Daniel Fedderson and Mike Beaird's venture into the Internet business world first took them to basic electronics, but eventually the pair found a niche that months later led to a bricks-and-mortar location.
      The result is Future Innovations at 2682 S. Highland Drive, as well as online at www.childsafetytech.com. Both specialize in selling location, monitoring and safety devices to help folks keep children, the elderly or the disabled — even pets — safely where they need to be.
      "Mike is an Internet coach, teaching people how to set up businesses online, and we wanted to do something for ourselves," Fedderson said. "We considered several things. We tried selling basic electronics, but that market is saturated.
      "On the news, it kept talking about missing children and missing Scouts and the Elizabeth Smart story and all that, and we thought, there should be something to take care of that. We started researching it and discovered these really good products. We didn't know of anybody else that had them and thought the public should have better access to these things."
      The Web site was operating last December, and while both Beaird and Fedderson remain involved in building custom computers, in May they opened the store — handy for Utahns with supersized families.
      "That was a big factor to get the storefront and not just be online," Fedderson said. "People here do have a lot of children, and some are spending so much money on some frivolous things, like cell phones and computer games and things like that, when there are child safety devices out there that are a much better investment."
      Among the devices are those that monitor distance. For example, a parent can use a base unit to establish a certain distance for their child to wander off. The child, wearing a wristband-type unit, will hear an alarm if they venture past that limit, and the base both beeps and vibrates. Some models tell the direction and distance the child has traveled outside the specified zone.
      "This is a great thing for kids playing in parks, at amusement parks or at malls. A gentleman called today," Fedderson said. "His son is 30 but has autism and tends to wander. He spends a lot of money and time searching for him when he wanders off, and calling the police department and things like that. So this is great for him."
      Monitoring devices include wireless audio/video systems to keep an electronic eye — and ear — on babies. Water safety devices include the Safety Turtle. A wristband is worn by the child, and the base unit's alarm will sound if the child's band comes into contact with water.
      "You can use it for pets. You can use it while boating. If someone falls into water, the alarm will sound instantly and lets you know someone has fallen in and you need to get there," Fedderson said.
      Future Innovations also offers key chains with USB ports that can be used to store health information, photos, addresses, phone numbers and other information that can be accessed quickly during an emergency.
      "This is really good if a child gets lost in a mall. You can pop it into a computer there so the security guard has pictures. You can print out posters instantly," Fedderson said. "The same with police departments. They take a lot of time when children are missing to get information on the child so they can deliver it to the news, but with this key chain, it's instant. They have the information already, and time is a huge factor when it comes to missing children.
      "These items are primarily for children, but they're also a big asset for the elderly or the disabled or pets as well."
      The company also sells "regular" GPS devices and has lots of pamphlets and other safety literature chock full of advice and tips.
      "We've been to a couple of kids' fairs around town, and we've gotten a lot of positive feedback, a lot of positive responses," Fedderson said. "When people hear there is a store like this, they're extremely interested."
      Had the basic-electronics sales worked out, that probably would have been fine, but Fedderson noted a special feeling comes with selling the safety products.
      "These are doing good, protecting children and the elderly from wandering off and providing peace of mind. That's very satisfying, selling something that helps and has a positive influence on people and has the potential to save lives or save a person from getting abducted," he said.

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