[00:00:00] Betsy Cerulo: Welcome to Room at the Table, an opportunity for you to join me, Betsy Cerulo and my guests for conversations about creating equitable and inclusive workplaces where leaders rise above mediocrity and our teams thrive. Pull up a chair. There's always room at the table. Welcome to another Meaningful Conversation on Room at the Table.

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[00:00:26] I am Betsy Cerulo, your host, and welcome to my guest today, Theresa Reno-Weber, CEO of GoodMaps, a cutting edge mobile app that allows people to safely walk through office and public spaces. Today we're talking about the importance of creating accessibility for all. In public spaces. So pull up a chair, enjoy your favorite beverage, and let's get started. So Theresa, welcome to our conversation today. I'm so glad you're here. 

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[00:00:56] Theresa Reno-Weber: Thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be here. This is, um, a passion of mine and of our company and so sharing what we're doing and making more people aware of it, uh, I always welcome the opportunity. So thank you for having me. 

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[00:01:08] Betsy Cerulo: Oh, absolutely, and I'm excited to share that AdNet is a reseller of GoodMaps technology and we're generating interest across our government and corporate customers to offer the product to employees and guests who visit their organizations. So our conversation is timely for you to share how GoodMaps changes, the way we can walk through office buildings and you know, actually. With or without a disability. Absolutely. So let's get right to it. 

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[00:01:39] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yep. 

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[00:01:39] Betsy Cerulo: You are the expert. So GoodMaps is cutting edge technology for people with disabilities and, you know, as, as I'm delving into the app myself. Perhaps even not with disabilities to safely walk through office buildings and public spaces. So how can GoodMaps help first time visitors or new employees quickly find their way to specific rooms or offices in large buildings? 

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[00:02:08] Theresa Reno-Weber: I, I love the question. Thank you. Um, so first of all, you know, so many of us have become reliant on outdoor navigation apps. I don't think any of us leave our front door now without probably pulling up your app of choice, whether it's Google Maps or Apple Maps, or ways to find your way across your community. But when you get to your destination, you then are left to struggle looking at. You know, potentially outdated analog signage on the walls to navigate to an indoor conference room or a bathroom or your seat at an arena, your gate at an airport. Um, and there is a better way. So GoodMaps has actually created the indoor equivalent to GPS and those navigation apps that we've all come to rely on. And we did this in partnership with the American Printing House for the blind. To make sure that we could help those who really have complete barriers to navigating the indoors independently and safely be able to find their way with that confidence and independence that we all want to have.

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[00:03:10] Betsy Cerulo: Mm-hmm. 

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[00:03:11] Theresa Reno-Weber: And so when you use GoodMaps in an indoor space. It's very much like using your outdoor navigation apps. You can open up the building or location that you were in. It will prompt you if you've got the app on your phone for checking into, say, an airport or um, a retail environment or an event space. And then you just simply type in or use your voice, um, or screen reader to be able to, um, identify a destination that you'd like to go to. And it prompts you to hold your phone up. It scans the visual environment around you and can identify where you are to within a foot of accuracy. And then give you turn by turn directions, either auditorily, visually with haptic feedback, even augmented reality for those of us who have vision of some site, um, to be able to get you to that destination very intuitively and simply.

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[00:04:05] Betsy Cerulo: I, you know, Theresa, I just have to say is mind blowing to me because when, when this app was first introduced to me through the blind community, because AdNet does a lot of work in reasonable accommodations, providing readers and scribes to blind people. Mm-hmm. So when I would attend some of the conferences, what I learned, because the way I grew up is someone who was blind typically used braille. So that was my frame of reference, but what I learned is not every household taught braille.

 

[00:04:35] Theresa Reno-Weber: Right? 

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[00:04:36] Betsy Cerulo: Or you were brought up with it and now technology is the way to go. So I realized that. As I was walking through some of the government office buildings and I'd see the braille there and I realized, well, if you don't know braille, that's not gonna help you. It's not, that's right. So when I was introduced to the app, I was, uh, I was speechless that this was here, and the more that, you know, I downloaded it from on my iPhone Yep. From the app store, and I start to play with it myself. And I saw in, as you know, as you can move it, move it around. And I know we'll get into this more. Yeah. I thought I could use this when I go somewhere because you are in airports and how many times do we, do we get lost in the airport? 

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[00:05:22] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yeah. No, that's, it's exactly that. Um, I, I really do say that I'm also a user. I, I am so glad whenever I get to a destination, um, that has GoodMaps there, 'cause I do use it, I use it to find the closest restroom I use it to find mm-hmm what restaurants or amenities are near, whether it's my gate or my train platform. Um, I had the pleasure of going to, um, England, where we've got a large concentration of rail stations. Throughout the country there. Um, and I had never been to Liverpool, home of the Beatles. Um, and I got off the train platform and needed to find a restroom quick, wanted to see where, see where I could get some caffeine and what was the right exit for me to get to, you know, the outdoor location I needed to, to go on my way. Um, and so I very much found our technology to be incredibly helpful to me. Um, who is fortunate to have full vision currently. Limited. Mm-hmm. But, you know, uh, not low vision or, or not, no sight. Um, and it's, it's so useful. It's also useful for folks who might have limited mobility, right? And wanna find right the quickest and shortest direction that has ramps or elevators and doesn't require them to use stairs. So. We launched with that sole initial focus on how do we help blind individuals navigate. And then we very quickly heard from others, um, our customers, which are the businesses or the venues, that there were so many people coming into their space who could benefit from this technology. And so we started to evolve it to be something that had more universal accessibility. Mm-hmm. Um, and so someone using it may not know that it is optimized. To support someone who's blind or someone who has limited mobility or neurodiversity. Um, or it might be deaf, but we've tested with all of those user groups to make sure that the functionality within the app, whether you're on an Android or an iOS device, works well for the needs that you might have.

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[00:07:15] Betsy Cerulo: Well, you know, when you, when you use the term limited, I'm gonna put my own spin. Mm-hmm. Me limited patience sometimes. Sometimes when I go places and it's like, you have this much time, but you've gotta go this far. How do I get there? And you know, there are times when I go into customer buildings. I have plenty and I leave plenty of time, but things may not be clearly marked, so I wanna get to the office of my customer being calm. Yeah. So if I could find a way to get there as quick as possible, that helps me as well. That's right. So I'm, you know, I'm, I am. Excited and fascinated and you know, and happy that even, you know, you use the term neuro neurodiverse because I don't, I think there needs to be more highlight for people on neurodiversity, so. This app can serve so many different types of people. So we are not limited anymore. 

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[00:08:18] Theresa Reno-Weber: That's right. And the nice thing is, and again, driven by feedback from end users and customers and individuals who are integrate or, um, using the app. We also now have a web map. Um, that is of the venue and all of the points of interest and locations within the venue. And someone can have that hosted on their website or on a QR code that folks can link out to if they don't wanna download the app and get all of the accessibility features that are built into that. Um, but if they're sitting at home on a, on a desktop computer, they could also open up the map and put in a route preview. Um, so we do find for folks who have high anxiety or maybe even PTSD, um, and are nervous about going to spaces that are unfamiliar and they wanna know what it's gonna look like when they get there, what their route is gonna be when they get there, how they can exit the building, um. That's another enhancement and feature that we've recently rolled out that allows folks to engage, um, in the modem or, or method that's best for them. Um, and be able to know that when they get there, if they wanna have the full assistance of the app, they can, um, or they can just have that confidence that they've kind of, um, previewed what their experience is gonna be like before they come into this space.

 

[00:09:28] Betsy Cerulo: that, you know, that's fantastic. You know, in the days before the technology, I would print out my MapQuest. Yeah. Yep. You know, and the night before I'd have to go to a conference or a meeting, I'd go through everything to make sure I knew exactly where the parking was. So again, you arrive. Calm. 

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[00:09:45] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yeah. 

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[00:09:46] Betsy Cerulo: To be at your best. Um, one thing that I think is interesting, let's talk about installation because whenever there is a new technology that comes up, typically installation could be tearing apart things, renovating, what have you. This is very different. So let's talk about the installation of GoodMaps technology in an office building. Yeah. How is that handled? 

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[00:10:09] Theresa Reno-Weber: And it's one of the things that, uh, differentiates us from anything else on the market, aside from the accessibility features which we do, um, feel confident that we are the most accessible solution out there for the most, um, you know, widest range of individual needs. However, we're also completely infrastructure and installation free. Meaning no hardware, no beacons, no sensors, no QR codes need to be installed within an office. No hammers 

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[00:10:35] Betsy Cerulo: No hammers. 

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[00:10:36] Theresa Reno-Weber: No hammers. No, no, exactly. And, and honestly, you know, we did start in that space. So we launched this company in 2018 and, and that was the technology on the market at the time. Um, Bluetooth beacons, sensors, um, all of those types of things. And what we really. Realized very quickly was two things. One, our customers, the businesses and the venues, um, didn't want to install and maintain those beacons and sensors. That's a cumbersome, costly endeavor for them and an eyesore. Right? And in some of these beautiful old train stations and things that we're working in, um, and then the second and, and really more important pieces. Those solutions are not incredibly accurate even today, at best, three to 30 feet of accuracy, right? Using those installed, um, pieces of hardware with good map solution. All it takes to activate, um, is we either send a good map surveyor to your building. It does not have to be empty. It could be during normal working and day hours. Um, and we capture a LIDAR scan using a commercial lidar device. Um, it's really just a handheld device that is no bigger than a thermos. Um, so it's not super intrusive and we do get a little bit of looks from folks asking like, what are you doing? Um, but that is capturing all of the unique feature points of an indoor space, um, so that we can go back and create a digital blueprint that is accurate to the millimeter. So this is construction level blueprint accuracy, using that LIDAR scan. Um, we then train our patented positioning algorithm on all of those unique feature points in the space.

And so when someone is using the GoodMaps app, we are comparing thousands of points, um, of interest around you to identify where you are with complete accuracy. So what that means for a building is it takes amount, the time it takes someone to walk all of your public spaces, it capture the data and information we need. We might send a surveyor to your building and it might take a day for them to walk all those spaces a half a day. If it's a really large space, maybe two days. Um, we bring that back and then we create the digital blueprint and we train our model. And depending on the size of the space, it's usually six to eight weeks to turn that around.

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[00:12:47] Betsy Cerulo: Okay. 

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[00:12:48] Theresa Reno-Weber: And it's not intrusive. Activate a new customer 

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[00:12:50] Betsy Cerulo: and it's not intrusive to. Employees. Okay. 

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[00:12:54] Theresa Reno-Weber: That's right. Fabulous to employees. Doesn't capture, you know, any of the imagery of people who might be in the space. Um, we're really just looking at those architectural unique feature points that can allow us to create a digital blueprint and allow us to train our model.

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[00:13:08] Betsy Cerulo: Okay. So given that companies sometimes, every couple of years, or you know, whether they're downsizing, upsizing. Changing things around reconfiguring. Oh, we have GoodMaps in. If there's a change in the footprint, how does GoodMaps ha handle that? 

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[00:13:24] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yeah, great question. And then again, something that we're really proud of. There's a couple of different ways that folks can manage changes within their space. So for some spaces it's really just we've changed this person's office to this person's office, or this bathroom has become, you know, a family restroom or, um, we've changed. If it's a, a venue that has retail, you know, the Starbucks to a Dunkin Donuts, um, our customers get a backend management tool where they can go in and they can very easily update any of the information, delete points of interest, add points of interest, rename points of interest.

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[00:13:55] Betsy Cerulo: So you don't do it, the customer does. 

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[00:13:56] Theresa Reno-Weber: The customer has the ability to do it. We have some contracts where they want us to do it. And we'll take that service request, but we've developed a tool on the backend to make it very simple and easy, and they can say who they want to have the authority to make those changes. And multiple individuals in an organization, whether it's the facilities or operations team or marketing team. Can go in and make those changes. Um, that information once refreshed automatically updates it within the app as well as the web map, as well as any of the languages that we might have available for that space. We have over 20 plus languages right now that are just built into the, um, app and the translation feature, and we're adding more every month, so that updates that easily for our customers. When they have a more extensive renovation, and some of our customers we have multi-year contracts with, and we know their construction schedule, whether that's an office building or an airport, or a museum. Um, and so we'll build that into the, um, contract for us to send a good map surveyor back out. Um, once that construction is complete, we can capture the new area or the renovated area and we can add that in or transplant it to the map. Very simply and easily. The latest innovation, which I'm most excited about, um, is a mobile scan and go technology, um, that we released this summer, which means using an iPhone or an iPad Pro, which has LIDAR built into it, we can send our customers, um, a link that they can then capture any of the information that has changed in their space and send it back to us without us ever having to come on site and we can process that information and update their map using that mobile scan.

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[00:15:34] Betsy Cerulo: Okay. Okay. Uh, you know, I just have to tell you, this is just amazing to me. Um, I, it, it leaves me breathless sometimes. 

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[00:15:44] Theresa Reno-Weber: We're really proud. 

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[00:15:45] Betsy Cerulo: Yeah. And because it feels like from when I first had the conversation with GoodMaps. A year ago, things have transitioned.

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[00:15:53] Theresa Reno-Weber: Absolutely. But we have rapid, rapid acceleration and development based on feedback from businesses and from end users. Um, so that we can stay current for them. And that we can take, make the most of technology as you know it, which is rapidly evolving. 

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[00:16:08] Betsy Cerulo: Right. So given my customers are government, corporate, the big thing is security. So you have a visitor come in. Uses GoodMaps to get around. How does GoodMaps protect the security, especially when the person leaves?

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[00:16:27] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yeah, so couple things. One, um, depending on how our customers are set up and what they would like, we can keep their maps private. Um, or we can make them public. So if they want to have it be sort of geo-fenced where somebody cannot look at their map or use their map unless they're on property or within a radius of the property, we can set those permissions and those parameters. Um, we can also have, you know, secure check-ins that we can put into the app to make sure that only the right. Individuals that they approve are accessing those maps. So that's one thing for our customers who have really staunch, um, security concerns. Um, for individuals who use the app, we are not capturing any of their personal data. We don't require them to sign in or log in, so we don't necessarily know. Who is coming in and out of the space, um, for good or ill. Uh, and we can tell them how many people are using it, where their destinations are, um, what their route ratings are, where they're kind of lingering. But we can't tell you that it's Bob or Susie or whomever, you know, using the app. So those are a couple of the, the security features that we have. We also are about to receive our ISO certification, so we've been working on that. We have a cloud security manager. Um, we can keep their data hosted in secure spaces and environments if they don't want it hosted in a public space. Um, so we try to work with our customers, some of whom are government agencies, um, that we know have, you know, a heightened level of concern.

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[00:17:47] Betsy Cerulo: Mm-hmm. So I'm gonna ask you, and I'm, and I know I'm throwing some questions at you that were side what we were gonna talk about. But say someone comes in, you know, an individual comes into the space and there's a concern, obviously office buildings have a great deal of security cameras. Does GoodMaps have the capability or keep on record what that person's route was when they were in the building?

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[00:18:17] Theresa Reno-Weber: Um, again, we don't know who the person is, but we do have the route information of where they, okay, like individual x. Took this route, like any unique user, okay, here was the route. Yes, we, we do have that capability. Um, but again, I can't, right now with the, with the way that we do it, we don't track enough information or do any of this sort of work to know who exactly that individual is. Um, but we can definitely look at all the routes that have gone through a building in a day. We can provide that information to our customers, um, so they understand the routes that people are taking as they move through their space. Um, and so that is where we currently are with the technology. As you can appreciate, we, we've had some questions from other customers that might want to evolve the technology to be able to have other applications, definitely in a first responder way. In a secure way. Uh, so there's multiple applications because at the Root for GoodMaps, now what we've developed is this proprietary technology. That really, I, as I said, is the equivalent of GPS indoors. And so just as there's so many applications for GPS outdoors, we know there's multiple applications for GPS indoors. Right now, we're using it in the most basic and, and applicable way, which is helping individuals navigate confidently and independently. Um, and we know that there's a lot of other potential applications in the future. 

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[00:19:39] Betsy Cerulo: Okay. So for an individual. To use this app, you download it from whatever app store you use and is there a charge for use?

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[00:19:51] Theresa Reno-Weber: No, it's completely free to end users. Okay. Um, so our model, um, for the business is, um, to sell to the business owner or the venue owner. And so we have a relationship with the. The corporate office, um, or with the airport or the train operating company or the retailer, or the event manager, right. Who owns the space. Um, so our contract is with them. We come in and we create that digital blueprint for them, and then we provide them with a map and a navigation experience, um, that is free to use to anyone. Wonderful. And so that we really are proud of that because we want this to be really benefiting the end users and, and that enhancing accessibility and the experience, the visitor experience, which is why some of our customers also choose us. Not just accessibility, but also as you shared for anyone coming in the venue. How do you create a. Better, um, guest or visitor experience that offers the most innovative technology out there. Augmented reality, um, enhancements that provide floating icons for signage that, you know, is really small for many of us to be able to read, um, or to locate in a space. Um, and so we know that there's, um, again, just a need. And a benefit to the business. So that's why they're the customer. They're the ones who pay for it. Right. And then this allows them us to offer this for free to anyone coming into those spaces. 

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[00:21:12] Betsy Cerulo: Wonderful. So from a business perspective, what are the key benefits for companies to bring this technology to their organizations?

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[00:21:21] Theresa Reno-Weber: Absolutely. So, um, helping meet, um, and exceed accessibility requirements, how do you create the most accessible, welcoming environment and space for your employees, for your visitors, um, for your customers? So that is, is number one. And we've definitely seen regulation, um, in the uk, in the eu, in Canada. Um, I think there's more regulation coming here in the US that really supports, um, digital accessibility. That is comparable to providing the information that any of us who are cited would have, um, if you are a blind or low vision individual. And so GoodMaps definitely helps meet that and exceed that requirement. And so just from a basic, for most customers, it's how do I meet and exceed accessibility requirements for people coming into my space?

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[00:22:08] Betsy Cerulo: Great. 

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[00:22:09] Theresa Reno-Weber: Then you have the customer enhancement, um, and the guest experience as well as how do I potentially reduce some of the costs, um, that it takes me to meet, whether it's passenger assistance requests or requests for information. Um, so whether it's an airport, um, or a hospital system, you know, we haven't even talked about that, but how hard it is to navigate a complex hospital system and the amount of times that nurses or. Staff or security personnel are pulled out of their current job to try to help somebody navigate, right. Um, so that's a cost to the business. Uh, same thing in airports. It's a cost to have to have passenger assist, um, for passengers who might want and or be able to navigate themselves independently if they didn't have to call on passenger assist. So a blind and low vision is a great example. I've got two fully blind colleagues. Um. Previous to GoodMaps being de deployed in, in some of our airport customers, when they travel through an airport, they often have to, uh, you know, set up passenger assist. They have to wait for passenger assist to come to the gate. Most times they wanna put them in a wheelchair and wheel them to the next gate or to the ride chair, which doesn't give them the ability to stop and shop. It doesn't give them the ability to move through the space independently. Um, it takes away their dignity as proud. Yeah. Individuals. Um, and it costs the airport. You know, that passenger assist for somebody who otherwise could navigate independently. And so there's a cost reduction for businesses. Um, and then there's a guest and customer experience piece. And in the healthcare setting, there's even a better health outcome. You mentioned the high anxiety of traveling to through spaces that you know you're unfamiliar with. If you're a patient or a family member going to a hospital, um, and you don't know where you're going. The amount of missed appointments, um, that occur because people arrive, you know, either late or don't arrive at all. I never thought of that. Um, this very high cost. For healthcare. Um, from both a financial standpoint, but also a health outcome standpoint. And so we know there's benefits, um, and we're hearing that from, um, healthcare systems that are approaching us with this opportunity. 

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[00:24:15] Betsy Cerulo: And, you know, the truth, the truth is there are times that I've been somewhere and I've asked for assistance of, you know, where something is located. For the most part, people are lovely, but there is that percentage of people that I've obviously interrupted them, they're not happy about it. I don't feel good that I know I interrupted them, but I have to get to where I have to go. Yeah, so it sounds like. This alleviates even negative interactions because right, everybody's busy and everyone needs to get to where they have to go or do what they have to do. So it, it feels as though the technology will just allow for calmer and better interactions between human beings. 

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[00:25:01] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yeah. And also, um, bridging that divide. Right. Um, some of our airport customers and our college campuses now, um, that are engaging with us, um, for this service see it also as a benefit for their international travelers or students. Who might not speak, um, the, the venue's language, right? English may not be a first language here in the US for them. Um, or if you're traveling abroad, the signage might be, um, you know, in another language and it's hard for you to be able to interpret that. There's often not, you know, folks who may be available to speak the language of the traveler or the student. Um, our local community and technical college that just rolled out. Is very much excited for us to get Arabic in the app because they have a large Arabic population of students, um, that are navigating the campus. It's a commuter campus and there's not always staff available who speak Arabic to help them, um, with their questions. And so having a tool that is. Something they can use in their native language, um, to understand the hours of the bookstore being open or the library or to know how to find it. Um, and then the same thing in an airports. Airports are such global spaces. Um, they don't often have all of the different languages represented that they might need to be able to assist somebody, um, at the right moment or time. Yeah. And so we're really excited to be partnering, um, with those customers to offer that service. 

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[00:26:24] Betsy Cerulo: This is, this is just extraordinary. I, I, you know, I, the more I read and learn about GoodMaps, I'm, I'm just blown away by it. But I wanna ask you a question. I'm gonna deviate again from the script. Okay. So, how long have you been with GoodMaps?

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[00:26:38] Theresa Reno-Weber: So, I joined the company in November of 2022. Okay. Um, I was brought in as the Chief Operations Officer, um, and I remember very clearly the board chair and the then CEO saying, GoodMaps is on the cusp of catastrophic success. Um, we have something that we know people need and can help them, and we need the ability to scale this more broadly. Um, and so I was brought in to help the company scale more broadly. Um, I became interim CEO in 2023 and, um, was made CEO in May of 2024. 

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[00:27:12] Betsy Cerulo: Wonderful. What is it that you love about GoodMaps? 

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[00:27:17] Theresa Reno-Weber: Um, for me, I absolutely get goosebumps when I think about, um, the independence and the dignity that we're giving to individuals to be able to confidently navigate indoor spaces that have previously been barriers to them, um, spaces where they had to or could only navigate with the assistance of another human. Um, and now we're giving them that. Freedom. I mean that really the core origin, mission of GoodMaps, the partnership with the American Printing House for the Blind, or the National Federation of the Blind. Of the Canadian National Institute of the Blind. And we've got so many great partners, um, from the very origins of our company, um, and still to this day, the ability to take a technology, um, commercialize it, um, and show a benefit that makes it go into all of these spaces, um, that are blind and low vision end users navigate or want to navigate independently. Um. Is the biggest joy and driver of passion, not only for me, but our entire team. I mean, we are still very much a startup, um, that is very scrappy, uh, and has a lot of individuals who are here because they believe in the mission and the impact, um, of what we're doing and what we're putting out there. Um, I shared that we've got two fully blind individuals on our team. Um, one of them, uh, is a gentleman in his late twenties who went blind, um, in his early twenties. Uh, and he is one. Um, who sent a note out to our whole team maybe a month or two ago and just said, guys, I landed in Providence, Rhode Island, which is one of our, our now, uh, airport customers. And for the first time I got out of the plane, I walked and got myself a drink from the convenience store in the airport. Went to the bathroom and went out to Rideshare. And he said, it is the first time I have felt. As confident and independent as I did when I had my sight, since I lost my vision. Um, and that's the kind of work that we get to do every single day.

And, and that's the kind of, um, stuff that makes us really excited to keep moving forward. 

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[00:29:14] Betsy Cerulo: It's so empowering. And, and I think on that note, I'd love from your perspective, what are some of the myths that people assume when it comes to the blind community or anyone with a disability? What do you see? 

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[00:29:27] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yeah. Oh gosh. It's, I mean, and, and I, I, it's, there's a lot, right? Yeah. So, um, I think, you know, there's a lot of misperception around, um, what they're capable of. Um, that, or that someone who might be blind, you know, it's one type of blindness, um, you just can't see, and that's it. Right? And there's obviously grades to it, um, from light sensitivity, um, seeing shadows and shapes to complete darkness to, you know, it's a whole spectrum. Um, and I think that folks don't often understand that. Um, and so that's an interesting education for individuals. Um, you know, there's a whole education around folks who are cane users versus guide dog users, um, and how they use those tools as assistance to navigate the world. Um. But I, I think, you know, what we're trying to just do is again, remove the barriers for them. Being able to navigate independently and blind individuals, at least those that I have met, um, really do want to be able to trust, um, that they can move through a space they do. Um, and not have to ask anybody for assistance or help, um, just like the rest of us, you know? I think that's really just, um, uh, something that we should all, if you put yourself in. Someone else's shoes. Um, how scary that could be, but also how freeing it can be if you're able to do, um, the things that others can do and capture the information that others can capture on your own. Um, and so I think that's the biggest myth we wanna dispel. Um. And sometimes when we're selling our product to folks, you know, they're kind of like, well, how would a blind person use this? And they've never engaged with a screen reader or a voiceover app, right? And so there's also a lot of assistive tools out there, um, that are fantastic, uh, assist for the blind community, um, that we're proud to partner with and that we're proud to lead into, um, and learn from our, our blind end users and our partners in the space, um, of how we continue to make that better.

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[00:31:20] Betsy Cerulo: Where is your company based out of? 

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[00:31:22] Theresa Reno-Weber: So we're headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Which is where the American Printing House for the blind is also headquartered. Um, and you know, for those who don't know about the American Printing House for the blind, it's been around for almost 160 years. Um, and they have been producing braille, um, and assistive technologies for blind and low vision communities since their beginning. Um, they were actually, very interestingly, one of the first, um. Inventors of audio books, if you think about it, right? Talking books for the blind. Yeah. Um, but they never did anything to patent that technology. Um, and so interestingly, when the idea for GoodMaps arose, um, the board at the American Printing House for the blind actually said, oh, we don't wanna miss the boat again. If we, we develop another technology that catches fire, um, and becomes universal, we wanna be on the forefront of being able to, um, benefit from that. And so that was why GoodMaps was actually founded initially by an initial investment from the American Printing House for the blind. Because they saw the need for this technology. They actually had some initial technology that they, um, you know. Put out into this company when we first launched. Um, we've innovated on that since, uh, but they recognize that this could potentially be something like audio books that you start for one population and then you recognize the broad applicability of it for helping all of us.

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[00:32:43] Betsy Cerulo: Well, Theresa, that's how innovation occurs. One person sees a need or sees a gap, comes up with a brilliant idea. Yep. Attracts brilliant people to put it together. And then those of us who are wonderful at marketing take it out. Yeah. I mean, I don't do the other parts. I can take it out to the world, uh, like yourself. And it's, it is, and I know I keep saying the same words, but it is to me, mind blowing. That this is a part of technology that mm-hmm. Really started here over with the blind community, but really blossomed. Yeah. To be so inclusive. For everyone, because now. Inclusivity is really important, but this includes every single person who needs to go from point A to point B.

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[00:33:35] Theresa Reno-Weber: That's right. Well, and it's been part of our evolution and our business model because what we realized was if we're going to get GoodMaps into all of the locations that blind or low vision individuals are trying to transit and navigate, it's everywhere. Right? It's the world around us. Um, unfortunately, not everyone has a budget. For accessibility or a commitment to making their space fully accessible for a blind or low vision audience. And so, you know, somewhat self servingly. We knew that we needed to actually speak to a general audience and to offer additional value for businesses. Um, not because they wouldn't want to do it, but because all things, you know, competing for dollars and time and energy, the things that can support more people and check more boxes for our businesses are going to be the technologies and the innovations that win in the marketplace.

Absolutely. Um, and so for us fueling that mission of making more spaces more accessible for more people, um, helping it be so that we're ever a blind individual. Finds themself, they can eventually, hopefully, find the type of technology that GoodMaps has so they can navigate independently. Um, that business evolution for us just made sense.

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[00:34:50] Betsy Cerulo: Yeah, absolutely. So as we bring our conversation to a close, and I don't want to bring it to a close 'cause there's so much more that we can talk about.

 

[00:34:59] Theresa Reno-Weber: We need to do a session two.

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[00:35:00] Betsy Cerulo: We'll do it to a part two. I know we can next season we can. Yeah. But is there anything additional that you would like to share with our listeners about the technology, about the corporation, the people that work for you? Anything? 

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[00:35:15] Theresa Reno-Weber: I mean, we would just love for folks to be advocates for this type of technology in the indoor world. Um, we are still fighting against the status quo, right? Yes. Um, the status quo of either signage or paper maps or, um, you know, technologies that aren't super accurate or accessible. Um, and so for us it really is an education and why I'm so grateful to you for this platform to be able to share our message and the partnership that we have together. Um, because we really are trying to do an education, um, that there. Is an innovation in the marketplace that can, um, be a really powerful indoor way finding solution that is non-intrusive. Yeah. That is lower cost and that is more accessible. Yeah. And so we're really excited, um, to talk to anyone and everyone. So if your listeners, um, are either decision makers within their organizations or businesses or folks who are just working within companies or spaces, um, that they know could use this really any complex indoor location. Or campus. Um, so I mentioned our college campuses. We can take people from indoor to outdoor locations. Um, so if you've got a campus model, um, this technology can work there as well. And so we would just ask for that advocacy, um, those introductions, those connections, and that championship. 

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[00:36:28] Betsy Cerulo: So how do people find you and or GoodMaps? 

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[00:36:31] Theresa Reno-Weber: Yep. So, um, GoodMaps all one word.com is our website. Um, my email is very easy and I'm always happy to share it. It's, I think, on our website. Um, it's Theresa with an H, T-H-E-R-E-S-A@goodmaps.com. Um, we are on all the social media platforms and channels, um, except TikTok, although we'll probably get there shortly. Um, and we'd love for you to engage with us if you send us an email, um, or message us on any, um, site. We are constantly monitoring those. Um, and happy to, um, engage in conversation. 

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[00:37:05] Betsy Cerulo: Great. Well, Theresa, thank you so much for your time today. This is such an important conversation. Believe me, myself and my staff, we are so excited about this partnership and we've, as I said, we've generated some interest, so now we are, we are bringing it to our customers to have deeper conversations and I feel that our partnership. And the integrity that both of our organizations have, we're gonna be able to reach a wider circle. So I believe that, thank you for, for sharing all your wisdom and for, for giving this, this piece of hope to some of our listeners that get challenged when they. Go out into public or to an office building. So yeah, I just wanna say thank you so much for being here. 

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[00:37:50] Theresa Reno-Weber: Oh, thank you so much. I absolutely loved being a guest on. I will totally take you up on a part two next season. Um, and look forward to seeing, um, our work together continue to impact [00:38:00] lives. So thank you so much. 

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[00:38:01] Betsy Cerulo: Oh, absolutely. Thank you. So listeners, we are so glad that you are here today. Please go to GoodMaps.com. Look it up, download it, play with it. You can for any reason, anywhere you go, practice it out in the public sphere. And I know that you're gonna see more of GoodMaps and AdNet and GoodMaps working together. So thank you for being here today. We appreciate you and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day and a blissful life. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Room at the Table. If you've enjoyed this episode, follow us on your favorite listening platform and share this episode with a colleague or two or three for resources to help you lead with purpose and build more equitable workplaces.