A Risky Paint

Kevin Hanley was well on his way to starring in the ultimate corporate success story last fall at a Sarasota medical device firm that counts Johnson & Johnson as a client: Hanley had nearly worked his way up from an entry-level position to general manager of operations.

Then, in January, Hanley essentially gave up that story to start anew with an international company that had never sold anything in the United States. The new company, Germany-based Bioni, claims to have created a paint that is a permanent coat of resistance against bacteria, fungus and mold.

“There is no other functional 'green' paint on the market like this,” says Hanley. “This is one-of-a-kind paint.”

The move is the biggest business risk Hanley has ever taken. “I know I'm going out on a limb here,” he says. “But I look at this as a great opportunity to do something special.”

Still, the gamble pales in comparison to the inherent risks in the business Hanley nearly went into: Fighting fires in New York City. It's close to a family business, with Hanley's father, grandfathers and two older brothers among his relatives who worked for the New York Fire Department.

One of Hanley's brothers, Sean Hanley, was on firefighting duty Sept. 11, 2001 when he was killed by the terrorist attacks.

“It's something I look back on everyday,” says Hanley. “I have turned it into a positive.”

Adds Hanley: “My life now is about my family and friends. No one taught me that more than my brother.”

Hanley grew up in New York City, where he hung around firehouses with his brothers and his father. The family relocated to the Venice area when Hanley was 10 years old, but his passion for the job didn't go away with the move.

In fact, Hanley moved back to New York in the mid-1990s after high school and took the exams for the fire department. He ultimately returned to Florida, however, instead of becoming a fireman. “That was my first love,” says Hanley. “But I decided I was a Florida boy.”

Hanley got a job with Sarasota-based medical device manufacturer Cook Spring Co. soon after he moved back to the Sunshine State. He started on the assembly line and was promoted several times, eventually becoming a sales manager and the head of the IT department.

But the lure of getting in early on a new opportunity hooked Hanley when he met some Bioni executives last year through family connections. The executives wowed Hanley with the story of how the scientists at their company combined nanotechnology, chemicals and paint to come up with a patented coating that can protect against one of a building owner's worst nightmare: Mold and bacteria.

Hanley opened Bioni's first office in the United States in Sarasota in January. He has spent most of the year networking and getting the word out about the product. Hospitals and companies that bottle or handle food and beverages are high on his list to target for potential business.

“Our main focus so far here has been the food industry,” says Hanley, who adds that he has met with executives of Boar's Head in Sarasota and Tropicana in Bradenton. “That's where we've had the most success in Europe.”