I fully expected Cole to tell me he had worked as a biomedical engineer or another STEM-centered career whose title I can barely pronounce. Instead, he told me, “I was an executive for an international textile company for about 11 years, but was with the company for about 15-16 years. We sold it to a private equity group, and I continued running the company for a while.” The obvious question was how Cole made the leap from textiles, in which he said, “I’ve been involved with various investments and startups. That’s how I got involved with Steribin. It was a concept at the time and I said, ‘Hey! I want to invest in this.’ So I jumped in, invested, became the CEO and tried to get it going.”
How Steribin is Changing the Way We Travel
Steribin is looking to revolutionize the way we travel by disinfecting airport security bins with Ultraviolet (UV) light. To describe their CEO, Jon Cole, as imposing would be an understatement. Well over 6’ with a rich voice, he totally commands his office space with a certain je ne sais quoi; yet, his warm, friendly demeanor almost instantly puts you at ease. He’s perfect for leading an innovative company. Quick to laugh and happy to explain any aspect of the airport security bin disinfecting business he leads, Cole agreed to discuss his background, how Steribin will change the way we travel and why you’ll never want to touch an unsterilized bin again.
Disinfecting airport security bins may seem unnecessary. Afterall, how dirty can they actually become? Cole quickly clarified, “In 2018, the two inventors saw a study reporting how plastic airport security bins are eighteen times more contaminated than the toilets in airports, which is disgusting.” Cole then explained to me how the inventors thought a disinfection method must exist, and set to work finding a solution that worked rapidly and efficiently. The team quickly realized UV light held the key, and made a system that hits the bins “with high-intensity pulsed lighting.”
In the age of COVID-19, sterilization hangs around in the back of many people’s minds. You see it every time you walk into a business, with masks, sanitation wipes and disinfectant sprays proudly on display. Airports are no exception, and Cole explained to me how airport workers “are trying to pull the bins out of service maybe once a day, disinfect them, like manually wipe them down with a chemical disinfectant. But… [they] can’t keep up with it.” How long does Steribin take to sterilize? “3-4 seconds,” says Cole, severely cutting down the time needed to disinfect, as well as ensuring each bin is thoroughly sanitized.
Finally, I asked Cole how Atwood Innovation Plaza has helped Steribin, to which he enthusiastically replied:
“Atwood’s been great. It has been nice to lease office space, but also working with interns has been a great help. Zack Manweiler, from the Makerspace, along with various interns, have helped with prototyping, graphic design, and marketing, and helped provide knowledge and feedback for our product. We’ve said it would be hard to have made the progress we have made here without the services offered. The Atwood Innovation Plaza is an amazing resource in our community.”
To check out Cole’s full interview, subscribe to our newsletter for October’s issue by clicking here. For more information on Atwood Innovation Plaza, please click here.
For more information on starting a small business, or to find local resources, please click here.
