Yes. So I can see bond services, I can see certain types of services wanting to use this because they have the ability to lock it around to where they want it.

Dexter: [00:13:28] Exactly. That person’s documents they control. What we’ve done was it really put control back into the hands of individuals and privacy. So it’s about control and privacy, and that’s what smart eye technology is really all about. Even inside of our B to B side, if you want to send somebody a document, we have it to where if Patrizia’s company wanted to send it to your company you could actually request to collaborate with Patrizia and she has to accept you or deny your organization. If she accepts your organization, you can communicate with everybody in her organization. If she denies you, no one in your organization can send anything through Smart Eye. So now we’ve created a private pond for you to be in. So you decide who you want to play in your private pond.

Patrizia: [00:14:17] I love it. Dexter you are the brain child behind this brilliant idea, which I know is going to be important to many people, even if they haven’t heard of you yet. It will be important to them at some point, but every startup technology company is only as good as its research and development. So please tell us why you chose to locate your research and development center in Israel.

Dexter: [00:14:42] Okay. Well, as you know, Israel was one of the most advanced cyber security locations of the world. And so we, I, I created the team that I have in Israel to give us an edge because a lot of the people that we work with were, worked in security in government when they were in Israel, as they were the Israeli army and things like that. So we have a very specific team who we brought together to help us to create Smart Eye Technology. So our research and development took us initially, our research took us about 90 to a hundred days actually to create so that we could see exactly how smart eye would be created. So we’re very intense. When we created the actual software, as far as the process of it, there’s a big huge research paper that we have created that they created for us to show exactly how it works. So this is very detailed information.

Rico: [00:15:40] So let me ask you the, you know, what’s your background Dexter? Where’d you come from before Smart Eye Technology?

Dexter: [00:15:47] It’s funny that you asked me that question because my background is actually financial services. So I’ve done what’s called teching for major companies as an a Dowel Jones industrial laboratory owning my own business. And I’ve done that for 20 years. And so I’ve always loved technology like crazy. And when I just happened to see that opportunity that came up in my mind, it was just like I wanted to avoid it because I didn’t want to start another
business. I didn’t. And I tried to avoid the thought of Smart Eye Technology, but have you ever had something that was just nudging you day and night? Day and night and you couldn’t get it out of mind? Your talking with people and it’s coming out through your mouth. You go to sleep, you’re thinking about it. Well, that was Smart Eye Technology to me. It was something that just couldn’t get out of my mind. It was like, if I die, God would say, you know what you were supposed to do but you didn’t do it.

Rico: [00:16:37] How did you get your first initial financing to be able to do this?

Dexter: [00:16:40] That was great. I actually, I had an investor who was already a client of mine and I told him about my crazy idea. That’s a very good question. And I said, and I asked him. His name was Peter, and I said, Peter, I said, you know, I need to have lunch with you because I want to talk to you about some new things I think I want to step into. He said, okay. So we got together for lunch, and I told him exactly what I wanted to do as far as starting Smart Eye Technology. He said, okay, so what do you want from me? And I said, I need $50,000 today. And he said, so you want me to be the first sucker? And I said, absolutely. I mean, investor. So that’s how it all started from there. And we were able to raise substantially millions of dollars from investors who we work with now to bring this vision to life. And so, like I said, the app will be out at the end of may. And people will be able to download it on the app store originally, and it will be available for download in Android store probably in mid-July, in the Android store.

Rico: [00:17:46] Are you going to be looking for another round of financing at some point?

Dexter: [00:17:49] We are but not actively seeking a large amount. Right now we still have some available, but not actively seeking a large amount, we already have a proof of concept major. A company that does over $20 billion a year. That’s looking to be our first proof of concept company when we start in June. So we’re off to the races already.

Rico: [00:18:12] Wow.

Patrizia: [00:18:13] Dexter, I’ve heard your company referred to as a team of Avengers because you’re all so diverse from diverse backgrounds. Someone looking at you working together would have no clue how you all wound up together and what on earth you have in common. Why don’t you talk to us a little bit about the climate of your company, Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:18:33] Absolutely. We have many different, we’re a diverse company from the very beginning. We have individuals who are different. We have several types of minorities with inside the organization. I think we’re probably about 50, 60% women, and it’ll probably climb higher over the next couple of months. As far as Women is concerned. So we’re very different when it comes to a technology startup. We’re not a traditional startup where it’s predominantly men. And so we’re really taking a completely different approach to how people view, the screens that they actually have. So, and the individuals that we have working with us are passionate about the things that we’re doing, and they come from different backgrounds. So
therefore, they’re able to give us different opinions, which makes an amazing group of people to be associated with because they have their own opinions because of the different backgrounds that they come from. And everybody looks at the world a different way. And so that’s what’s really unique about it. And it’s something that I didn’t realize initially, but now I see extreme value in that.

Patrizia: [00:19:37] Absolutely. And I know you’re located in the city of Atlanta, your company is, but you do have ties to Peachtree Corners, so why don’t you tell us about how you came to be part of the Peachtree Corners community as well?

Dexter: [00:19:49] Absolutely. Smart Eye Technology is a member of the Atlanta Tech Park. And actually the Atlanta Tech Park is one of the most special places I’ve had the pleasure of being in because actually that’s where we did our first launch of our prototype. May 7th of last year showing our prototype for the very first time to the public. So, Robin and Ashley at the Atlanta Tech Park have been amazing partners with us. They helped us out in many ways that I can’t even explain. And so, they have a very special place in my heart, Atlanta Tech Park.

Rico: [00:20:26] Cool. How’s it been working? Obviously you may be, are you at Atlanta Tech Park now, I’m assuming?

Dexter: [00:20:32] No right now we’re in Buckhead, right now as we speak. We’re at our location in Buckhead.

Rico: [00:20:37] Okay. So how has working in this COVID-19 environment then?

Dexter: [00:20:42] Actually, you know, one of the surprising things is, actually, this has been one of the, I’ve been busier than I’ve ever been in my life. I’m getting Emails and phone calls from people who want to secure their screens for their employees, because they say we’re sending very delicate and very specific information, very highly sensitive information. And we’re trying to figure out a way, how do we gain control over that, over those pins that we’re sending out? So this is why it’s been, I’ve been talking to companies in Thailand, I’ve been talking to companies in Canada, I’ve been talking to companies here in the US. Companies in Portugal, we’re talking to. So it’s been extremely busy. I mean, it’s, it’s been a very busy period because people are trying to figure out how do I secure when I send Rico a document, I don’t want Rico, since it’s outside of our work environment, I don’t want them having access and doing whatever he wants with this. How do I control that? So we’re getting phone calls, emails coming in and it, it’s really amazing to see how many people are actually looking at this right now. It’s amazing.

Patrizia: [00:21:46] Yeah, it does make sense now that everyone’s leaving their companies in droves to resort to tele-working. More and more people are at home with this secure and private information that really should be protected.

Dexter: [00:21:59] Absolutely. And that’s why we’re getting the phone calls that are coming in right now. This is, I wasn’t expecting this, but I’m happy.

Rico: [00:22:04] As you’re getting more people involved, more companies coming on board, are you, obviously you’re going to be looking at expanding maybe the programming and doing some additional programming engineering into the app as well?

Dexter: [00:22:20] Yeah. Actually on our, on our first version, actually on our first version Rico, we’ll have the app on the App store, iOS version and we’ll have the web app version where you can actually use Smart Eye on your computer in the middle of July for a second version that comes out. So we’ll have a lot of new features that we’ll roll out every single month. There’ll be new features that we already have planned to roll out as we go every month.

Rico: [00:22:45] So as far as income goes then, revenue, that’s, it’s really based on corporate revenue, let’s say? Subscribers to this in a corporate environment?

Dexter: [00:22:54] Yeah, initially. But actually we have a huge demand from individuals, from individuals. We’re going to roll this out at the end of May. But everything that I’m hearing from individuals, people said, I’d love to have it for my personal information, because I don’t want the people seeing certain maybe pictures that they don’t want people to see, but just the person that you’re sending it to, their documents that they don’t want other people to see they’re sending it to. So initially, it’ll be on a per user basis, so in a way, anywhere from as low as $9 a month to $19.99 a month when it comes to the actual price of Smart Eye for use.

Rico: [00:23:31] Are you going to allow like a free download and then an upscale or premium step up?

Dexter: [00:23:37] That’s a great question. We’re going to have actually a two weeks free. So you’ll be having the full engine for two weeks free. And actually it will be anywhere between $9.99 to you know, probably less than $15 per person for the individuals per month.

Rico: [00:23:53] So my other question, that could be a little bit more sensitive maybe because you know, apps tend to collect information, right? Sometimes it’s, it’s not specific, right? It’s anonymous? Anonymized. Will, you know, are you able, or what do you even think about accumulating some data as far as the types of documents going out or, you know and accumulate some data like that that maybe over a period of time where you can address?

Dexter: [00:24:25] Well the good thing about Smart Eye Technology is that every single document that you said is encrypted, so we won’t be able to have access to that document because it’s encrypted. When you send it to somebody else? That document is encrypted, so it’s encrypted in transit, it’s encrypted when it sits on a cloud environment. So we can’t even look at any document that you send even if we wanted to, we have to, you know, we’d have to break it open and which would be hard to do because it’s encrypted. So absolutely.

Patrizia: [00:24:49] And how would you address people who are hyper sensitive about sharing their personal ID information, like their irises, their face, their fingerprints, how can you assure them that that will be kept safe?

Dexter: [00:25:01] Well, all of our biometrics are also encrypted as well. And one of the things that I tell people about, you’re probably more at risk to invoice fraud, and that’d be probably a little bit more worried about that because, like I said, there was over two billion dollars that was lost in 2019 to invoice fraud. So there are more, companies are losing more money from invoice fraud than they are from, you know, other areas when it comes to cyber attacks.

Rico: [00:25:29] Cool. Do you have any, any upcoming announcements you’d like to share here? Like things that you’re working on?

Dexter: [00:25:38] Well, actually, yeah, we’re actually, like I said, we’ll be launching the app at the end of May and we’re also actually starting our first proof of concept with a major company that is over $20 billion a year. So you guys are the first to hear that. And we’re also working with a potential other company in Portugal that is looking to use smart technology for some of their things as well. So we’ve got a lot of, a lot of companies right now who are interested in this technology because of what it does as far as protecting documents inside of your screen.

Rico: [00:26:14] Cool. Let me ask you one other, one other question. I mean, I think we covered quite a bit here. It’s a great technology. Certainly, I think that, you know, competition is the problem, right? Do you see that being an issue in your, in your arena, the competition that’s out there, that you need to get this out fast and need to be able to adjust as you go? Are there competitors you’re worried about? I know you wouldn’t be worried about being acquired by someone that might want this, a bigger company. You know these, Google and all these other companies acquiring things right and left. Would you welcome that at this point even?

Dexter: [00:26:54] Well, right now, the thing that we’re focusing on right now is number one, getting users using the app. That’s our key focus right now. And so that’s where our energy is being spent right now. As far as competition, competition is always a good thing. You want competition because it keeps you sharp. It makes you, I used to run track when I was in high school. And I love it. And so it’s a good thing. And what was built inside of smart eye technology, we’re still at the very heavy engine. So when you want to compete, it will cost a lot of money and a lot of time, and again. Most major organizations have employees at the organization. So we’re not really worried about major organizations doing exactly what we’re doing because you know, you have a lot of competition when it comes to, you know, since seniority in different things inside an organization with that, they want to do things they don’t want to do. So, so, but yes, you always have to be concerned about it, but never worried. I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s a very good thing.

Patrizia: [00:27:54] Right? So let’s get users using Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:27:57] That’s all we’re looking for.

Patrizia: [00:27:59] You can find it.on the Android.

Dexter: [00:28:02] Yes, it will be in, in mid July. You’ll be able to access it on Android, but within 30 days you’ll be able to access it at the end of May, on the app store.

Patrizia: [00:28:10] On the app store. Okay. And if I’m an individual, I’m looking at two weeks free and then about $9.99 a month.

Dexter: [00:28:20] Right.

Patrizia: [00:28:20] It’ll

Dexter: [00:28:20] be between $9.99 a month, depending on your usage at $14.95 a month in that range.

Patrizia: [00:28:25] And how do you determine the pricing for packages? Say for you personally to a company using it.

Dexter: [00:28:32] Yeah. We actually have, when you get it, when you first get inside the app we’ll ask you, are you an individual user or are you a business user? So business users will pay about $9.99 a month because they received that, what’s called a control panel. So they can add all the employees on that control panel and add employees or delete employees. They got full access to see exactly which documents those employees set. They’ll be able to see which companies that they’re interacting with as well. They’ll be able to see if they have a problem as far as trying to verify the biometrics because we have something called biometrics failure rate. So if you see an employee who’s failed a hundred percent of the time using all the biometrics, the employer can pick up the phone and say, Hey, listen, this may not be Patrizia trying to get into this app. Is this you or is this somebody else trying to access this. So we’ve got things in place, so it’ll give the system admin a early indication that, Hey, this is not that person trying to access the data because they’re failing 100% of the time. The access, this can’t be that person.

Rico: [00:29:34] You know I’ve been enjoying this Dexter. I think we want to possibly get back to you at some point a few months from now,to see how things are going.

Dexter: [00:29:44] That’d be great.

Rico: [00:29:45] Cool. Good. So, Patrizia do you have any more questions for Dexter? Otherwise, we’re going to be letting him go.

Patrizia: [00:29:52] I think we’re good to go. Rico, thank you so much, Dexter, for taking the time to speak with us today.

Dexter: [00:29:57] Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate this.

Rico: [00:29:59] Thank you, Dexter. Thank you everyone for listening. And again, this is Peachtree Corners Life with your host Rico Figliolini, Patrizia Winsper and CEO, disrupter, founder, Dexter Coffey from Smart Eye Technology. Thank you guys. Appreciate it.

Patrizia: [00:30:16] Have a good afternoon everyone.

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Business

Pest Control Without Harsh Chemicals

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Two men and one woman standing next to a blue SUV with company logo on it and holding a sign for Geo Mosquito.

Local small business owner has found a way to keep mosquitos at bay with natural remedies

Geoff Krstovic, a former firefighter, transitioned into the mosquito control business after a divorce, driven by the desire for flexible work.

“Nobody ever thinks they’re going to be into bugs and chemistry when they grow up,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘I want to be a firefighter. I want to be an astronaut.’ Nobody thinks that they want to go out there whacking bugs or says, ‘I want to be in pest control.’”

But as he progressed in his new career, Krstovic took an interest in how to get rid of pests without using harsh, man-made chemicals.

“The more certifications, the more promotions and everything that I got, [and] the more entomology classes I started taking, … I really started to realize what we were putting out into the environment,” he said.

Pest control technician from Geo Mosquito spraying a customer's yard.
Krstovic treating a customer’s yard. The spraying protocol is customized to each property, resulting in more effective mosquito control.

“I spend 90% of my time outside, and I see so much wildlife. So, when I would see a deer eating a leaf or a rabbit run out of bushes that I just treated, it really made me start to think about the effects of what we were doing to them.”

Not to mention pollinators like bees and butterflies.

“When I [would finish a treatment], I’d look back at the yard and everything that I’d seen flying around was just gone,” he said.

As a parent and a pet owner, he knew there had to be a better way to get rid of pests but still safeguard ourselves and the animals around us.

With a growing concern for the environmental impact, he developed a natural mosquito treatment system. The company he was working for wasn’t interested in his new product, so he started his own business.

Road to pest control

Krstovic graduated from Georgia State with a major in English. He joked that many of his contemporaries in the field have similar backgrounds.

“There’s an ongoing joke in the pest community where it’s like … what do you go to college [for] to be a pest [control] owner? Well, you major in liberal arts, English or writers’ composition,” he said.

Large orange and black butterfly resting on a pink flower bush with green leaves in a backyard garden.
Geo Mosquito protects vital plants and pollinators with eco-friendly mosquito control.

“A lot of the other owners I met had the same degrees. A big part of it is that creativity aspect, and in pest control, you’re allowed to think outside the box, and you’re allowed to adjust and adapt to what you’re seeing and use different methods.”

That desire to do things differently led him to find a way to help keep people safe from West Nile, Zika virus and Eastern equine encephalitis while they enjoyed time outdoors.

With a lot of research and a little help from relatives with backgrounds in chemistry and engineering, he came up with a formulation based on using essential oils.

The dangers of mosquitos

“After you meet your first client that tells you about their experience just walking to a mailbox and they get West Nile, it changes your perspective 100%,” Krstovic said, “because you’re not just out there killing bugs, you’re out there protecting people and their families.”

Mosquitos are often called the most dangerous animal on earth, with the diseases they spread killing over a million people annually according to statistics from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control.

While the more serious mosquito diseases don’t pose the greatest risk to most communities, there are common ailments that can show up in people and pets, including bites that get infected and heartworm in dogs.

Reaching out to the community

Though people were a little skeptical about Krstovic’s natural pest control methods at first, Erin Rhatigan decided to give it a try.

“Geoff cold-called our house in 2021 and revealed that he actually grew up in the house next door,” she said. “He really wanted to return to his roots and offer his services.”

Rhatigan has three young children, and with her home being situated on the Chattahoochee River, the outdoor areas are beautiful, but also plagued by a lot of mosquitos.

“We’re very focused on spending time outside, and our kids are very, very active, so they’re outside a lot,” she said.

But Rhatigan and her kids are also very sensitive to mosquito bites, and the spraying services she tried year after year weren’t satisfactory.

“I had gone through every franchise. I had used the large companies every season. I was switching because it seemed like it would be effective at the beginning, and then it would lose effectiveness,” she said.

She was also concerned about the toxicity of the chemicals being used.

“I felt like using toxic chemicals on our property was not only bad for our family, but because we are on the river, we’re kind of a steward to the environment as well, … so when he mentioned that the product that he uses to control the mosquitoes was eco-friendly, I was happy to try it,” she shared.

Local solution gets a local investor

The treatment was so effective that Rhatigan isn’t just a customer, she and her husband decided to invest in the business.

A woman and two men sitting at a kitchen table with snacks, drinks and notebooks discussing plans for business expansion.
From left: Erin Rhatigan, Geoff Krstovic and Nathan Rhatigan mapping out 2025 expansion plans.

“It was better than anything I had used for the previous 10 years,” she said. “The amazing thing is that when he sprays the property, you have this effervescence of the essential oils in the air.”

She recommended Geo Mosquito to everyone who’d listen to her, and eventually Krstovic took over maintaining the facilities at Rhatigan’s community pool.

“[What he was doing] kind of piqued my husband’s and my interest because we were looking for a small business to invest in locally,” she said. “I’m now home with the kids, but I have a long career in sales, and my husband is in sales as well.”

Within a year, the couple became active investors.

“We love the origin story of this relationship because it’s reflective of how friendly and supportive the local business community is in Peachtree Corners,” she said.

Caring about the work

Krstovic attributes his success to caring about the work, attention to detail and understanding client needs. He doesn’t just spray the yard and leave; he has a system of mapping out problem areas and educating clients about prevention.

A pest control technician from Geo Mosquito talks to a woman wearing a red top and black pants on the steps leading up to her home's front door.
Krstovic with Geo Mosquito customer discussing potential problem areas on the property.

“We’re looking at anything that could hold a water source and eliminating that, asking our clients what time of the day they’re getting eaten up, what part of their body and what part of their yard,” he said.

“That helps us figure out the species of mosquito that’s attacking them, so we know where to target, because different species have different nesting sites.”

Growing the business

Geo Mosquito has begun working with Vox-pop-uli to upgrade their logo, website and promotional materials.

“Geoff is a typical entrepreneur — protective of what he’s doing,” Rhatigan said. “So going through the steps of changing the logo, coming up with a new tagline, starting to do some marketing, is both exciting and a little scary.”

But the team at Vox-pop-uli has been a tremendous resource — helping them go at their own pace.

“This first year of investment was about seeing what the market interest is and expanding brand awareness,” said Rhatigan. “Vox-pop-uli offers so many services, it’s daunting for an emerging company to manage so many different contractors: creative, graphic design, printing, mailing. But they have a great, responsive organization that has been very helpful.”

Next steps

With a proprietary formulation for the mosquito abatement, Geo Mosquito wants to bottle the solution and sell it nationally.

Additionally, in 2025, the company plans to expand into ecofriendly pest control services for inside the home. They are also interested in working with local municipalities, churches and schools to expand their mosquito control services.

The Local Thread: This business profile series is proudly supported by Vox-pop-uli, championing local stories and the communities we serve.

This article is also available in the print and digital edition of the Jan/Feb issue of Southwest Gwinnett magazine.

Photos courtesy of Geo Mosquito.

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From the Mayor’s Desk: Looking Back at Business in 2024

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As we look back at 2024, there were a number of acquisitions, new businesses opening, major renovations and milestones celebrated. I’ll attempt to highlight some of them, knowing that I can’t possibly cover them all. There were some new events this year too.

This past year was a big one for Guardian Sports, a Peachtree Corners company that designs and manufactures helmet covers. The NFL now requires Guardian Caps be worn during NFL during practice, and players may choose to wear them during games. The caps disperse energy during hits with the goal of reducing head injuries.

Insight Sourcing of Peachtree Corners was acquired by Accenture, a leading global professional services company. Insight Sourcing helps clients optimize costs when sourcing and negotiating contracts for materials, services related to capital expenditures and energy procurement management. Accenture is a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 743,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.

Axon, the global leader in connected public safety technologies, acquired Fusus, a leader in real-time crime center technology located in Peachtree Corners. Fusus excels in aggregating live video, data and sensor feeds from virtually any source, enhancing situational awareness and investigative capabilities for public safety, education and commercial customers.

Milestone celebrations

Authentic Hardwood Flooring on Amwiler Road celebrated 25 years in business in 2024. Michael Keroack has been steadily growing the operation for roughly eight years in Peachtree Corners with the help of Buddy Wofford, general sales manager, and Michael Blocker, director of operations.

Also celebrating a milestone in 2024 was Diversified Resource Group (DRG). For nearly 25 years, Darrell Creedon has been running DRG in Peachtree Corners, outfitting workspaces for companies and governments, and more recently, hotels and convention centers. Mr. Creedon, who resides in Peachtree Corners, started the furniture business with a college friend in 1999 in a home basement.

City events

The City of Peachtree Corners organized the 2nd Annual Curiosity Lab Criterium in April. This year’s event featured a running race, kids races, food trucks, vendors and other activities for the family. There was also a fun run in Technology Park. Werfen, a global diagnostics company, and the City of Peachtree Corners, partnered on a 5K Walk/Run in Technology Park in November. The event benefitted the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In May, the city organized a food truck event at Curiosity Lab, which drew about 210 people working in and around Technology Park.

The PCBA organized the first Taste of Peachtree Corners in June. It was a great time of networking and community fellowship among business owners and other involved citizens. Approximately 100 people experienced an evening of delicious bites and drinks, sampling foods from local businesses.

City of Peachtree Corners logo

New to the city

Blue River Development moved its corporate office from Forsyth County to Peachtree Corners to expand its operations. The company is a leader in real estate development and investment.

A new pediatric dentistry, Agape Pediatric Dentistry, opened at 5185 Peachtree Parkway #325 at The Forum. Two law firms opened on Wetherburn Way: Brooks Injury Law Offices and Tadeo & Silva immigration law firm.

A former steel pipe fabrication site at 6420 Corley Road that was converted to a logistics center is now fully leased. The 27-acre property, which sold for $10.5 million in 2018 was sold for $77.4 million three years later, after it was cleaned up and redeveloped into the Peachtree Corners Logistics Center.

The Central Business District

Also in May, the city adopted a 6-month moratorium on projects in the Central Business District. Due to the increasing number of applications and evolving market trends, the moratorium came into effect on May 3 and ended on November 3. The moratorium gave the city six months to pause rezoning applications, special use permits and variances applications for residential or mixed-use development.

In August, members of the Peachtree Corners City Council took part in a ribbon cutting at The Forum. We celebrated the opening of the new plaza and activity areas. Jamestown is modernizing the 20-year-old Forum shopping center and transforming it into a true mixed-use destination through the addition of a 125-room boutique hotel, approximately 381 multifamily units, new experiential retail and dining offerings, structured parking and an expanded public area.

Construction began in May 2023, and the first of two new greenspace additions were constructed. Phases II and III will see the multifamily and boutique hotel constructed, both slated to start in 2025. Also this year, it was announced that Jamestown, a global real estate investment and management firm, acquired the Cincinnati-based North American Properties, which owned The Forum.

Members of the Peachtree Corners Redevelopment Authority and Downtown Development Authority engaged in a focus group discussion in August at City Hall. The discussion was led by representatives from Kimley-Horn, engineering, planning and design consultants. There was discussion about under-utilized spaces, needed amenities and potential uses for vacant properties. City officials also met with members of the commercial real estate community in September to specifically discuss Technology Park.

International visitors, co-working and new townhome project

An 18-member delegation of Finnish business people visited Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners in September. The visit marks the second time a Finnish delegation has visited Peachtree Corners. Seven innovative Finnish companies traveled to the Atlanta area in search of U.S. partners to promote transatlantic trade between Finland and the United States. Japanese delegates involved in sectors such as automotive, technology, energy and corporate development also visited Peachtree Corners in December as part of a regional tour.

Construction of a co-working space, Roam, is well underway at the Town Center and will open in summer 2025. The 35,000-square-foot building is located at 3847 Medlock Bridge Road and will feature a rooftop event space, coffeeshop and cafe, in addition to workspaces.

An office building at 3585 Engineering Drive was demolished earlier this month to make way for a townhome community. The new 75-unit townhome project is under construction by D.R. Horton, which received rezoning approval from the city last February. The 102,000 SF office building sat vacant for many years.

Collaboration, renovation and more

Curiosity Lab announced a collaboration with Gama Sonic, a global leader in upscale, bright and durable solar lighting for homes, businesses and outdoor spaces. The company’s deployment of solar lighting in the City of Peachtree Corners marks its first deployment implementing customized, intelligent lighting programming timers that enhance safety for residents and visitors.

Brady Anderson Bennett recently opened a State Farm office at 3000 Northwoods Parkway. The 27-year-old has been working with State Farm since he was 18 years old.

Renovation is underway at 7050 Jimmy Carter Blvd. for the creation of a Planet Fitness. The gym is under development by Alder Partners/the Flynn Group. This location marks the 32nd location in metro Atlanta. It is expected to open in January.

There is also a relatively new Southern-inspired eatery you may want to try. Dahlia’s Restaurant & Porch, located inside the Hilton Atlanta Northeast hotel, opened this year. Dahlia’s offers Southern-style plates that leverage regionally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients.

Happy Holidays!

Mayor Mike Mason

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Luxury Firewood Company Founder Shares Story of Entrepreneurial Pursuits

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Two men and two women wearing name tags posing for a photo at an end-of-year business event

Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood — a luxury brand specializing in wood for fireplaces, grills, pizza ovens and firepits — shared his journey from starting a company to gaining national recognition during the PCBA Business After Hours Speaker Series in December.

Hite highlighted the industry’s disorganization and his innovative approach to firewood, including using ovens to dry the wood and improving on delivery methods. And he emphasized the importance of customer experience, branding and counter-cultural thinking.

Despite initial challenges and financial constraints at the beginning, his company grew significantly (even during the early days of COVID-19), achieving a 400% increase in sales.

Entrepreneurial spirit

The disorganization and lack of focus within the firewood industry is what initially prompted Hite to question its methods.

He thought he’d found the answer when he started a firewood company with friends while in college, winning a Kroger account for the entire Southeast. But the limited experience of Hite and his co-owners became evident quickly.

Man in a suit speaking to an audience at an end-of-year business event
Leroy Hite at the PCBA Business After Hours event in December; photo courtesy of PCBA

“We discovered how backwards the industry was for three college students to get that account with a username and password,” he said. “On the day of the bid, whoever put in the lowest number won the account.”

With the contract in hand, the guys were able to get loans and bought hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment that they didn’t know how to use.

“It would break every single day, so I had to teach myself how to fix it,” he said. “We hired 30 to 35 people off of Craigslist; I don’t advise you to do that.”

In the end, the guys realized they were in way over their heads. They couldn’t keep up with Kroger’s demand. But the experience gave Hite insight into a better way to deliver firewood.

“At the time, industry-wide, you would put the firewood in the back of a pickup truck, get a wheelbarrow, put it where they wanted it,” he said. “… to do a second delivery, you have to drive back and get more wood. So maybe you can do two deliveries a day.”

Hite devised a plan to have the wood palletized and use a mini skid steer, which allows you to get it closer to where it should be. What had taken 16 to 18 hours for two deliveries would now allow seven or eight deliveries in the same time frame.

After the first firewood business shut down, Hite worked with Chick-fil-A and then Enterprise Rent-A-Car for several years.

“It was great experience,” he said, though he couldn’t get firewood out of his mind.

Taking another chance

Hite considered getting back into the firewood business as a side gig, but eventually decided to leave his corporate job and pursue the business full time.

“A fire is like a beautiful sunset,” he said. “No one on earth dislikes it. A fire can be the center of a wedding party and can also add great taste to food — whether it’s steak, pizza or barbecue.”

When he started Cutting Edge, Hite wanted to fix the poor quality of wood and lack of branding and customer service.

Two men and one woman posing for a photo at an end-of-year business event
Cutting Edge Firewood employees Diego Echevarria and Sara Bryan with Leroy Hite (center); photo courtesy of PCBA

He had an opportunity to purchase an existing business, but lacked the funding. So, he took a leap of faith.

“I had an outdated website. I had a truck, and I had a customer list. I realized I was going to be a supplier and that I needed to reinvent how to deliver firewood,” he said. “I [tried] to get a second loan on my house, [but] no banks would talk to me at the time.”

Hite convinced his wife, pregnant with their third daughter, to sell the house.

“We moved into a rental home, and I completely redid the branding. I reinvented how to do deliveries. I invented a rack that could be moved with a hand truck. And I found a hand truck that will go up and down stairs and one that will go across rough terrain,” he said. “So, the delivery went from two hours to about 15 minutes per delivery. And it was also a lot safer.”

Though COVID caused many businesses to go under, his thrived. It seemed that people stuck at home got a taste for food cooked over “fancy wood,” as he put it.

Goals and standards

Cutting Edge Firewood has two goals, Hite said: To provide unparalleled customer service and deliveries. And to provide the best firewood available. Period.

According to company literature, the Cutting Edge team “works with the best suppliers to ensure they consistently meet our high standards. All of our firewood undergoes the most rigorous drying process in the industry: each piece is conditioned for 48 hours in 250-degree heat. And our trained specialists hand-select each piece of firewood … ensuring that you only receive the very best — photoshoot-ready firewood that lights easily and burns brightly.”

Two men in suits standing in front of a buffet table at a business event talking
photo courtesy of Peachtree Corners Business Association

Future plans

Although Hite didn’t go into detail, he sold Cutting Edge Firewood in August 2024, having built a strong brand and customer base in Atlanta and throughout the country.

“[Entrepreneurship] definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s both demanding, disheartening and rewarding all at the same time,” he said. “I love it. I went in with a not-too-thin skin, but I definitely exited with very thick skin.”

Now that he’s been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, Hite indicated that he wants to venture out again. He reflected on the challenges and rewards of running the business, including the importance of customer experience and branding.

“The brand is very, very well-known in Atlanta. We were named a couple of times in Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the fastest growing companies,” he said. “It’s rewarding. I’ve had Coca-Cola executives say that [they] know the branding and the customer service … [and] I’m pretty sure that Cutting Edge Firewood is being used in the White House.”

Hinting of a desire to move on to new ventures, possibly focusing on disrupting existing markets rather than creating new ones, Hite again emphasized the importance of counter-cultural thinking, pushing through discomfort and being driven by a passion for customer experience and innovation.

For more information about Cutting Edge Firewood, visit cuttingedgefirewood.com.

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