Missourian
Columbia, Missouri
Sept 10, 2006
Greg Heifner, founder and CEO of a Columbia-based
satellite communications company, watched the events
of Sept. 11, 2001, unfold on television in disbelief.
But after a call from a man he calls an American
hero and a friend, the course of his life changed
forever.
Heifner, 54, had sold most of his shares of his
first Columbia-based satellite communications company,
Heifner Communications, in 1997 and retired from
his next business, WSNet Programming and Technology
of Columbia in 2000. In September 2001, Heifner
was working on a new satellite television venture,
but the events of Sept. 11 led him to open Orbital
Data Net.
"I want to be able to help people and make
a living at the same time," Heifner said.
"I don‚t think those two are mutually
exclusive."
Heifner‚s friend Capt. Scott Shields, emergency
management director for New York-based private security
company Marine Safety Services, and his rescue dog
Bear had been among the first emergency responders
to reach ground zero. Shields and Bear, a golden
retriever, worked 18-hour days, and Bear is credited
with finding the most victims of all rescuers.
But Shields saw that the rescue effort at ground
zero was hindered by ineffective radios.
"We couldn‚t get messages outside of
the trade center for assistance," Shields
said. "I saw the need in the emergency management
community for satellite communications."
Shields called Heifner, a longtime friend with an
engineering background and more than 25 years of
experience in satellite communications. He told
Heifner that communications at the site were dead,
and he needed Heifner‚s expertise to help
solve the problem.
"I saw the tragedy from the viewpoint of a
communications expert, so the way it influenced
me is to ask "How can I keep that from happening
again?‚" Heifner said.
As a result, Heifner formed Orbital Data Net, which
opened in June 2002. As founder and CEO of the company,
he has used his expertise to develop products that
can restore communications after disasters.
Among his products are the satellite communications
briefcase, which Heifner affectionately refers to
as the "007 briefcase," and the Egg,
a small, egg-shaped unit on a trailer that opens
up at the push of a button to create a mobile satellite
communications center complete with telephone, fax
and Internet service.
Heifner has sold his products to agencies including
the Kansas City Department of Health, the U.S. Air
Force and most recently the state of Louisiana.
In the last project, Heifner created a network across
the state that allows for continued voice and data
communications in the event of a disaster.
"I feel like I should be doing something to
benefit society," Heifner said. "My
equipment can save people‚s lives."
˜ Elizabeth A. Phillips |
