TOMITM Environmental
Solutions, Inc.
The Tech Council of Maryland recently visited TOMI Environmental Solutions in Frederick, Maryland and talked with their COO Norris Gearheart and Aaron Loveland, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs.
Tell us about TOMI and its products.
TOMI provides infection prevention and disinfection/decontamination products and services for healthcare, bio-safety, pharmaceutical, clean-room, and research. The technology was developed by DARPA for the Anthrax scare post 9-11, 2001 to deactivate weaponized anthrax spores by converting a low percentage hydrogen peroxide to a hydroxyl radical. When the product became declassified, it was commercialized. We actually got involved as an end user and then bought the product when it was in beta. After the purchase, we reengineered it and made it more durable.
Our solution, the SteraMist TM powered by Binary Ionization Technology® (BIT™) is an EPA-registered hydrogen peroxide-based mist/fog. The commercial uses are widespread, but we are focusing on pharma, biosafety, clean rooms, healthcare, and commercial and residential spaces. When you look at statistics you can see that there is a very big need in healthcare right now. C. diff caused 500,000 infections in U.S. hospitalized patients in 2011 and 29,000 of those patients died within 30 days of diagnosis. Hospital infections are the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S., and 10% of inpatients in the U.S. contract infections from a hospital room that is cleaned manually. So we are looking to replace traditional and ineffective manual cleaning with SteraMist which is effective, fast acting (kills within seconds), and has superior material compatibility. In fact, we recently received an addendum to our healthcare/hospital disinfectant label for a six-log (99.9999%) kill of Clostridium difficile spores (C. diff) with our SteraMistTM Environment System.
We sell two products, the first is the SteraMistTM Surface Unit which is a portable, hand-held system that enables disinfection of all surfaces including high touch, sensitive medical equipment, and electronics. The second is the SteraMistTM Environment System which is transportable, remotely controlled, and provides complete room disinfection/decontamination using multiple treatment applications per unit. One of the leading research facilities in the world did a test with SteraMist and it was so effective, that they built a state-of-the-art facility where they designed a SteraMist system into the building with wall-mounted controls. We also have the TOMI™ Service Network, which is a network of selected primary service providers that can service multiple locations nationwide. These rapid response technicians provide solutions for complete room disinfection in a wide variety of residential and commercial settings with SteraMist™ BIT™.
What are a few of the goals for the company?
We plan to increase penetration in the U.S. hospital-healthcare disinfectant market including in hospitals, surgical centers, medical, dental, and veterinary offices. We’re also developing new disinfection/decontamination products for indoor air and surfaces. The overarching goal for us as a company is to allow for a healthier population.
Tell us about TOMI’s emergency response work.
Most notably, we won a grant for our SteraMist™ Mobile Decontamination Chamber units used in responding to the Ebola crisis in Liberia, and our products were used for the MERS-CoV outbreak in Saudi Arabia.
Where does TOMI currently operate?
In addition to our office here in Frederick, we have an office in Beverly Hills, California and all of our products are made in York, Pennsylvania and in Delaware. Our team really enjoys working in Frederick. We’ve been here for two years, and it’s a great place to work and live.
Why did TOMI become a member of TCM?
This is an exciting time in the biotech corridor, and we wanted to network and be part of it all. We’ve only been a member for a few months, and so far we’ve attended an Executive Breakfast Roundtable the Animal Biotech Summit, and the Ultimate Crab Feast & BBQ Networking Bash. We’ve already leveraged some of the referrals that we’ve received.
Where can our readers get more information on TOMI and its products?
They can visit our website at www.tomimist.com or they can contact Aaron Loveland at aloveland@tomimist.com or at 301.686.8317.