November 2011 there. The company works on embedded products for automobiles such as the Connected Car Access Point. The product has several applications such as creating a Wi-Fi hotspot for passengers, transmitting information to insurance companies, being able to inspect and diagnose problems within the vehicle and send a report to the owner, said CEO Paul Grey. “You can be your own mechanic watching the vehicle,” he said. These features come on a second-generation model of the product scheduled to be released by the end of the year for $300 per unit. The first generation product was designed for Verizon trucks. Qualnetics rolled out 30,000 models for the entire truck fleet nationwide three years ago. The fleet manager was able to track where each truck was at any moment and drivers were able to inspect their vehicles with an iPad before they began each trip. Instead of getting in and out of the truck to check the blinkers and make sure everything is working, drivers were able to stand outside and tap the headlight button on the iPad to make sure everything is running smoothly, he said. The company moved from engineering services to focus on product development last year to help the company grow. The company can now take a customer’s idea from inception to a finished product, Grey said. As for the future of the company, Grey said he would like to see sales double each year by adding product development to the company and by potentially setting up an office in Seattle next year. Moeller said he wants to continue to focus on automotive technology, but may branch out to other products such as medical devices. Automotive technology is a very interesting field right now, Moeller said, because it brings in a lot of different factors including the automotive electronics, wireless devices, smartphones, safety and accident prevention. From garages to growing success, these businesses have carved their niche in the auto industry with their roots in Bellingham and haven’t looked back.
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