Alan Lowry, CEO at ESF - smart street furniture to charge your phone to recycled plastic thanks to The Wombles

we connect everything - ubloquity

Alan Lowry is the CEO at ESF - a serial entrepreneur and award winning director, he is also an expert in overseas trade and export sales.
He is an export champion for the Department of Business and Trade, and Chair of Federation of Small Businesses in Northern Ireland.
Having worked and travelled all over the world, he is now based in Northern Ireland - a hot bed for innovation.
Alan never rests on his laurels, and is always interested in how to push things forward. In the street furniture sector he was one of the first to actively target the big theme parks like SeaWorld. A few years ago one of the biggest issues with the Parks was the fact that kids didn't want to stay all day because their cell phones or their mobile phones died. So he started chatting to them about how he could come up with a solar powered device that would allow people to charge their phone in the park without them having to introduce any energy, which meant that was also movable, and it would then keep the customers in the park longer and therefore increase their food and beverage and their merchandise sales.
They've ended up exporting the idea to 30 countries around the world since then, and are on to generation three with USB phone charging, LED lighting, and SIM card enabled Wi Fi from the bench so that they can extend the Wi Fi signal.
And I haven't even mentioned his collaboration with The Wombles! Yes, that's right. Listen to find out more.
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