Business Name: Solar Traffic Controls, LLC

C.E.O.: Joseph A. Wise, founder and president

Type of business: Solar Traffic Controls (STC) provides solar-powered traffic control systems to city, state and federal DOTs; police, firefighting and public works departments; facility maintenance and plant safety industries. Our primary products are solar-powered flashing beacon systems used for school zones and 24-hour applications. We also build specialized flasher systems using sensors and custom communications packages. The STC product spectrum also includes wireless power systems for ITS, EMS and HAR sensors and related devices.

Year business opened: January 2001

Business location: Tempe, Arizona U.S.A.
We are in a light industrial park with other small businesses.

Mailing address:
1930 East 3rd Street, Suite 21 & 22
Tempe, AZ 85281-2929

Phone: 480-449-0222
Fax: 480-449-9367
Cell: 480-694-8896
E-mail: info@solar-traffic-controls.com
Web site: www.solar-traffic-controls.com

Web site review: Our Web site complements STC's entire marketing plan. It is an excellent tool when referring prospective clients to view our projects especially if we have no installations in the prospect's area. We average about 3,000 visitors a month which has resulted in significant sales.

Mission Statement: To design and fabricate highly reliable, alternative energy, traffic systems to enhance public safety.

Products & Services:
Our product line consists of solar-powered crosswalk systems; flashing beacons for school zones; continuous-duty flashers; radio-activated systems; and sensor-activated flashers. STC offers engineering services for special traffic systems applications.

Description of products and services and their cost: Products and services are custom-engineered and manufactured. Typical costs range from $2,000 to $7,000.

Where can your products & services be purchased?
We have a network of distributors and sales reps across the United States.

System Installations:
Phoenix metropolitan area: State Route 143, ADOT - 24-hour beacons & lighting
Loop 303 & various intersections, MCDOT - 24-hour beacons; Chandler, Casa Grade, El Mirage, Mesa, Gilbert, Glendale, Scottsdale, Surprise - school zone flashers

Arizona
Fire Station flashers - radio- and optically-activated; high-water flasher program; in-pavement lighting with Solar PED-X system; wildlife crossing systems;

California
Various cities and counties, school zone flashers; pedestrian-activated solar flashers; equestrian crossing flashers

Colorado
Various cities, school zone flashers; 24-hour flashers; radio/cell phone activated signs

Illinois
School zone flashers; 24-hour flashers; radio-activated wireless crosswalks; advanced high-water flasher warning system

New England
Highway Advisory Radio; school zone flashers

New Mexico
School zone flashers; 24-hour flashers; highway sign lighting; radar speed control; U.S. 70 Hondo Project

Washington, D.C. Area
School zone flashers; 24-hour flashers; sensor-activated wireless crosswalks

Wyoming
Statewide - radio-activated highway beacons; school zone flashers

What differentiates your business from your competitors?
STC's quality control. We design solar flasher systems with the end user's capabilities and skill set in mind to make them quick and easy to install at the site. We also design our systems with advanced features making them effortless for the end user to operate.

Is the business an Internet, small or home-based business?
STC is a small, minority-owned business which has a prominent presence on the Internet.

What need does your business fill?
First and foremost, STC's products are designed for public safety which is ongoing.
We fulfill the need to minimize installation costs; meet and exceed deadlines; access service points in urban settings; eliminate any concern for traffic blackouts; and reduce maintenance of equipment.

What makes your business newsworthy?
It is successful in its goals to build complete packages incorporating solar electric panels with radio and computer controls. My business has been growing increasingly and it's profitable.

Where were you (Joe Wise) raised?
In Huntington Park, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Educational background: Joe Wise is a graduate of UCLA where he earned his BSEE in 1984. He continues to stay current in his field and maintains a high level of technical proficiency. He is fluent in Spanish.

Life experiences that relate to starting a business: My father had his own business and my field service years at Hughes Aircraft Company aboard aircraft carriers.

Your business/professional background: Joe has held positions in systems and design engineering, as well as technical sales, with Salt River Project, SunAmp Power Company and Photocomm, Inc., all employers in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. Mr. Wise was a member of the technical staffs at McDonnell Douglas Helicopter and Hughes Aircraft Company where he performed design and field work on military electronics systems.

Joe Wise draws upon 16 years experience in the solar electric industry to design and manufacture solar-powered flashing beacon systems for school zones and 24-hour applications.

Professional affiliations: Member, International Municipal Signal Association and Institute of Transportation Engineers

Articles published:

"Solar-Powered Traffic Systems Put You in the 'Green' While Saving Green"
IMSA Journal - September/October 2007

"The Nation's Most Advanced Game Crossing System"
IMSA Journal - March/April 2007

"A Realistic Take on Solar-Powered Traffic Beacons: Facts not Marketing"
IMSA Journal - November/December 2005

"Maintenance and Long Term Costs of a Solar Beacon System"
IMSA Journal - May/June 2005

"Solar Flashers: How to draw up clear concise specifications"
IMSA Journal - July/August 2004, Cover Story

"Radar Speed Displays: Options for Display Format and Power"
IMSA Journal - November/December 2003

"Fire Station Solar-Powered Flashing Beacons: A Hot Way to Stretch Your Budget"
IMSA Journal - July/August 2003

Read these and other articles at www.solar-traffic-controls.com
Click on Systems / Products; Articles / References

Solar Traffic Controls e-mails a frequent eNewsletter to keep its clients, distributors, sales reps, and associates up-to-date.

Advice to other entrepreneurs:
Measure your skills, fill in the gaps and believe in yourself as you move forward.

For more information:
Barbara J. Peppriell
480-860-9035
602-330-3658
barb.pep@solar-traffic-controls.com