Today we’d like to introduce you to James Cameron Dodds.
Hi James Cameron, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Sure! Well, I believe it all starts with imagination. Everything does, really. All of our experiences, for better or worse. My parents thinking of having me, creating a child. I believe this ability is part of what makes us human and is inherited from our Creator. I have always had a strong imagination, and am constantly exploring how we can bring thoughts into physical reality (Though I often need help keeping feet on the ground). At a young age this could have been building skateboard jumps and mountain bike trails. Drawing doodles and sketches, trying to play the melody in my head with a guitar. Perhaps the wish to climb a certain mountain, to taking the steps toward it. A big part here is action. For something to become a reality and not a dream, movement must happen. Experimentation ensues. “Failures” inevitably happen, becoming lessons to those who pay attention and are resilient. I’m not saying I do great at this, but I work on it. My story is not so linear. After pivoting from the idea of medical school and spending a stent out west learning wilderness EMT and learning to rock climb, I found a similar and less time-intensive way to work. Nursing provided the mental stimulation mixed with the desire to serve those vulnerable and in need of help in a way that also allowed me to continue adventuring in the great outdoors on a regular basis. I have an eye for and enjoy finding ways to improve things, from outdoor gear, systems, to relationships (haha) – an incessant and inherent curiosity based on “is there a better way to do this?” After spending a decade working in hospital and healthcare settings, I came to better understand the necessity for safe and efficient systems and to decrease clutter associated with complicated equipment and tight working spaces. We are living in such an interesting time with amazing technological advancements, and simultaneously working with outdated equipment, looking over obvious areas with room to improve. Similar to the rise in need of blue-collar and skilled trades (despite the rise in tech and Ai), I believe there is huge potential for low-tech solutions to daily frustrations of modern life. Through my hands on experience I found the way we handle cables, cords, and hoses in these healthcare settings frustrating and sloppy. Conversations started, sketches next. I was in-between nursing contracts and spending time in Patagonia, Argentina sort of looking for the next “thing.” Having spent ten years learning patient care in healthcare settings, I started asking what is the next chapter in life going to look like, when I met my parent’s new neighbor, a patent attorney. He connected me with an engineer. A couple of close friends and family encouraged me to try the idea. Two years later, a couple nursing contracts, a river restoration construction job, a handful of outdoor adventures, and huge amounts of conversation later we had a patent and a minimal viable product. Fast forward to today, we are running pilots to prove the product and positive impact a cable and hose management system can provide. I never planned on this idea coming this far. I just wanted a better way to handle and store cords and hoses in the hospital and make the lives of patients and providers a little easier. We are still on the mountain, and there are many steps ahead, but people are recognizing the concept and giving positive and encouraging feedback, which i’m thankful for. Starting and sticking with this project has been a wild learning and faith building experience that has stretched me to my limits in every way. I’m excited to see where it goes, hopeful that it will be a helpful service, and get back to the drawing board for more ideas and adventures.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not so smooth! More like an unmaintained 4×4 jungle adventure road, haha. The struggles and sacrifices are manifold, and daily. Never having started my own business, invented anything, and tried to bring that innovative disruption into a big arena, I have had to let go of a lot, learn it all on the fly and constantly face fears, including ones I didn’t know existed. Stepping away from full time work, having to receive support from family and friends, showing up when it feels hard to. Saying no to many fun invitations, other interests and hobbies, climbing and adventure opportunities. Wanting to back out when it feels like the easy thing to do. Balance is key and a constant evaluation. Everyone has struggles. If you are alive, you have struggles. The ones I have now are a different flavor for this season. While struggles are expected, it is how we perceive and deal with them, and I have a lot to room to grown here. One of the hardest parts is overcoming the self. Stepping toward unknown territory with trust and confidence. Challenges will not go away in this life, so I must give attention to the many blessings that are also always present. Being here with this project has given me much more time with family, introduced me to inspirational people, and made me mature and grow. To get out of my own way, and to humbly and thankfully accept grace when i’m kicking and screaming. It has challenged my faith and trust, and forced reliance on God and others. It continually teaches me the character building and subtler qualities of the human experience and constant refinement of becoming a better human being. I don’t do very well at this, but i’m learning. This I know: We are blessed.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
ReelCare is an innovative solution to the problem of cord, cable, and hose management. Especially in healthcare settings, these lines are constantly tangled, lost, damaged, and in the way. This leads to safety issues, costly replacement, frustration handling, and time wasted in work flows. We have a product that organizes cables and hoses for vital signs monitors, to start. These lines are loaded on spools, extended for use, and retracted back into the box for safe, efficient, and sightly storage. Currently, we are piloting prototypes in healthcare settings and hope to get to the market by next year! Plenty of big companies are producing these necessary cords and hoses, but no one is organizing them. This technology can be applied to a variety of applications and settings. ReelCare is changing the way we handle cords and hoses. Let us help your healthcare setting (or other settings) untangle your lines!
How do you think about happiness?
Real, honest love and connection. Those wonderful moments when I truly realize my relationship with my Creator and everything, because our inherent and eternal worth is not of the world, and in what we accomplish. From that internal place, all external places and events have less sway. Gratitude goes a long way, and good fruit is cultivated from thankful soil.
I would love to see less division amongst humanity. When we realize more and more the illusion of separateness, how truly amazing it is we have this short experience on earth, we are more and more willing to help each other on our path forward.
Many of the things that make me happy are not tangible – love, peace, kindness, generosity, and truth – these things make me smile.
Also:
Music, sweet potatoes, morning coffee, nature, adventure and travel, exploring mountains, seeing other cultures, micology, learning all sorts of things, serving others, flowers, birds, stars, people, seeing people step into fears and see their potential, riding bikes with my brothers, climbing mountains with friends, sharing meals with my family and friends, singing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reel.care/
- Instagram: @camtron
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cam-dodds-0b8b54139
