Barn Owl: Technological excellence
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Barn Owl is not just an animal but a brand that stands for humility, hunger, kindness and trustworthiness. Josh Phifer, founder and CEO of Barn Owl, grew up in the center of agriculture. This combined with his military expertise, has helped Phifer develop his own successful business with the backing of an impressive team.
Born into a ranching family located in western Nebraska, Phifer understands from first-hand experience how hard the agricultural community works and how crucial efficiency is in the everyday life of ranchers.
After high school graduation, Phifer embarked on what would be a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force. After attending the Air Force Academy, Phifer had the opportunity to fly fighter jets for 12 years. This in combination with eight years in the reserves is what would inspire the Retired Lieutenant Colonel to keep veterans at the forefront when becoming an entrepreneur.
STARTED WITH A SIMPLE IDEA
After getting a business degree and discovering that becoming a banker was not in his cards, Phifer began to explore the idea of becoming a business owner, an idea that came to fruition in 2017 because of his father’s inspiration and encouragement.
However, the idea behind the Barn Owl technology didn’t magically appear, it came with some setbacks. Initially, Phifer’s business idea was a water tank sensor, because he thought it would be more efficient than having hours of a rancher’s day dedicated to checking water.
The first step, which occurred during the summer of 2017, was to send out the water tank sensor product for trial runs to about a dozen ranchers in Wyoming and Nebraska. After a few months of using the product, the trial came to an end. The feedback was positive, but nearly all ranchers expressed that they’d like to have cameras instead.
After taking the rancher’s feedback and running with it, Barn Owl was born in late 2017. The initial team was just Phifer, until 2019 when he added a few teammates. As of today, the company employees 16 people.
One of these employees is Julian Flores, director of marketing at Barn Owl. Since beginning nearly eight months ago, Flores hasn’t lost his excitement of continually seeing how a simple solution can entirely change someone’s day. The impact that this technology is making on rural America isn’t lost on Flores, and he loves the opportunity to serve others through his role.
Each day at Barn Owl comes with its own triumphs and trials. A big triumph for this small business has been implementing a cellular management system into their technology which allows for the cameras to be used in desolate areas, and quickly upload information directly to the user’s phone, desktop computer or tablet.
“In terms of the product, it performs really well, Flores said. It’s very reliable and has really high-quality video and images that make the investment worth it. The customers say that the investment pays off very quickly.”
In the marketing space, Flores has loved the recent change that they’ve been able to implement by creating their own content. This allows Flores and his team to connect with the people that they impact daily.
NEW USES
After having the technology on the market for over five years, the Barn Owl team has been able to help their customers see the versatility that these cameras offer. While initially, the products primary use was for monitoring water tanks or calving barns, they’ve seen significant advantages when using it for a host of agricultural endeavors. Game management, protecting assets like equipment or livestock from theft or predators, and peace of mind during inclement weather spells have been amongst the value captured because of their functionality in the agriculture sector.
Additionally, in today’s ever-changing world, Barn Owl prides itself on two things: being veteran owned and operated and their simple, easy to use technology. Because American pride runs deep in their veins, they love that their whole customer support team is based in the United States. Customers enjoy calling their team because it is an actual human on the other end of the line, and because of that, have the ability to talk through their joys and discomforts that they may be feeling.
Simple and easy to use is a claim that every agriculturalist likes to hear but loves it even more when it lives up to their expectation. At a maximum installation time of 5 minutes, folks appreciate the camera and solar panel combination that allows them to save time and money. The quick and simple set up allows the camera technology to be used in the cornfield, pasture or on the home place driveway.
While they love the agricultural space, the military is not off their mind. They hope to improve their security technology to impact the safety of the United States and the people who sacrifice so much to defend the nation that so many Americans know and love.
So, whether it’s the United States military or the everyday rancher just trying to keep putting food on the table for his family and the consumer, Barn Owl is protecting precious assets and keeping peace of mind at the forefront of every decision that they make.
