4 minute read
Tech Spotlight: Kiyeon Nam of B’ZT
QUEENS OPENINGS TECH SPOTLIGHT Kiyeon Nam of B'ZT (Beacon Zone Technology)
This week’s featured tech entrepreneur is Kiyeon Nam, CEO of B'ZT (Beacon Zone Technology), a smart clothing technology company.
Can you tell us a little more about your company and how you got your start?
B'ZT (Beacon Zone Technology) is a proprietary smart clothing technology that combines the Internet and Fashion to prevent missing people by utilizing our application "UndrCovr.” The application is currently available in Android Google Play and iOS App Store. B'ZT's smart clothing is machine washable and completely hidden in clothing so that it's comfortable to wear without any bulkiness. When the smart clothing is paired with the caregiver's smartphone, the caregiver can have peace of mind knowing that the wearer is taken care of and is within a safety geofence that the application provides.
As a mother and fashion designer, when I temporarily lost my own 3-year-old child at a huge shopping center, I started incubating the idea of B'ZT smart clothing by filing utility patents domestically and internationally and setting up a limited liability company that's rooted in New York State. Now we have equity investors/partners and bulk orders and inquiries from Medical Universities and organizations from all over the world. one of those friends is my patent lawyer and the other is the CTO of my company. Those 2 friends have been instrumental in transforming the fashion business into Fashion-Tech.
Over the past 10 years living in Bayside, Queens, I used to drive between Bayside, Flushing, and Astoria and dream that the empty lots and car dealers' lots would be re-engineered into high-rise tech hubs one day. Queens is one of the most diverse cities in the world and I believe it has the greatest potential as a technology city like Silicon Valley because of the STEM-related talent infrastructure the city has. Our company is planning to set up an IoT device manufacturing facility in Queens so that our B'ZT Smart Clothing can be a 100% Made-in-USA product. I can envision the combination of fashion and technology in Queens but nowhere else and this is why I am excited about the future of tech in Queens.
To learn more, visit https:// smartbzt.com
How did you get your start in tech?
When I was in 6th grade, I won a math competition that allowed me to have free computer programming classes where I made 2 friends; currently
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BUSINESS PERSONS OF THE YEAR Queens Chamber hosts Business Persons of the Year 2022
By Jessica Meditz jmeditz@queensledger.com
Last Tuesday, some of Queens’ most prominent movers and shakers were honored by the Queens Chamber of Commerce at their 2022 Business Persons of the Year Awards Gala.
Family, friends, partners and sponsors gathered at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to honor seven influential business people in the borough: Serge Abergel, CEO of Hydro Québec Energy Services; Rachelle Antoine, Manager External Affairs & Community Outreach Manager at Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for the JFK Redevelopment Program; Kevin O’Connor, CEO of DIME Community Bank; Loycent Gordon, owner and proprietor of Neir’s Tavern; Dr. Stacie NC Grant, Community Advisory Council Facilitator for the JFK Redevelopment Program; Peter Kapsalis, CEO and owner of Cine Magic LLC Studios; and Dr. Edwin Simpser, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Catalina Cruz, NYS Representative
Children.
Queens Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO Tom Grech also took the opportunity to applaud how far Queens has come since the pandemic, bouncing back from many losses in the business community.
“Queens turned the corner starting in early 2022 with COVID in the rearview mirror and our momentum has only grown since then,” Grech said in a statement.
“Just over the past few weeks, we have learned about a new soccer stadium, 2,500 deeply affordable housing units, a new hotel and school at Willets Point, a well-deserved final approval of Innovation QNS in Astoria and a signed contract and start to the redevelopment of JFK,” he continued. “All-in, these public and private investments total near $25 billion...and all in Queens.”
Before the seven business people received their awards, the Queens Chamber surprised its Chief Operating Officer, Joanne Persad, with an honorary Business Person of the Year award for her hard work and dedication to keeping all things running smoothly.
The Queens Chamber of Commerce is at the forefront of major projects in Queens, including the massive $18 billion JFK Redevelopment Program — in which honorees Antoine and Grant
Honoree Peter Kapsalis during his acceptance speech.
