ILLUMAGEAR™ Inc. is a Seattle-based company focused on improving individual safety in risky environments. CEO Max Baker founded the company in 2012 after recognizing first-hand two key unmet needs in the construction industry: 1) The need to see properly the area around you in order to get your tasks done efficiently, and 2) The need to be seen by others at all times, regardless of where you are or what you are doing
What has been your company’s business strategy to gain market share?
ILLUMAGEAR’s mission is to promote and improve safety for workers working in low-light environments. Recognizing the lack of innovation in safety products in many industries – construction being top of the list – the company has been working to launch its first product, The Halo Light, which can be utilized by anyone who wears a hard hat. ILLUMAGEAR’s goal is to deliver better experiences that radically improve the safety of people working in risky environments – which has the potential to increase productivity, reduce on-site accidents and workers’ compensation claims, and lower insurance costs.
Describe the core branded products of your company that you promote most heavily?
ILLUMAGEAR is defining a new product category, Personal Active Safety Systems (PASS), with The Halo Light being the first product in this category.
The Halo Light™ is a personal illumination device that attaches to any hard hat, illuminating the wearer 360˚ and enabling him or her to see and be seen in all directions at all times.
Unlike standard reflective gear, The Halo Light actively illuminates the worker and is not dependent on a secondary source of light reflecting at the right angle. Unlike headlamps, The Halo Light is designed specifically for a hard hat, lights the entire task area without adjustment, and illuminates the worker in all directions. And unlike area lights, The Halo Light is portable and personal, illuminating the task area without shadows regardless of where the worker moves.
The Halo Light installs in seconds on any hard hat, weighs little more than current headlamps while spreading the weight evenly across the head, and is built to survive in rough environments.
Several of the top construction contractors in the world have expressed explicit interest in The Halo Light. As of Q4 2013, the company has received a number of pre-launch P.O.s.
Regarding your distributor network…
At this point, ILLUMAGEAR is in the early stages of establishing a distributor network, with plans to begin adding distribution partners as we identify candidates who share our company’s vision for personal active safety systems.
How do distributors contribute to your success in the marketplace?
We believe distributors will be invaluable in helping us bring our line of PASS products to market, beginning with our initial product, The Halo Light. We look forward to initiating dialogue with potential distribution partners in the near future.
What business characteristics do you look for when selecting to work with a distributor?
Our ideal partners are companies who share our vision for making real improvements to worker safety and visibility, rather than those just out to sell product for profit.
What should distributors know about your company’s future, in terms of short- and long-range plans?
ILLUMAGEAR is committed to promoting and improving worker safety long term by providing Personal Active Safety Systems (PASS) that improve the wearer’s ability to both see and be seen – to see the work area around them and to be seen more easily by others. The Halo Light is the company’s first PASS product; products to support additional markets will be rolled out as market needs are identified.
ILLUMAGEAR™; www.illumagear.com; (206) 973-4277; info@illumagear.com
