Eye on the Storm
Natural disasters happen, and this company created just the product to help fix things up.
Into every life, a little rain must fall. But Marc Paul, founder
of Paul Consulting in Tallahassee, Florida, has a different view of
storm clouds, especially during hurricane season. Paul and software
programmer Wes Holden have devised software called Debris
Information Management System, which tracks loads of debris removed
to collection sites after hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. This
is important because the Federal Emergency Management Agency
reimburses local governments, and subsequently, private
waste-removal firms, based on loads and type of debris.
Paul Consulting started the application more than three years
ago, but Paul, 39, had little luck selling the concept until a
string of hurricanes walloped Florida last season. Now his
consulting company, which expects $1.5 million in sales this year,
has teamed up exclusively with AshBritt Environmental in Pompano
Beach, Florida, to add support for bar-code scanners, which
automate tracking of load information, and geographic information
systems, which can serve up digital maps of cleanup areas. Says
Paul, "Teaming up with [AshBritt] was invaluable for making
the product, for both sides."