Local emergency alert service sees growth
Jacob Hargrave of Grayslake and Glenn Graham of Vernon Hills are planning to grow EverybodySafe.com, a site that allows first-responders and hospital personnel to quickly text, email or call your immediate family or other contacts when an emergency strikes.
The Libertyville-based business now has about 1,000 subscribers and more are expected as the business partners garner insurance companies and other firms willing to offer the online service to individuals.
“We're in this business to provide peace of mind,” said Hargrave, the firm's CEO.
Hargrave got the idea after his father suffered a heart attack in 1998. His father lived alone, and wasn't able to immediately provide phone numbers to notify his family. Instead the hospital found the father's home phone and left a message. Hargrave didn't get the information until days later when his father woke up and told the hospital personnel who to call.
Then in 2008, Hargrave was working at CDW when they learned later of a colleague, who was traveling, had an accident and had died.
While we live in a high-tech society, the ways to contact people during an emergency still remains on the old-fashion side, Hargrave said.
He said the state offered those with drivers licenses a chance to list immediate contacts, but local police don't have full access to that list. Then a yellow-dot program was provided where a yellow sticker was placed on the windshield of the car, noting that emergency information was available in the glove compartment. That was good only if the person was in a car accident. It didn't cover the occupants of that same car or if something happened elsewhere, like in a home, Hargrave said. After talking with the Lake County coroner, hospitals and first-responders, Hargrave developed EverybodySafe.com. The system now is carried by Travelers Insurance and others. More are expected soon, he said.
The firm provides space online to include any number of contact names and numbers. The system then can generate alerts delivered to everyone via email, text/SMS and telephone. The names and numbers also can be kept confidential, so those using the service to access the alerts don't see your profile or contacts.
“Our goal is to add about 1 million people into the system this year,” Hargrave said.
Surfing: Schaumburg-based TravelinWheels.com offers travelers with disabilities details on accessibility for destinations nationwide and in Europe, including hotels, restaurants, attractions, tours and medical needs. The site also provides virtual tours, reviews and first hand testimonials of experiences from other travelers.
Ÿ Bang & Olufsen, which has its North American headquarters in Arlington Heights, is offering Facebook fans a chance to design new speaker covers for its BeoSound 8 iPad/iPhone/iPod docking station. The contest continues through March 18. B&O will make the winning design and sell it worldwide as a limited edition BeoSound 8.
Ÿ Boingo Wireless has added service at Old Orchard Mall in Skokie. Shoppers will be able to access Boingo Wi-Fi on any WiFi-enabled device around the mall. Old Orchard is one of 17 Westfield shopping centers nationwide with Boingo.
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