Atwood Innovation Plaza Highlight: Steribin

Peace of Mind at the Speed of Light

Steribin worked for months to develop, test, and create a device that would be fast and effective at disinfecting security bins. By using high-intensity ultraviolet light, Steribin’s device can disinfect the bins in a matter of seconds without the use of harmful chemicals.

By Jon Cole, CEO of Steribin

In 2018, when Wayne Provost and Bill Christensen first read a study published in Today magazine that stated plastic security trays were more than eighteen times more contaminated than the toilets in airport bathrooms, they set out to find a solution. Their resolve increased after they read a study in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Infectious Disease, made public well before the COVID-19 global pandemic, that found airport security bins “appeared to pose the highest potential risk” to passengers.

Researchers also concluded that airports were at risk of an “emerging pandemic threat.”

With various other studies showing the bins contained harmful bacteria and viruses and a threat of making passengers sick, the pair began working to develop a device that would disinfect the contaminated bins by using ultraviolet light. Joined by

Jon Cole, current CEO, and Robert

Mitchell, general counsel, they founded Steribin, a startup company based in St. George, Utah. (LAX) as part of a pilot program. Steribin team members made several trips to LAX to support the airport in its desire and efforts to provide sanitary bins for travelers passing through airport security checks. The pilot program was successful! The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is currently conducting further study on the efficacy of ultraviolet pulsed light before proceeding with this technology. After nearly two years of working with the TSA to prove the effectiveness of ultraviolet light and the ability of Steribin’s devices, TSA representatives have stated that they expect to begin reviewing equipment proposals late this year. Over the last three years, Steribin has gained an in-depth knowledge about effective disinfection. As they wait for TSA approval for airport applications, Steribin has begun working aggressively in other industries where it could apply its technology and expertise. They turned their attention to the food industry and have since developed other devices to disinfect food items prior to packaging. Ultraviolet light can kill E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and other harmful contaminants found in food, thus reducing the risk of illness or harm to consumers. Steribin is quickly gaining a reputation for being able to solve tough disinfection challenges. In fact, other large companies have contacted Steribin, wondering how a small southern Utah-based startup is accomplishing what others have not been able to do. As Steribin’s slogan states, they are working to provide “peace of mind at the speed of light.”

In early 2020, just as the name COVID-19 was being announced in the U.S. for the first time, Steribin completed its first prototype. Then, as COVID-19 came into full swing, the City of St. George contacted Steribin and asked if their device could be used to disinfect masks and other personal protective equipment for the city employees and first responders. Steribin built a mobile workstation inside an enclosed trailer and donated its time to support the city while Steribin continued its development. After months of continuing development and progress, Steribin was invited to operate its device at the Los Angeles International Airport

Jon Cole is a local entrepreneur with over twenty years of experience in company leadership and management. Cole is active in the local business community as an investor and as a volunteer business mentor at the Atwood Innovation Plaza. Cole has served as an advisor to multiple companies and also serves on the National Advisory Council at Dixie State University.