The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has certainly changed a lot of things in people’s lives.
People are now more aware of personal hygiene and other health protocols to follow, but there is a real need to understand and accept how indoor environmental concerns impact everyday lives and even the future.
Factors like level of humidity, quality of air, presence of foul odors are examples of such problems that Gridpoint Technologies Group is presently addressing whether in residences, offices, hotels, public transport, and public areas, according to company chief executive Benjamin Hwang.
Hwang, who started the business in 2015, admitted difficulty keeping it open during its first few years.
“The main problem was in educating the public on the seriousness of the concerns, a lot of them failed to understand, while some questioned the costs involved, but we would like to maintain that these costs pale in comparison to the value of life and the environment where we live and operate. The truth is we almost closed down the business after the first two years,” related Hwang.
It was Bill Gates’ prophecy of a future pandemic that convinced Hwang to continue the business, hoping to have a hand in addressing the prediction even before it actually happened.
“It was good that there were those who understood and appreciated what we were preaching then. The hospitality industry, with its given need to assure its guests of the highest level of comfort and safety, responded well. From thereon, we started expanding to other industries, and expanded product lines and services too,” he added.
The company launched the Project AirCare program and started looking for solutions to the problems that Hwang found in the course of his previous association with the automation industry.
“We were showing our customers these results,” he said, but customers’ need for solutions to indoor environmental concerns led them “to shift directions in my business. I felt we had to fix these problems.”
His company’s proposed solutions include air and particulate filtration; portable cooling, heating, and drying; humidity management; fogging and misting; and kitchen exhaust, odor, and grease removal.
Presently, there is a higher level of understanding of the concerns Hwang was pointing out, and the executive hopes that this understanding will continue to grow, not just for his business but more importantly for the public and the environment.