Trace tracker

Trace tracker

COMPANY by Dave Szymanski | Tampa Bay Editor

Field Forensics wants to market its disposable detection kits for explosives and gunshot residue to the world.

The 9-11 attack helped make the decision easier for physicist and businessman Craig Johnson.

Johnson was formerly director of business development for a research-and-development firm in Largo, Constellation Technology Corp. Constellation develops sensors to detect chemical weapons for treaty verification.

In the month following the terrorist strike on New York, Johnson followed his entrepreneurial spirit and formed his own company in St. Petersburg to make disposable detection kits for explosives and gunshot residue.

"It wasn't coincidental," says Johnson, 47, CEO of Field Forensics Inc. "Absolutely. It had a big influence."

The product, which picks up traces of bomb-making materials from objects like steering wheels and clothing, would be small enough to fit into a shirt pocket.

Today, that company is emerging, operating lean with four employees and recently sought $2 million in capital at the Florida Venture Capital Conference in St. Petersburg. It attracted the attention of angel investors as well as venture capital firms at the conference and has meetings with those companies lined up.

"It went well," Johnson says. "Our story is compelling. We're already selling product. We've got repeat business and about 100 customers, most of those since June 2007. There's a lot of pull-through in the market."

Although Field Forensics wouldn't reveal its raw revenues, it expects to double sales this year compared to 2007.

It's small size hasn't stopped it from making and selling the device to customers such as the U.S. Army, the Spanish army and the FBI, who are using the device in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Essentially the company is pretty bare bones," Johnson says. "I'm not a big spender just to spend money. Everyone works on commission. Including me."

Beginning with research

Raised in a military family, after college Johnson used his physics degree doing radiation protection work for a company that contracted with the U.S. Navy in New Hampshire.

Using his own funds, Johnson and 12 other shareholders founded the company in 2001 after developing a relationship with a research laboratory in California. After years of research and development, it debuted the kit in June 2006.

In 2006, R&D Magazine recognized Field Forensics as one of the nation's top technology companies in its annual R&D 100 list.

It has demonstrated its product to the FBI and groups such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It needs to invest to expand its sales and marketing.

"We've proven that it's the right technology," says Johnson, who made a presentation last month to the U.S. Army, which bought some of the units. "Now we need the cash to grow."

Looking to the future, Johnson sees Field Forensics as the leading supplier of bomb detection kits in the world.

"I can say that with a high degree of confidence," he says.

Some competitors offer other choices.

"They have competition in the market, maybe not for their same exact method," says Jim Gocke, vice president of Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories Inc., a 50-year-old company in Youngsville, N.C. Sirchie makes more than 1,000 products for law enforcement officers worldwide, such as fingerprint powder, a reflected ultraviolet imager system or a fully equipped mobile crime laboratory.

How it works

The Field Forensics product, about the size of a playing card, works by detecting trace amounts of explosive material on a person's hands, body, clothing or other objects.

To collect a sample, the a swab is rubbed on the suspect area, object or person and then placed back into the card for testing. Two sealed ampoules containing very small amounts of chemicals are ruptured in a specific order. These chemicals create a very visible color change in the presence of a broad range of about any of 40 military, commercial and inorganic explosives and propellants. The entire test takes less than 90 seconds.

Currently, about 75% of its sales are overseas, but domestic sales are rising, Johnson says.

"Things happen slowly in the United States, with changing technologies," he says. "In other countries, there is faster acceptance and less layers to work through."

Field Forensics is also making inroads into non-law enforcement markets, such as cruise lines and the security departments of some of the major carriers.

However, it does not plan to sell the kits to individual consumers because it is afraid they could be used illegally.

"We don't want this stuff getting into the hands of the bad guys," Johnson says.

Because it is not paying salaries, Field Forensics is keeping costs down. But to grow it knows it will need more capital.

It's six-person technical staff, which includes chemists, designers and engineers, all work part-time. Field Forensics would like to bring them on full time to step up production and sales.

"We're going along at a pretty good clip," Johnson says. "I'm not satisfied with our progress, though. Things should accelerate through word of mouth and repeat customers."

Field Forensics contracts with 22 sales agents worldwide including the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Scandinavia and South America. The agents need to do due diligence to make sure potential customers are legitimate government organizations.

Johnson has fired "quite a few" agents for poor performance.

"I know in a few weeks if they're going to work out," he says. "I do understand sales can take a long time."

It's common for a Field Forensics agent, who is also selling other products, to demonstrate a product, give samples to a potential client and not get a sales decision for a year.

"Governments don't work that fast," Johnson says. "I don't expect that they'll sell a whole lot. I do demand that they work at selling it immediately."

This year, the company expects a 50% increase in sales. By 2010, the explosives detection market is expected to be a $9 billion market in the United States and $25 billion worldwide.

REVIEW SUMMARY

Company: Field Forensics Inc., St. Petersburg

Industry: Disposable detection kits for explosives and gunshot residue

Key: Obtain more capital and market the company's detection kits worldwide.