Visionstate's journey from paper-on-the-wall to global facility management

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Sometimes the best business ideas come from noticing what doesn't fit. For John Putters, CEO of Visionstate, that moment came during a visit to CrossIron Mills shopping centre. The facility was impressive and high-tech, yet the restroom cleaning log was still a piece of paper taped to the wall. When the operations director mentioned the importance of that paper for slip-and-fall lawsuits, Putters saw an opportunity.

That observation in the mid-2000s led to WANDA, Visionstate's digital facility management platform. What started as a tablet outside restrooms for staff to log cleaning activities has evolved into a sophisticated system now operating in hundreds of locations across North America and expanding internationally.

COVID-19 accelerated the company's evolution. "We realized that it's not just the restrooms that have to be tracked," Putters said. People also did not want to touch shared tablets. The company built a mobile version of WANDA using QR codes, expanding its applications beyond cleaning logs to comprehensive facility operations data.

The data collection capability proved timely. Ontario passed Bill 190, legislation requiring facilities to maintain digital cleaning protocols for worker health protection — essentially mandating WANDA-type applications. Visionstate accommodated the requirement by making its solution as accessible and inexpensive as possible, which drove growth.

The company's customer base spans education, healthcare facilities, and Class A office buildings. One of the world's largest real estate companies uses WANDA in its Class A building in downtown Manhattan and in high-rises across downtown Toronto.

Shannon Moore, president of Visionstate IoT, joined the company about five years ago as director of sales and grew into running operations. She said the company's focus on supporting building service contractors has been key to its success. "Not only have we built a stronger business with them, but we've given them such a good, useful tool so that they can continue to build deep relationships with their own customers."

Over the last year, Visionstate launched MIRA, an evolution of the original WANDA platform, after a year of customer needs analysis. "Sometimes when you build a product, you're really hoping you get it right and you're really hoping you heard the customer's needs properly," Moore said. "Well, we got it right." MIRA, which the company describes as its flagship compliance intelligence platform, already has substantial contracts.

Read the rest of the story as part of Edmonton Global's Trade Heroes series, which highlights Edmonton region companies who have 'EXPORT-itude' — the mindset and commitment to think globally when it comes to their business.