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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 17, 2006 - 33 BUSINESS IN OAKVILLE VideoComm Technologies celebrates 10 great years! Busted! You've been caught red-handed with the help of VideoComm Technologies. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, VideoComm Technologies has been selling its tiny video cameras and video transmitters to individuals and companies around the world. Serving different organizations such as state, federal and provincial law enforcement agencies, government agencies, and various hobbyists, VideoComm Technologies was inspired by Jeff Johnson, creator and president of the company. A segment on ABC television's 20/20 more than 10 years ago, where a New York company was renting out cameras to consumers, who wanted to spy on their nannies, peaked Johnson's interest. "At the time, I had a nanny, and I started to become more and more interested in the product," said Johnson. "I did a lot of research into the technology and the more I researched, the more I discovered that it was a pretty interesting business opportunity." When his product was initially launched in 1996, Johnson had discovered a local one-man company that manufactured similar products. He then formed a partnership with this individual. "He would make them exclusively for me and I would exclusively sell his product," said Johnson. As the business flourished, Johnson changed his company name from Family Watch to VideoComm Technologies. Today, VideoComm Technologies manufactures video transmitters that take a video from a video camera and converts the video into a radio frequency. This transmitter then broadcasts the frequency to a remote location, anywhere between 50 feet to 50 miles, where it is received and turned back into a video signal. The video can then be watched on a monitor and recorded. Selling their products worldwide, the majority of VideoComm Technologies' customers are in the United States. "We sell primarily to the US market," said Johnson. "Probably 85 percent of our sales are in the US, 12 percent are in South America." Johnson also sells his products to different Universities to help with research projects. "The cool thing about what we do is that we offer a variety of transmitters in different packages and sizes," said Johnson. "Anything from the size of a dime to the size of a bread box, for different applications and different frequencies." The premise of his business is to provide video footage from point "A" topoint "B" without pulling cables. "Pulling cables will always be the least expensive way to run a video camera," said Johnson. Johnson said there are three reasons why pulling cables for video cameras is not viable. "Pulling cable can be physically impossible," said Johnson. "If you needed to get a video signal across Speers Road from your warehouse to your office, the Town of Oakville would definitely not let you drape a cable and will certainly not let you trench to bury the cable underneath the ground." In that situation, a wireless transmitter manufactured by VideoComm Technologies would come in handy. Wireless transmitters are a cheaper alternative than building a trench for pulled cable. Lastly, running wires through an establishment that is trying to conceal the fact that a video camera is actually recording everyone's every move can be a dead give-away. This reason is why Law Enforcement agencies use this technology, as it can be used for undercover operations. At first, Johnson would attend trade shows and visit distributors in to gain exposure for new product. In June of 1998, Ken Sander the TechnoMania columnist for Penthouse Magazine came across Johnson's Mini Spycam900 at the Consumer Electronics Show and published Johnson's product along with other great consumer products not yet available on the market in his High-Tech Tools for the 21st Century piece. VideoComm Technologies was also given a lot of press when it first started launching its products. "Our products appeared on many different television shows all related to spying on nannies," said Johnson. Last December, one of VideoComm Technologies' products was used on a television program, which aired on the Discovery Channel called It Takes aThief. "The premise of the show is that the hosts are ex-robbers and they break into people's homes and business," said Johnson. "Then, they sit you down in front of a television and they show you the deficiencies in the security system of your home or business." At the end of the show, Johnson explained that the ex-robbers go back into your home or place of employment and retrofit all the deficiencies to a secure state. As of three years ago, Johnson's company started personally manufacturing the video transmitters. " We have evolved a lot," said Johnson. "Ten years ago, the company was just me, in a small office." Over time, Johnson hired another employee and then another, and today, VideoComm Technologies is comprised of 17 employees. With no expectations of the success this company has achieved, Johnson still maintains that his family has always been extremely supportive. "My number one focus is my family, my number two is my business," he said. "As long as my priorities don't change, then I will always have my family." Johnson said part of his success was his willingness to take risks. He did his homework, hired good employees and stayed interested in the products that VideoComm Technologies provides. 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