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Local tech company is looking to expand

STAN Solutions looks to move after five years at Entrepreneurs Center

Tony Manuel, president, STAN Solutions, with a gigapixel panoramic camera his company is using to provide a surveillance package for civil and military applications. The video can be sent live to hand-held devices such as the iPhone or Blackberry. Staff photo by Ty Greenlees

Ty Greenlees/Staff Photographer Tony Manuel, president, STAN Solutions, with a gigapixel panoramic camera his company is using to provide a surveillance package for civil and military applications. The video can be sent live to hand-held devices such as the iPhone or Blackberry. Staff photo by Ty Greenlees

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By Thomas Gnau, Staff Writer Updated 8:17 PM Saturday, October 24, 2009

DAYTON — It was at perhaps the most unlikely of places — an NFL game — that inspiration struck last month for J. Tony Manuel, president of engineering firm STAN Solutions.

As Manuel watched stadium security personnel escort unruly Bengals and Steelers fans from their seats on the afternoon of Sept. 27, it occurred to him that the sensors and cameras his company supports could help stadium personnel find problem spots faster.

“I’m thinking, ‘What a great idea. We could actually put this camera here,’ ” Manuel recalled.

That’s Manuel’s job: Think of the need, produce the technology and do it before competitors.

His company — named after Stanley Harriman, a Special Forces warrant officer killed in Afghanistan seven years ago — has been noticed. It has a partnership with the University of Dayton’s Institute for the Development and Commercialization of Advanced Sensor Technology on extending the capabilities of a camera developed by an Israeli company.

The Entrepreneurs Center has been the company’s home for five years — about the average incubation period for companies like STAN Solutions, said Jim Hill, business incubation manager for the Entrepreneur Center.

“We’re actually looking for a place to consolidate the resources and then to actually grow the company,” Manuel said. “We feel we have marketed ourselves in an industry that is ready for expansion.”

Manuel declined to say where the company’s next home may be and he wouldn’t directly answer questions about whether the firm will remain headquartered in Dayton. But the former Sinclair Community College engineering instructor is an area native who sounds like he remains comfortable locally.

Said Manuel, “Our target is to create jobs in Dayton.”

Hill thinks Manuel has taken advantage of leading-edge technology to create a “great capability,” providing a needed product and service.

“Tony has great vision for new markets and new potential and is taking advantage of strategic partnerships to move that all forward,” Hill said.

“He has a very capable staff that understands the technology and is on the cutting edge,” he added.

The military has been STAN’s primary customer so far. But Manuel is eyeing civilian applications. He said his company has started discussions with Dayton police on ways to deploy camera and acoustic sensor technology that will help officers pinpoint the source of gunfire.

“We actually have started (that work),” he said. “With the prototypes, we’ve already started. We’re talking to some of the police officers in getting the type of system that would allow them to do their job more effectively.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Founded: 2001.

Based: 714 E. Monument Ave., Dayton.

Focus: Network systems, audio and visual sensor technologies.

Shared manufacturing facility: 8641 Washington Church Road, Washington Twp.

Employees

Total: About 50.

Local: About 40.

Revenue: About $5 million in 2008, over 2007’s mark of $3 million.

Source: STAN Solutions

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