In February 2020, Green Stream Technologies was on a roll.
A RIoT Accelerator Program, NC IDEA SEED grant, and workshop space at the Wireless Research Center had brought the company from Norfolk to Wake Forest. Only three years since its founding, Green Stream was quickly gaining traction as a developer of Internet of Things (“IoT”) sensor and cloud technologies used by local, state, and federal governments to monitor environmental conditions such as flooding. An item in the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership (WFBIP) e-news that month discussed the company’s rapid rise and impressive success.
But then the harsh reality of the COVID-19 pandemic set in, and the company found itself cut off from one of its most valuable resources – other small firms in the community. “Suddenly, networking events we were depending on to set down roots in NC were canceled,” recalls Karen Lindquist, CEO of Green Stream Technologies, which occupies individual and shared space on Heritage Trade Drive in Wake Forest. Lindquist then read an article in WFBIP’s e-news on Atlantic Design and Manufacturing LLC, a Wake Forest-based fabrication business whose damper blades and flange gaskets for airflow monitoring systems were in steep demand by hospitals vigilant about air purity. The compelling story showcased the nearby company switching its production systems to produce early PPE equipment in the fight against COVID.
“That article represented an opportunity I knew we had to jump on,” Lindquist says. She contacted Jason Cannon, WFBIP’s President and the article’s author, who was happy to put her in touch with Drew LaBarbara, owner of Atlantic Design. Though Green Stream builds out its own electronics systems, its monitoring gear must be securely encased and attached to outdoor structures like bridges. “So, we need mounts and mount brackets to install them,” Lindquist says.
Lindquist called LaBarbara and soon visited his shop. LaBarbara’s engineering background – he holds several engineering degrees, including a doctorate in mechanical engineering, from NC State – instantly reminded her of Jim Gray, Lindquist’s business partner and, since last year, her husband. Gray is also a multi-disciplinary engineer, holding degrees in electrical engineering, systems engineering, and computer science. “They have the same personalities and passion for technical innovation,” says Lindquist, who soon arranged a meeting between the two men. Her suspicion that Gray and LaBarbara would hit it off was quickly validated. “I just backed away and let them get their geek on,” she says with a laugh.
The two Wake Forest businesses collaborated for six months to fill an order from a North Carolina environmental agency. Atlantic designed and built enclosures for Green Stream’s flood monitoring devices. Today, armed with a successful track record, the two businesses are working together on projects for other government buyers. LaBarbara will provide the design, prototyping, and manufacturing, while Lindquist and Gray will create the system’s core technologies.
“That will be a really cool project if we did get it,” says LaBarbara, a Wake Forest native who founded his company in 2018. Atlantic Design and Manufacturing, which occupies 2,000-sq-ft. of space at South Forest Industrial Park, provides waterjet cutting, CNC milling, lathe machining, press braking, stamping, and other services. The business started in “Little” Washington, NC, and serves major eastern North Carolina industrial operations. “We do a lot of work for Bridgestone/Firestone in Wilson, Wilson Iron Works, and Peak Demand,” LaBarbara says.
Gray and Lindquist now count LaBarbara among their personal friends, as well. “He’s the best partner - always works with us to build a solution rather than complete a transaction,” she says of her counterpart at Atlantic Design and Manufacturing LLC.
WFBIP’s Jason Cannon says his organization’s newsletter is designed to build cohesion among Wake Forest’s business leaders, though this is the first instance he knows of when the monthly distribution helped engineer a strategic partnership among two local companies. “We know we have quality e-news and that many people read our articles – but this case is remarkable,” says Cannon. WFBIP’s monthly news now goes out via email to more than 1,500 business leaders, community stakeholders, media entities, and other partners and allies. “That number increases every month,” he says.
The pandemic brought an array of pressures upon small businesses everywhere. “I’m proud that WFBIP was able to continue serving as a networking resource for our entrepreneurs,” Cannon says. “This wasn’t the first instance Wake Forest’s small-business community took lemons and made lemonade – nor will it be the last.”
