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. |
