Guarding My Home
I will never forget a conversation that I had in 2014 with my program officer from the Department of Defense. She and I were discussing my federally funded research project and the materials we had just created and tested to combat weapons of mass destruction. She wanted to meet and let me know that they were using my materials in air filtration technology for gas masks for Israeli citizens--specifically for infants and children.
It hadn’t really occurred to me before that point that I could make something to directly benefit people--that the fundamental research that I was doing was for a real purpose. Sure, I was pretty good at linking my proposals to a greater good, but I didn’t know I was actually capable of making something real. Up to this point, I had only produced a series of lengthy, rarely funded technical proposals and painfully detailed research articles in journals that no one reads.
This was my launching point into the world of commercialization and product development. We built a small team of engineering researchers who wanted to create products with a purpose--it sounds cliche, but it was true.
We patented the aforementioned technology and began to use it in local industries like oil and gas. With the help of some generous friends (with brilliant minds for business) who believe in what we are doing, we started Buffalo Technology Group, Ltd.
In 2017, a series of hurricanes trashed the southeastern part of the Lone Star State. Homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals were destroyed. As fellow Texans, we realized that our team had the knowledge and solution to help.
We developed a product for use in the remediation of structures--it was a simple, affordable solution for mold prevention and growth called Paint-Guard. Bottom line: it is an inexpensive, easy-to-use product that you simply pour into your paint to protect the painted surfaces from existing and future mold spore development and growth. Read more HERE.
But what I really want to tell you about is the product that our company BTG Products is launching today called Home-Guard. This product is personal and impactful for me and my family and was born out of necessity.
In February 2017, my son was diagnosed with cancer. Legally, he is my foster son of five years, but he has been part of our family since the moment his little legs walked through the front door at 10 pm one summer night in 2012. Like so many, our diagnosis was sudden and shocking. It never feels right for a child to have to endure a battle like cancer. After major surgery, radiation, and months of chemo, we are halfway through our first treatment plan.
As a mom, this is one of my greatest fears come to life. Everything his body is exposed to has an impact. Cancer has changed the way that I evaluate the products we buy, medicines we take, and food we eat. He has very little physical defenses produced by his own body right now, so we have to be defensive for him.
As an engineer, my first response is to solve the problem. Obviously, I can’t do that with cancer. But I can help protect my sweet boy from exposure to additional toxins in my home. The research team at BTG Products cares about my son and others like him. We care about creating healthy environments for children and adults and for being responsible with our impact on the environment.
Home-Guard was developed as a safe, non-toxic, multi-surface cleaner from all natural ingredients. It can be used on granite, glass, tile and a wide variety of surfaces and materials. We have been crafting this unique blend of essential oils and cleaning emulsion with feedback from over 100 individual users along the way. Thank you to everyone who helped us create this product--the testers and smellers and school administrators and daycare workers and teachers and handsome gym owners and homeowners. And a special thanks to Nikolay Essani who has put in untold hours in the lab to make this product launch happen. Your future is so bright.
So, let’s do this! Buy some Home-Guard today. You can find it locally at the Rustic Gypsy in Canyon and Amarillo or online at www.btgproducts.com or amazon.com. If you are like me and prefer to use Amazon Prime, Home-Guard will be on prime by next week. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Written by: Dr. Emily Hunt
