Halo Coatings is hoping to cut through the red tape. Well, tapes of all colors.
The Norwalk-based company is rethinking how coatings are applied � retro-reflective, nano-technology powder coatings systems in particular. All with safety in mind.
The most practical uses for the technology are highways signs and bicycles � both currently use a reflective tape coating.
But really, the possibilities for Halo's patented reflective technology are endless. Think guardrails, poles, baby strollers and wheel chairs.
"There are things we haven't even thought of yet," says Halo Coatings CEO Aaron Bates. "We set out to work on the highway and on children's bicycles. But it's come so far so fast, we've now seen a whole gamut of applications where we can be used."
There are several advantages for Halo � in addition to being the first, and only, retro-reflective powder coating supplier in the world. Bates points out that the coating won't flake off Halo's products and is able to withstand extreme temperatures. "And you can be seen from a 1,000 feet away at night by a car traveling 70 mph."
"It's not only safer than any powder coating out there," Bates adds. "It's that there are no coatings in the world like this."
The company launched in 2008, added two large customers in 2009 and two more in 2010. Halo, a Rocket Ventures portfolio company, currently employs only a handful of employees, but in the next two years the company is expected to add as many as 15 jobs. Those positions include sales, tech-support, engineers, chemists and lab-techs. Bates expects the company to reach $100 million in sales within five years. "The question becomes 'how do we grow smart?'" he adds.
Source: Aaron Bates, Halo Coatings
Writer: Colin McEwen