CASPR (Continuous Air & Surface Pathogen Reduction) is committed to ensuring the indoor air we breathe and the surfaces we touch can be as protected as they can be. Since its founding 18 years ago by Dr Christophe Suchy, CASPR’s award-winning technology has brought powerful solutions to indoor spaces across the world. Certainly worthy of CEO Monthly’s Most Influential CEO, 2022 – Texas award, we got in touch with Dr Suchy to learn more about his outstanding company and impressive career.
With 99.96% destruction of pathogens both in the air and on surfaces, CASPR’s continuous disinfection process recreates what naturally happens outdoors. Originally formed to serve the healthcare industry, CASPR has since expanded to bring more customers of all industries the peace of mind that comes with protected and healthy indoor spaces.
Speaking about his company, Dr Christophe Suchy said, “Everything we do is supported by one main principle: do things better than anyone else, and do them ethically. If we can’t do it better, we will drop it. And it we can do it better, we will lead with the bare truth; there is no need to embellish claims about a technology and/or a product when it is the best-in-class.”
CASPR mainly approaches businesses and commercial facilities with its products. Very early on, its agility to adapt and move fast allowed it to grow very fast in niche markets like food conservation and animal farms. Dr Suchy commented, “If you can continuously eliminate toxic gases in the air and pathogens on surfaces, you need less or no chemicals in your farm or food preparation facility, eventually giving your customers a healthier and safer food item.”
He continued, “We went on to specialise in mass transit systems and hubs like trains, metros and airports. Those markets need incredibly specific solutions that, almost always, require made-to-measure products which our inhouse engineering team has become an expert in manufacturing in record time.”
At the very beginning of Dr Suchy’s career, over 20 years ago, he says his role was more a dictatorship than anything remotely close to leadership. He tells us, “It was probably necessary at the time, in order to assess my goals and my visions, both of which seemed crazy then – Who cared about indoor air quality 20 years ago when it was still permitted to smoke in most indoor spaces?
“With time, it proved necessary to surround myself with smart people who eventually developed their own goals and vision. This was the toughest part for me: trust and delegation – If you have indeed chosen the right people to lead your team, you have to allow them to lead for you. I have been incredibly lucky at finding the right people to help our company survive and thrive for more than 20 years.”
Finding the right people to fill gaps within the team who will follow the company’s vision has indeed proved to be the biggest challenge. Dr Suchy said, “It is hard and can sometimes be painful, but you can’t build a great team without solid people foundations.
“Discovering our team members’ potential and uncovering it, nurturing it so it can blow up and help them become the best version of themselves. Even though difficult beyond measure, this is the most rewarding part of my leadership journey.”
CASPR’s people have the knowledge, credentials and ability to solve problems. The ones who end up staying at CASPR are passionate about what the company does, impacting lives, and making indoor spaces healthier and more productive for employees. Ultimately, it saves lives by reducing exposure to potentially deadly pathogens. Dr Suchy said, “When a third-party peer-reviewed paper was published showing a 54% reduction in hospital-acquired infections (Oklahoma Hospital), I do not know anyone in our team who did not get emotional. This is what we are all working for.”
Of course, COVID-19 has brought interesting challenges to the company. Dr Suchy shared, “The pile of purchase orders was growing by the minute while the entire world came to a stop. We could not order parts or components, nor could we visit new potential vendors.
“It became an incredible learning experience which made me realise the utmost importance of your professional network: if I had not started creating, feeding and growing it over 12 years ago, we would have had to shut down. Thanks to those relationships, we were able to grow at the speed of light during the pandemic and, hopefully, protect a lot of people out there!”
So, what are the future plans for Dr Christophe Suchy and CASPR? He said, “Impact more lives. Faster. And grow my replacement. It is time to find a new jockey for this winning horse, so I can focus on developing the best technologies and design new products.
“Eventually, I would like to give back by mentoring entrepreneurs and supporting them during their journey, so they do not have to make the mistakes I made. And there are plenty!”
For business enquiries, contact Dr Christophe Suchy from CASPR Technologies via email – [email protected] or on their website – www.casprtech.com
