SoClean helps save lives. A leading CPAP device cleaner for sleep apnea sufferers, SoClean ensures all components of these vital health tools stay sanitized and safe for users. SoClean CEO Bob Wilkins wants sufferers of sleep apnea to rest easier at night, and he is confident that the machine he and his company invented cannot only make life easier—it can actually preserve life.
Company, invention, and sleep apnea
Bob Wilkins is a seasoned tech expert who has started more than 11 companies since the 1980s—including diving into the board-game industry via a Monopoly extension—Bob found himself on the board of an industrial machinery company that cleaned DVDs.
Blockbuster and Game Stop were their primary clients, but when technological innovation began to shift the industry, as it so often does, Bob realized he needed to reinvent his company.
"How did you think up the idea for the SoClean"? I asked in a phone interview with Bob on August 28, 2018.
“We had tech experts, we had call centers; we had everything a company needs to be operational,” Bob replied. “We just needed a really great product.”
The company put their heads together, and when one employee who suffered from sleep apnea came forth with an idea for how to minimize his constant struggle with keeping his lifesaving CPAP machine clean, Bob decided it was an idea worth pursuing.
With a number of ozone engineers, his company designed an innovative system that cleans the CPAP mask, hose and the reservoir—something no other machine does.
After christening the machine, they invented the “SoClean” they gained an efficacy rating of more than 99 percent. The company currently has a Net Promoter score of 66, and consumers absolutely love the SoClean system that converts ozone back to oxygen (o2).
"What has the response been like?" I inquired.
“People call us up thanking us for making it,” Bob explained.
“It’s a feel-good product, and it’s fun to work the phone lines since we get happy customers calling us with praises instead of complaints.”
Experiences, medical devices, and education
SoClean is the only product that offers a user-friendly experience that both minimizes the daily cleaning effort for the CPAP user and effectively sanitizes their equipment.
Since Bob decided to infuse funds into advertising, thousands of CPAP users around the world now have a SoClean and a vastly improved CPAP experience.
SoClean protects already vulnerable people from bacteria, and Bob hopes that more hospitals soon understand how important it is for anyone entering the hospital or leaving the hospital to have their CPAP machine clean to protect their health completely.
"What makes you the experts in this area?" I questioned.
“We’ve been at this for seven years, and we know it works,” Bob stated. “There are a few knockoff brands from China that don’t do the job right, and people need to be aware of them since it’s dangerous to use their products. SoClean tries hard to make people and hospitals understand how important this is.”
The team also plans to unveil other medical devices in the coming years for both consumers and hospitals.
He is very pleased with how things have worked out thus far, and he credits most of his success to his team.
"And what are your plans for the future?" I asked.
“I’m a CEO and a chairman, but this company really works because I have great people working with me,” he stated. “I need them to make things happen, and they are good at their jobs. Right now, we are really focusing on raising awareness about SoClean and educating the public—especially sleep apnea sufferers—about how important it is to use the right product to keep their CPAP machines clean.”
