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Issue: December 9,2024
ZONO Technologies™ – Providing a Unique Ozone Technology Solution to Disinfect+ and Sanitize* by Killing 99.9% of Viruses+ and Bacteria* without Liquid Chemicals.
Tracy Doucet
President & CEO
ZONO Technologies™
Interview conducted by:
Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor
CEOCFO Magazine
CEOCFO: Ms. Doucet, what is the vision behind ZONO Technologies?
Ms. Doucet: Our mission is to improve the welfare of all people on the earth. Our ZONO™ equipment is a unique solution that we designed and manufacture to disinfect and sanitize by killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, without the use of liquid chemicals.
CEOCFO: How did you go from wanting to make the world a better place to sanitizing?
Ms. Doucet: Initially the founder of the company, Walter Mann, came up with the idea in his garage. He had seen the use of ozone in food processing and developed a solution for his son’s sports equipment. Ozone is the technology we utilize in the ZONO™ Cabinet to achieve our claims for killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. Ozone is widely used to kill harmful viruses and bacteria in meat processing or bottled water production. Walter applied this knowledge to disinfect and sanitize his son’s sports equipment. Often sports equipment has an odor which is created by bacteria on our skin mixing with sweat. By using ozone to disinfect and sanitize equipment, you can remove the odor by killing pathogens.
Over time, we expanded from sports equipment to public safety gear to toys utilized in early childhood education. We continue to expand to meet the needs of our customers. ZONO Technologies is a company that pairs a focus on the environment with a focus on productivity and making life easier for our customers. We sell ZONO™ to B2B customers. Most businesses are facing staffing issues and looking for more efficient easily repeatable ways to do things and the ZONO™ Cabinet gives them that solution. In essence, we make the world a better place by reducing the use of consumables and potentially harmful liquid chemicals as well as making life easier for our busy customers.
CEOCFO: What are the products you offer?
Ms. Doucet: We have a patent-pending disinfecting and sanitizing cabinet. It is an equipment purchase. The best seller is about the size of a small refrigerator, and we have sizes that fit up to a queen-size mattress. Each cabinet has coordinating mobile carts that make it easier for staff to pick up and put back the items they are sanitizing. I talked a lot about ozone generation, but the cabinets also have heat and dry features which is an option for our customers. The heat feature is utilized if anyone needs to address issues like lice or bed bugs and the dry feature can be used to dry wet and damp gear. We sell the equipment, and the equipment does all the work for you.
CEOCFO: Are there many companies providing anything similar?
Ms. Doucet: No, there are very few solutions like the ZONO™ Cabinet. The ZONO™ solution is lab-tested. Our customers prefer our solution because it is science-backed and independent lab tested. They also love our Integrated Mobile Cart System. In a work environment like a classroom in an early childhood education center or daycare center, you have many classrooms. They use our specially designed carts on wheels to go to every classroom, pick up items, and roll the filled carts into the cabinet. They simply enter a code and start a cycle and within 38 minutes the cycle is complete.
Our customers like that we are a sustainable solution, and they do not have to deal with diluting bleach or mixing it. Bleach can be very harmful, and even dangerous if not used effectively. Bleach can cause or aggravate asthma. Our customers like the Integrated Mobile Carts and the fact that everything is science-backed. Think about sports facilities or a college or gym; think about early education or a preschool where there are many shared items like books, crayons, stuffed animals, jerseys, or yoga mats that cannot be soaked in bleach. What can a customer do about those?
Our carts are designed to take a lot of items such as cots children use for napping and sports equipment. It properly spaces everything so that items are treated correctly in the cabinet. You can put in electronics such as an iPad that guests use while checking into a hotel. It is not wet inside the ZONO™ Cabinet. There is a controlled amount of humidity inside the cabinet along with the ozone treatment, but nothing comes out wet. It is ready to use and there is no rinsing, wiping, or drying needed.
“The ZONO™ is a unique solution to an everyday problem. Viruses and bacteria are out there. Think about the pandemic. The customers that already had the ZONO™ were well-positioned to battle it. Just because you cannot see the viruses and bacteria does not mean they don’t exist. The ZONO™ solution separates our customers from their competition by showing their commitment to health and safety, making sure they are prepared for whatever may be on the horizon.” Tracy Doucet
CEOCFO: What is magic about 38 minutes?
Ms. Doucet: That is the time that is tested and science backed. That is the time that the ZONO™ Cabinet does its job. The items go in and the machine creates ozone inside the cabinet, runs the cycle, destructs the ozone, and then it is then safe to open. 38 minutes is tested by our independent third-party lab. That is the magic. It is analogous to using a dishwasher instead of handwashing dishes.
CEOCFO: Are potential customers skeptical?
Ms. Doucet: A lot of people in B2B environments could be skeptical; this is where the data helps them. Some people are familiar with ozone being utilized in other industries. Many customers are also repeat customers. They tell us they had a ZONO™ at their prior work location and the ZONO™ helped fight off different illnesses or odors, and they want that solution in their new work location too.
There is a lot of word-of-mouth where somebody knows us from one place to another and they have experience with the ZONO™ solution, and they bring that experience to a new workplace. It is not for everyone. It is an investment, but business owners know that it is hard to find workers and wages are up, so the investment in the ZONO™ is almost like having another staff member and it easily pays for itself.
It is easier for the staff to focus on what they do best and let the ZONO™ do the disinfecting and sanitizing. Business owners should always check with their accountant but usually, there is an immediate tax deduction they can receive on any capital equipment purchases. That is another benefit that small business owners appreciate.
CEOCFO: What is involved in maintenance?
Ms. Doucet: The ZONO™ Cabinet has very little maintenance. You plug the unit into the wall into a normal electrical outlet. Each ZONO™ Cabinet comes with a three-year parts and service warranty. If there are any issues someone can call our phone number. We have a great service team which our customers rave about. We can solve most issues over the phone, or we can send a technician out, if need be.
There is not a lot of day-to-day maintenance. There is a water reservoir in each unit. We recommend you use distilled water like many people use in CPAP machines. It helps protect the equipment because there is so much variability with different minerals in tap water across the U.S. and Canada. Simply fill the water tray about once a month.
The machine is intuitive. It has a touch screen. It will tell you if there is an issue where you need to refill the water or maybe the cycle did not run properly. It will give you a code to help you troubleshoot it with the manual or you can call us with the code, and we will help you.
CEOCFO: Where are you in the patent process?
Ms. Doucet: We are patent pending. Our application has been filed with the US Patent and Trademark office.
CEOCFO: Are your customers mostly in the surrounding areas, and how do you reach out?
Ms. Doucet: We have a strong base in metro-Atlanta, Georgia and the Southeastern U.S. market because that is where we started. We are across the entire U.S. including Alaska and Hawaii. We are also in Canada. We are looking to grow internationally.
CEOCFO: What is the strategy?
Ms. Doucet: We are committed to the science behind the product. Our goal is to serve the customers we have today. Our growth has been driven by our customer base. We have some large global clients. They are the ones asking to have the product in parts of Europe, Saudi Arabia, and the Caribbean market.
We have distributor partners in certain markets where they bring their expertise. Our strongest market is in the U.S. and Canada. As our customers grow internationally, we want to be able to serve them internationally.
CEOCFO: What surprised you as the company has grown and evolved to where you are today?
Ms. Doucet: The biggest thing that surprised me is how passionate our customers are about the product. I go to many tradeshows and our customers will come up to the booth and seek us out to tell us how much they love their ZONO™ and our service team. That warms my heart and makes me feel good.
The customers choosing ZONO™ are industry leaders that are elevating their health and safety standards. They care about their employees and their customers. For them to seek us out just to tell us how much they love the ZONO™ means a lot. They spread the word; they are our best advertising.
CEOCFO: Are there industries paying more attention or is it across the board?
Ms. Doucet: I would say it is across the board. There are many industries where you have a lot of people in small spaces that share items such as childcare centers and preschools. Sports programs also share equipment. Cold storage facilities where employees share thermal PPE, assisted living, and senior care facilities where you have smaller spaces and shared living and items. These are all a market for us.
It is about the amount of people and how many items are shared. The ZONO™ really shines in environments with immune challenged individuals.
CEOCFO: Are you seeking partnership, funding, or investment as you continue to grow?
Ms. Doucet: We are not actively seeking it, but we are open to having the discussion.
CEOCFO: Why pay attention to ZONO Technologies?
Ms. Doucet: The ZONO™ is a unique solution to an everyday problem. Viruses and bacteria are out there. Think about the pandemic. The customers that already had the ZONO™ were well-positioned to battle it. Just because you cannot see the viruses and bacteria does not mean they don’t exist. The ZONO™ solution separates our customers from their competition by showing their commitment to health and safety, making sure they are prepared for whatever may be on the horizon.