Firms Flock to Idea of Chasing Airborne Pests

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Firms Flock to Idea of Chasing Airborne Pests

The Weekly Briefing

Cameron Riddell had no expertise or involvement with birds, but when the Canadian-born English major and aspiring entrepreneur went looking for opportunities to start a business after graduating from UCLA, he and a partner were introduced to an aging inventor with promising patents. The result was Bird Barrier America Inc. The partner has since left the business, which manufactures and sells devices to keep birds and their caustic and unsightly waste off buildings.

“We started in 1993 when we found this inventor who invented a few products but never incorporated, so we bought the patents from him. We structured our company around those products and went from there.

“Before that I published a fraternity newspaper at UCLA. But I’m an entrepreneur, and I liked the opportunity of having a product line to sell.

“With limited research, we saw lots of bird problems, with lots of costly damage to buildings, primarily from their droppings. They’re acidic, so they eat through paint; they damage roofs, clog drains and attract pests lots of little bugs. It’s unhygienic and presents a negative image.

“Our patented products are the Daddi Long Legs, which has rotating wires shaped like umbrella spines that protect large flat surfaces, and the Bird Coil, coiled wire. Birds can’t land because the wires are in the way of their wings. Our other products are the StealthNet system, netting to keep birds out of areas like loading docks; and the electric Bird-Shock Flex-Track. It’s low profile and comes in different colors so it disappears. Building owners don’t want to see the product. If it’s a hotel, it’s more important that it looks good than if it’s a warehouse.

“For all the damage they do, birds are just as nasty as rats or mice, but the public loves birds, so everything we do is designed to just move the birds away humanely. There’s no poison, so it’s environmentally friendly.

“Our clients are primarily pest control companies and building maintenance companies. There are a handful of companies that only do bird control, and we sell to them.

“We have a 10,000-square-foot warehouse and office in Carson. We have 15 employees. Our annual revenues are just under $5 million. We do some assembly on site and manufacture in Mexico, China and Europe.”

Matt Myerhoff

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