Silver Fox Communications founders Owen P. Lalor and William D. Hays

Mississippi-Based Technology Company Launches Revolutionary Personal Communicator and Medical Alert Service

RIDGELAND—A Mississippi technology company recently launched a revolutionary personal communicator and medical alert service to help seniors remain independent in the home.

Ridgeland-based Silver Fox Communications LLC, a subsidiary of On2Locate Inc., is marketing nationally SilverFox Link™, a small, personal phone with true two-way voice capability that may be worn as a necklace or on the wrist. The innovative personal emergency response system was designed to reduce the risk of falls, while also providing effective telephone communications both inside and around the home. SilverFox Link connects with existing landline phone service to make it easier for seniors to answer calls rather than risk falling by rushing to pick up a receiver.

More importantly, should an accident occur, the user may squeeze the buttons on SilverFox Link, prompting an emergency operator on the line to assist with getting needed help from a neighbor, a relative who lives nearby, or emergency medical responders.

With greater functionality than many traditional medical alert systems, the SilverFox Link System is available for $39.95 per month after the initial purchase of the system, which includes the communicator and all components needed for connection to existing phone service. The service requires an existing landline phone service with caller ID. Key data such as emergency contacts, special medical conditions, home access, and contact information for acquaintances—friends or neighbors—who might be accessed for help in non-emergency situations are available for the operator to reference to secure the appropriate assistance.

"Similar products typically feature a device with a 'button,' which remotely activates a speakerphone base station located somewhere in the home," said Silver Fox Communications CEO Owen P. Lalor. "Although the 'help button' will generally activate the speakerphone, if the accident didn't occur close enough to this speakerphone, such as outside in the garden or in the garage, the emergency operator won't be able to hear you talking. Likely, emergency services will be dispatched, whether or not there's a real emergency. SilverFox Link is different because it is the phone which you're actually talking into. This ensures that emergency operator services will always be able to speak to you, and more importantly, that you can speak to the operator."

SilverFox Link has an operating radius of up to 500 feet—nearly the length of two football fields—depending on the building or individual home environment.

"Research has shown that 55 percent of falls by seniors occur inside the home, while another 23 percent occur in areas around the home," referenced Lalor. "Whether enjoying outdoor hobbies such as gardening, or just sitting outside visiting with the neighbor, SilverFox Link allows you to answer your incoming home phone calls on it. When outside the effective range, the system will signal with a beep and display 'out of range' on the communicator."

More importantly, since SilverFox Link is a phone, Lalor pointed out, "it becomes an integral part of everyday living and will be there should a fall or accident occur."

Lalor, an attorney and entrepreneur, founded On2Locate, Inc. the parent company of Silver Fox Communications, LLC in January 2007 with William D. Hays, former vice president of emerging technologies for SkyTel and Air2Lan. Last year, K. William Grothe, Jr., formerly affiliated with MobileComm, Worldcom, and KLLM, joined the company as COO. Silver Fox Communications, LLC is a solution companies focused on the development of innovative solutions for seniors and the caregivers who support them.

SilverFox Link was launched commercially earlier this year, thanks in part to second-round funding from the Mississippi Seed Fund, an investment source established by the Mississippi Legislature and managed by the non-profit Mississippi Technology Alliance (MTA) to provide high tech start-up companies with access to pre-seed financing, early stage risk capital and product development capital. Recipients must have a cash match from accredited investors to obtain funding.

In April, the Fund converted the debt to equity in the company, allowing Silver Fox Communications to finalize the commercial launch of SilverFox Link while also providing an encouraging endorsement of the company's product and business plan. The conversion extinguished the debt and provided equity investment, which strengthened the company's balance sheet and financial position.

"Silver Fox Communications has an innovative product that can help our aging population maintain independence with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that help is a call away," said MTA CEO Tony Jeff.

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