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The
Sun (Lowell, MA),
June 20, 2004,
Business
Section
HUDSON, N.H. Sometimes the idea for a new product emerges from a research and development lab. Other times it springs fully formed as a result of the inventor's personal experience. The latter was the case with the so-called "Know-Key," developed by Geocentric Systems Inc. and its founder, George Alexandropoulos of Westford. It's a small electronic device that, when installed in a car door, allows the car's owner to trigger power-door locks as well as the trunk lock of the vehicle. And the impetus
for its development occurred a couple years ago in the parking lot of
a Westford Little League field.
"The first
time I locked myself out of my car, I was at a father/son Little League
game," Alexandropoulos, 47, recalled during an interview at the company's
manufacturing facility in Hudson. "I remember trying to get into the
car after I locked my keys inside. I had my son try to reach the lock
through a partially open window. I even grabbed a stick and tried to
pry up the door lock. It took me two hours to straighten this out."
Soon afterward,
Alexandropoulos heard a story while at work that made him shudder. A
co-worker got a call from his wife, who was up in New Hampshire's White
Mountains skiing with their two small children. She called to say that
she had locked her keys in the car. The car was running, and it was
bitterly cold and snowing. Yet, she was stranded with two small children.
"Because of
my own experience at the Little League field, I understood exactly how
helpless he felt at that moment," Alexandropoulos said. "I realized
that this was a common problem, and knew there wasn't a simple solution."
The Geocentric
product is the size of a cell phone. It consists of microprocessor-controlled
electronic components mounted on a circuit board and encased in a small
plastic case. The device is installed inside a car door and connected
to existing electrical wiring.
The Know-Key
transforms the vehicle's door handle into an "intelligent handle," an
electronic switch that the owner can use to transmit an unlock command
to the vehicle's power locks. By lifting the handle a certain number
of times, an electronic code is flashed to the Know-Key
system. The system then triggers the car's locking system to open.
"People lock
their keys in their car all the time. And there's never a good time
for it to happen," Alexandropoulos said, adding that in some areas,
liability issues prevent police from unlocking a car except in emergencies.
Alexandropoulos
went on to say that modern autos contain a lot of dense wiring and electronics,
due to power windows and locks, and remote mirror controls. Thus, opening
a car door using a "Slim Jim" or other tool can result in damage that's
expensive to repair.
"I started
to think about the need for a simple, keyless unlocking system," Alexandropoulos
said. "I brainstormed with my cousin Alan, who is a top-notch electronics
design engineer, on how to develop a product."
After a long
cycle of design and development, the two men built their first prototype
on a simple piece of 1-by-6 lumber.
"We bought
a car door at a junk yard, and constructed a model in our lab," said
Alexandropoulos, who lives in Westford. "We wired the prototype into
the car door, and rigged it so that if the system worked, a small light
would go on, and the door lock would pop open."
Alexandropoulos
remembers that on a particularly cold February night, the two men got
the device to work.
"The light
flashed on, and we heard the 'ka-chunk' of the door lock popping open.
It worked! We had a viable product! It was one of the most emotional
moments of my life, almost up there with my wedding day and the birth
of my children."
Alexandropoulos,
an electrical engineer who had worked at Raytheon, Honeywell and a startup
called Prospects Inc., soon left his corporate job to concentrate on
his venture. Funded so far by friends and family, Geocentric has successfully
commercialized the product. Alexandropoulos explains that from its inception,
the business has targeted becoming a direct supplier to the big auto
manufacturers.
"While we're
going after the vehicle manufacturers, that could be a long design and
marketing cycle," he said. "We're a startup. That means we need to generate
revenue. So in the near term, we'll be working with the regional installers
of aftermarket systems. This means a shorter time to market for us."
The Know-Key
is now available through local installers of after-market auto parts,
including Mobile Electronics Zone in Lawrence. Alexandropoulos won't
disclose the price for which he sells it, although it's believed to
be in the hundreds of dollars. And while Geocentric is working aggressively
with installers in New England, it's possible that the Know-Key
product's next success may come in Canada.
"We now have
a sales and marketing representative in Canada, where we are engaged
in discussions with a large installer of aftermarket products," Alexandropoulos
said. "We're hoping to move several thousand units in Canada over the
next year."
The inventor
is hoping to ship between 50,000 and 100,000 systems next year, and
to double that volume in 2006. The firm currently employs four people
at its headquarters in Westford, and at a manufacturing facility it
shares with Princeton Technology in Hudson.
Alexandropoulos,
who grew up in Lowell's Acre neighborhood and graduated from Lowell
High and the University of Lowell, speaks with conviction about the
commitment and support it takes to get an emerging firm off the ground.
"It's long
hours, long days and sacrifices," he said. "I wouldn't be running a
viable business today without the support of my family, my sons, Nick
and Greg, and especially the support of my wife, Dori. She's a real
partner in this enterprise."
Alexandropoulos
also cited the support of Princeton Technology, whose president, Wayne
Norton, is a contact from Alexandropolous' corporate days.
"Ever since
I first briefed Princeton on the Know-Key
product, they've been enthusiastic and demonstrated a real belief in
the viability of our product and our company," Alexandropoulos said.
Alexandropoulos
is reluctant to discuss a so-called exit strategy, stating that he's
more focused on commercialization of the Know-Key
product and on building a viable company. But when pressed, he hints
that eventually a large supplier to the automotive industry could purchase
Geocentric Systems.
"There are
two business terms I'm not comfortable with," Alexandropoulos said.
"One is 'exit strategy' and the other is 'barriers to entry.' I was
at a conference recently for suppliers to the automotive industry and
an expert on startups said to me 'So, let me tell you about barriers
to entry.'"
"I said to
him, 'No. I don't believe in barriers to entry. Take a look at my name
tag. I'm a first-generation Greek-American from Lowell's Acre neighborhood.
I'm the son of Greek immigrants and grew up with a strong work ethic.
Now I'm the president of a manufacturing firm doing business internationally.
I was a big kid who grew up, trained and finished the Boston Marathon.
Now I'm running a different kind of marathon.
"There are no barriers
in this life."
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