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BRS Raises
Bar for Midstate use of Identification Devices
By MARDY FONES
For The Tennessean
Bar code technology is everywhere, from UPS packages
to food to the tubes used to collect blood.
The ubiquitous nature of these identification and
tracking devices has made for an ideal niche for
Brentwood-based BRS.
“I started in January 2001 with $11,000 earned
though the stock market,” said Paul Reed, BRS
president. Much of that seed money came from the
sale of stock in Proxim, a manufacture of radio
frequency identification barcode technology.
BRS brokers barcode printers and scanners, RFID,
labels and other related items for about 10
manufactures. Reed sweetens the deal with
preventative maintenance agreements.
“We approach clients in a consultative mode and ask,
‘What steps can we take to save you time and money?’
I really see us as the unpaid employee of the
company,” Reed said.
From that position, he monitors customers’ inventory
and facilitates delivery of supplies. And throws in
some personal attention to detail.
Once, high demand caused a customer to run out of
materials early. Reed drove to Cincinnati, Ohio,
picked up the supplies and delivered them so the
customer didn’t have to halt production.
“Paul is knowledgeable about bar coding. He
stresses client satisfaction and good quality,” said
Larry Thomas, reporting coordinator for DCI
Laboratories, a Nashville Firm that specializes in
dialysis. DCI uses BRS products for tracking and
storing information.
“You hear this (claim) from sales representatives,
but you don’t get the follow through as you do with
Paul. On one occasion, we had some bar codes that
started giving us poor quality in the middle of a run.
Paul worked with the manufacturer to get it resolved
quickly.”
Reed sees RFID and two-dimensional bar coding as the
future of BRS. These allow customers to include
expanded data on an item, which can be altered by
the client and used for inventory control, materials
transfer and tracking. It’s a tool retailers such
as Wal-Mart are requiring of suppliers.
“We can provide assistance and training for these
new technologies,” Reed said.
The company does work for Cracker Barrel, American
Greetings and DuPont, and hopes for growth into the
health care, logistics and government sectors.
Reed did startup planning for BRS with the aid of
SCORE, a nonprofit organization that provides
entrepreneur education and support. There he
developed a business and a five-year plan, plus an
exit strategy.
In BRS’ first year, it had sales of $525,000;
$680,000 in the second. Reed expects 2003 to top $1
million. Reed recently hired his first customer
service representative and is adding a salesman.
“I’ve realized that the goal isn’t to make a certain
amount of money but to have the business operate
independently of me,” said Reed. |
