Vision Technologies Rolls Out Cameras

Lee Thompson, president and CEO of Vision Technologies Inc. of Rogers, said his company is in production mode and churning out 200-pound cameras for the U.S. Navy.

In August 2005, the company landed a contract “worth tens of millions” of dollars as a Navy subcontractor for Northrop Grumman Corp. Vision Technologies will produce up to 1,000 cameras, he said.

All of the company’s cameras for the Navy are super-tough.

The larger cameras are for weapons and self-defense onboard ships, and smaller ones are used to monitor critical mechanical areas of ships.

The contract has led to inquiries from other branches of the military about similar camera systems. Lee said the company is testing camera systems for the Marine Corps’ amphibious expeditionary fighting vehicle that is currently under development.

If a contract is signed, each EFV would be worth about $50,000 in revenue to the company, and the Corps has a standing order for 1,000 EFVs, Lee said.

Also, the company is in the testing stages of a small remote-controlled unit with an attached camera. The unit beams video back to the remote so an operator can check for bombs or assess a hostage situation. The unit will be built by Vision Technologies and outfitted with its cameras, but the patent is with a Florida company, Lee said.

Vision Technologies is working out of a 6,000-SF office in downtown Rogers, but a 16,000-SF facility is being built in that town by some of the company’s investors.

Once it moves in, Lee said the team has the potential to make $60 million to $80 million a year in revenue.

Lee is in talks with people from New York who may provide the company with an additional $5 million to $6 million in investment capital.