How firms get by with a little help from friends

TITUSVILLE -- Imagine having a research and development team that includes NASA's top scientists or chief engineers of leading space industry contractors. A growing number of start-ups and established companies are claiming the extensive knowledge and resources of space industry technical teams such as The Boeing Co. or the Thurston Co. through the Titusville-based Technological Resource and Development Authority.

All for the cost of a postage stamp.

Take Erik McElroy, the production manager for Dayco Products Inc. in Vero Beach. Water corrosion already had cost his company, a supplier of industrial hoses and power transmission systems, $60,000 for new manufacturing equipment. On a tip from a local chamber representative, McElroy applied for a free service through the development authority's Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program.

Bob Allen, the Outreach program's manager, distributed the application for assistance to 30 companies, colleges and NASA centers that volunteer their expertise. And Tim Thurston, owner of The Thurston Co., rose to the challenge.

Within several weeks Thurston had devised a rather simple, cost-effective solution. Thurston recalled an epoxy used to coat launch pad equipment by his former employer, NASA-Kennedy Space Center. Thurston recommended that Dayco use the same solution. After the cost of epoxy treatment, Dayco ended up with a problem solved and an estimated $25,000 saved on future expenses.

"It's a resource that our tax dollars pay for, but I don't think it is being tapped very much," says McElroy. "Smaller companies truly benefit because they don't have the internal structure or budget to tackle the problems on their own."

Thurston also redesigned some problematic computer circuitry for Miami-based Niagra Industries Inc., a developer of tankless water heaters. Niagra had been busy keeping up with new technology in the industry, but was stumbling with a new system. "The new chips they purchased to upgrade the water heater were not communicating properly with other parts of the heater circuit, thereby causing the circuit to perform poorly," Thurston explains.

Alex Bolivar, Niagra's vice president, estimates that Thurston's solution saved the company thousands of dollars and at least three to four months of research. "It only took him two weeks and we were surprised to learn that it was something simple we were overlooking," says Bolivar.

Another regular provider of business solutions is The Boeing Co. According to Frank Kinney, executive director of the development authority, Boeing commits an estimated $400,000 in volunteer hours.

For example, Boeing helped a Vero Beach radio station, WOSN-FM, protect the station's towers from lightning strikes by designing a plan for the radio station similar to the system used to protect the space shuttle on the launch pad.

Says Alex Bolivar, "It's a big relief to know that if we get into another bind in the future, there is an agency within Florida that is there to help us and provide a better solution than we could ever come up with on our own."

For more information on the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program: http://www.trda.org.

Energetic moves. In a series of moves that pretty clearly anticipate deregulation of the utilities industry, the Orlando Utilities Commission has introduced an online energy conservation service for big businesses. "We're going through big changes," explains Paul Dillon, OUC's communication manager. "We want people to see us as a good, reliable provider."

Since OUConsumption Online kicked off two weeks ago, Oracle Corp., the Greater Orlando Airport Authority and Universal Studios have agreed to use the service, which costs $40 per meter per month and enables businesses to monitor their energy loads and identify costly patterns -- all over the Internet. Businesses as small as convenience stores could benefit, but says Dillon "the larger the business, the larger the potential savings."