Michelle Murdock With Core Green Technologies and Core Air Solutions

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:16] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC Open for Business, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Michelle Murdock with Core Air Solutions. Welcome, Michelle.

Michelle Murdock: [00:00:28] Hi. Thanks for having us.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:30] Well, I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about Core Air Solutions. How are you serving folks?

Michelle Murdock: [00:00:36] So, Core Air Solutions kind of came together last year when we were searching for a solution for my senior living communities to the whole COVID. And Core Air is a product that actually cleans the air using the natural process of ionization technology, which is basically recreating the outdoors/indoors without the side effects of pollen.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:03] So, now, for folks who don’t have any type of indoor air kind of solution, like, what are they breathing?

Michelle Murdock: [00:01:13] So, indoor air is actually ten times more polluted than outdoor air no matter where you live. And, really, the biggest thing is particulate matter, there’s viruses, bacteria, mold spores, particulate matter, dust, dander, pollen. When you’re cleaning the house and spraying extra chemicals, that creates something called VOCs, which are Volatile Organic Compounds, which are, really, triggers to a lot of asthma and allergy attacks, COPD. Particulate matter is the tiny, tiny, tiny particles that often don’t get filtered out and is the biggest trigger for asthma and allergy attack. So, those are kind of things that we want to address and kind of clean the air inside so that where we’re at 80 percent of the time we’re getting better, fresher air.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:06] So, for people who think like, “Oh, well, my air conditioner has got a filter, so that must take care of this.” That’s not accurate, right?

Michelle Murdock: [00:02:14] Right. So, filters are great. And I have had a HEPA filter pretty much my entire life because I’ve had asthma and upper respiratory issues for as long as I can possibly remember, 35 years, for sure. And the filters are great, but the filters can only catch so much.

Michelle Murdock: [00:02:35] And what I realized in my past, I guess, almost 18 months of investigating this technology was that, the biggest problems are the particulate matter, mold spores, and things that are in the air that don’t get trapped in your filters. Also, viruses and bacteria, even if they do get trapped in your filters, a lot of them are too small and they’ll pass through anyway. They’re still alive so they can still breed.

Michelle Murdock: [00:03:02] And this technology actually neutralizes, and kills viruses and bacteria, and mold spores, prevent it from growing so that you’re not pushing back out the bacteria that might build up in your duct gut work. Let’s say you clean your ducts and six months later, there’s still bacteria, especially if you’re in the south at all, we’ve got a lot of humidity. And that’s one of the biggest problems is mold spores kind of build up and get pushed out. And we’re not even aware, you know, we think that everything’s clean, we do a good job cleaning, but what we don’t realize is the things that are building up inside.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:42] Now, you used the phrase bipolar ionization, can you explain that and how it works in this system?

Michelle Murdock: [00:03:47] Yes. So, ionization is actually the process that you get outside. So, the Sun and the Earth, they will naturally cleanse the Earth. They use something called ions, and ions are created by sparks and movement. So, up in the mountains and at the beach, you get the largest count of ions, particularly negative ions. And in that scenario, those ions will naturally attack pathogens, which are viruses and bacteria mold spores. They’ll also neutralize odors and VOCs.

Michelle Murdock: [00:04:20] So, needlepoint, bipolar ionization is the UL certified technology that basically cleans the air with no byproduct. When you’re outside, you get things like ozone and UV rays. Bipolar ionization, basically, eliminates the UV and the ozone and just creates the ions inside. Negative ions are actually really good for you, and they’re also known to increase your memory, and your mood, and your energy levels.

Michelle Murdock: [00:04:50] So, we have the whole home units and the whole business units that go into the ductwork. And then, we also have the ionization technology that are wearable, and you can take them to your cars, so it helps clean the air no matter where you’re at. But bipolar ionization is that creation of those ions without any byproduct.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:12] Now, is this a new technology to be able to bring it into your home and make it portable to kind of follow you around wherever you are?

Michelle Murdock: [00:05:20] Well, the technology is actually not new. Einstein discovered it way back when, and it’s been used in the entire world for decades. It was brought to the U.S. in the ’70s to control pathogens, and manufacturing food, and pharmaceuticals.

Michelle Murdock: [00:05:37] The reason most people aren’t aware of the technology is because it’s always been used as an energy management tool for large applications. So, they use it in airports. Most of the airports around the country have it. It’s in the White House, the Mayo Clinic. It’s in big commercial applications, big office buildings. As a matter of fact, if you’re in Georgia, Georgia Power actually gives you a rebate if you put this in your business, because it does reduce the amount of outdoor air that comes in, and that is creating better energy efficiency within your building.

Michelle Murdock: [00:06:10] So, it’s not new technology. And I knew nothing about it, which was surprising, because as sick as I’ve been most of my life, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the technology, you know, for air. But I didn’t. It was the first I’d ever heard of it. And it’s just not readily available to normal small businesses because, again, it’s always been deemed an energy efficiency tool until recently. And, now, you know, within the past year, you’re seeing a lot more education out there and a lot more businesses becoming aware of it.

Michelle Murdock: [00:06:46] We do sell with businesses, but we kind of are really hoping that we can get more people in the residential side, get their knowledge a little better so that they know that this technology is available for their health as well. Not necessarily an energy efficiency tool, but a clean air tool. So, it helps with a lot of the things that we struggle with on a regular basis. And indoor air quality is not a sudden issue just because of COVID. They’ve been battling air quality issues in commercial applications for decades.

Michelle Murdock: [00:07:21] We’ve made everything tight and secure. And in doing so and in trying to make it more energy efficient, we’re kind of trapping in all the bad things as well, and we’re trying to clean better. So, we’re spraying more chemicals which create more issues than we realize. So, this just neutralizes it.

Michelle Murdock: [00:07:39] And, you know, it’s considered an emerging technology, which I do find humorous because it’s been around for as long as – what? – 80, 90, 100 years or more. So, it’s not new technology. It’s just new to us, as consumers, versus an energy management company that uses it.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:59] So, now, if you have in your home a person that has asthma, or maybe a respiratory issue, or maybe is a senior grandparent, or something like that that might have issues breathing, then this starts becoming elevated to a must have than a nice to have, wouldn’t you think?

Michelle Murdock: [00:08:19] Yeah. So, that was my thought. So, when we first launched this, it was on the commercial side. We worked with a lot of restaurants and a lot of hospitality. And it was kind of something to help them stay open or to reopen.

Michelle Murdock: [00:08:34] But the more that I have experienced it, you know, I’ve had it in my home. I put it in my home first because I wanted to see did it work, what does it do. Because, again, somebody who suffered her entire life with autoimmune issues, and I get a little tickle on my throat and it turns into a nine week sinusitis and bronchitis and sometimes pneumonia, and this constant cough, you know, I needed to kind of know what this did.

Michelle Murdock: [00:09:05] So, my personal experience, first of all, we have a house that was being remodeled, but the basement had been flooded multiple times and it still had a must smell. And we called mold experts and they said there’s no mold in the house. And I’m like, “I smell it as soon as I walk in the door. I’m very sensitive.” We put this in, two days later, the smell is gone. We’ve not had the smell back. I don’t know if it’s just because we live in wood, that the wood retains a lot, but this has been able to clean that air.

Michelle Murdock: [00:09:35] You can’t smell pets. We have cats. Nobody knows we have cats. If we cook, you can’t smell the bacon or the lingering curry. But the biggest tail for me was, I woke up in the morning and I wasn’t constantly clearing my throat. And the more we’ve had it – I’m not saying you’re never going to get sick – I have been antibiotic free for over a year. I have not had a single antibiotic, which is unheard of. My doctor accused me of cheating on her. I haven’t been in to see her and I haven’t had her call prescriptions in because I haven’t been sick. I’ll get a little allergy here and there, but overall I’m better in a day, which has never occurred in my life.

Michelle Murdock: [00:10:18] So, in the beginning, we were having a lot of people that we knew that had the same issues try the technology. Some of my commercial clients put it in their home. We’ve had tremendous success in the same areas. You know, the pet dander is less, you dust less. Now, you do change your filter a little more often. But we, for the last nine months, have gone from a major HEPA filter down – again, this is just us testing it for our personal reasons, and I’m not suggesting that people stop using HEPA filters by any stretch of the imagination. The more things that you can do in your home to clean the air and HEPA filter certainly do that.

Michelle Murdock: [00:10:57] But we were testing to see, “Well, is it going to collect more dust or less dust?” And it’s kind of been the same, we’ve been evaluating. But we dust less because the ions will actually charge particulate matter, like dust dander and pollen, and cause it to clump together. And when it clumps together, it gets heavy and larger. So, the heavier it gets, it can fall to the ground. But more importantly, it gets larger, so now your filter is going to be more effective and it’s going to capture more of that particulate matter and the things that trigger your allergies.

Michelle Murdock: [00:11:31] I have not had a single episode. I have traveled. And when I travel, I actually take either my wearable. Or depending on where we’re going, I have a portable unit that we’ve kind of created. We are in the process of creating one to offer that’s a regular, smaller, in-room unit. But when I travel, I noticed that I was still getting sick originally.

Michelle Murdock: [00:11:57] So, what I did was take the cover off of a P-TECH unit, which whether you’re supposed to do that or not, I don’t know. But the filter was really clean. But what wasn’t clean was the plastic that encompassed the filter. So, there was a bunch of mold spores. So, I realized very quickly that that was the trigger in why I was so sick all the time.

Michelle Murdock: [00:12:18] So, when I travel, I take my wearable unit, and I even wear that one outside because it does repel pollen and the dust and the dander that trigger my allergies. And what I find is less triggers mean less issues. And less allergy issues have equated to zero sinus infections, which, again, I’m not saying that that’s going to work completely for everybody. But in my history, I’ve never not been sick in 35 years.

Michelle Murdock: [00:12:47] So, you know, in every person that we’ve had that has installed this in their home has given me the same feedback. They woke up congestion free for the first time in 20 years. They don’t have odors lingering. I have a friend who is Indian and they cook curry a lot, and she’s like, “For my entire life, my house has smelled like curry.” It doesn’t linger now when she cooks. So, there’s a lot of really good benefits that go along with the ionization technology that you can’t get from UV and you can’t get from filters. But using all three together give you an even better clean air experience.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:26] Now, is this difficult to install, or is this something a person could do with themselves, or this has to be professionally installed? Like, how intrusive is this type of a device?

Michelle Murdock: [00:13:37] So, we are not an HVAC company. We believe firmly that you should be able to get this through an HVAC company, but a lot of them don’t offer this technology because there’s no real maintenance or recurring revenue to it. We have created self-installation kits and videos and step-by-step instructions. It is probably one of the easiest things I have ever installed. And I’ve done quite a few on multiple different types of furnaces and heat pumps just to get the experience, but also to catalog a video of how these are installed.

Michelle Murdock: [00:14:14] They have magnets on so they easily go into, and you don’t have to screw anything in. And they are 24 volt terminal, which may not mean anything to a lot of people. It didn’t to me. I didn’t understand it. But the setup and the install we have made extremely easy. But if you aren’t that kind of person and you want someone to install, we do work with some HVAC companies around the country to help install it. But it’s definitely self-installed.

Michelle Murdock: [00:14:43] We actually warranty it for three years. We do video chats for people who are, maybe, not sure where it goes. So, we try to make it very convenient. And the reason why we believe in the self-install is because, again, when I first came across this technology, I wanted to know why I didn’t already hear about this. So, I went and called HVAC companies in. And the biggest thing was, it’s a science and you can’t see.

Michelle Murdock: [00:15:11] And once you put it in, these units are designed to last 20 plus years. So, the only maintenance is to use some compressed air and spray off the bristles once a year. Or we do it every time we change the filter. But that’s just because it’s a habit. But the technology is designed to last. You know, there’s an in-line fuse. So, if something were to go wrong, you can just replace the fuse.

Michelle Murdock: [00:15:35] But internationally, it only has a three percent return rate, which means only three percent of the international. It’s been in production for over 12 years. So, that’s a huge win for anybody who’s trying to look at a cost effective solution because that’s what this is. And when I realized how inexpensive it was to have clean air and to not be sick, I literally have paid for my unit ten times over by not spending the money on the medication, and going to the doctor’s office, and being down and out of work for weeks at a time. So, yeah, it’s super easy to install. We hold your hand every step of the way. And we also can help work with getting it installed for you.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:22] Now, is it similar to the device that would be used commercially, like at a senior center or a restaurant or one of the places that you typically place these?

Michelle Murdock: [00:16:32] So, we have different sizes, and the ones that we use predominantly are the units that can be used both residentially and commercially. And there are smaller unit and they fit very easily into rooftop units, into furnaces, heat pumps. But for our commercial side, we also have larger units that cover larger tonnage. So, the specific unit that I’m talking about that we use residentially and commercially goes up to six tons. And then, we have other units that cover larger, like 10 ton, 20 ton, 60 ton units.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:10] But it’s the same type of a device. It’s just made for a larger kind of a machine. But it’s the same technology.

Michelle Murdock: [00:17:20] Yes. Exactly. It’s the same technology. And the way that it works is, you know, the other reason why this is so energy efficient and so cost effective is it takes less than half a milliamp charge, which is nothing, right? It’s just this tiny, tiny little bit of energy that just creates these little bitty sparks to create the ion. So, it doesn’t pull any power, really.

Michelle Murdock: [00:17:46] And the only thing that you have to do in your home is you have to turn your ventilation system, your fan to the on position, so your thermostat controller. And the reason you turn it to on, anybody who has allergies probably already has it set on, because your doctor will tell you, “Listen, your filter is only going to work when you’re running your fan to filter that air. So, the air has to move through the house in order to get things caught in the filter.”

Michelle Murdock: [00:18:12] So, the same concept with the ions. In order for the ions to work effectively, you turn the fan to the on position. It’s going to be blasting millions and millions and millions of ions out continuously. So, it’s going to first attack any kind of bacterial mold spores that builds up in your duct system. And then, it’s going to go out into the occupied space. And anywhere the air can flow, even on counters and even on shelves, the ions are going to be able to basically kind of scrub. So, they are going to be seeking those pathogens. And then, in those process of seeking pathogens, they’re going to bump into particulate matter, which is what charges them and causes them to stick together.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:52] Now, if you install this, how quickly until you notice something’s changed?

Michelle Murdock: [00:18:59] I noticed it pretty immediate. Everyone that I know, within a couple of days, they actually know. We have had one instance where someone was like, “This doesn’t work. I want my money back.” And we do a full 30 day money back guarantee because we want people to feel confident with their purchase. That’s also why we warranty it for three years.

Michelle Murdock: [00:19:21] But what was interesting was they sent the device back, and a-week-and-a-half later, they called and asked us to send the device back to them. That while they didn’t notice it when it was installed, as soon as they took it out, they noticed pretty quickly that their allergies picked back up. Their son, who had literally gone off of his asthma inhaler, was having to use it again. So, it was very apparent that it was helping.

Michelle Murdock: [00:19:49] In our commercial applications, we get a lot of really good feedback, but it’s harder, especially with this time and what’s going on in our world right now, everybody’s taking extra precautions. But we did have an operator of quick serve restaurants who had installed this in six of her restaurants, bought four more, didn’t install it in those four, and actually was our biggest cheerleader.

Michelle Murdock: [00:20:15] At their last convention, because she had another bout when the COVID variant kind of reared its head this summer, the only difference between those restaurants were that they had Core Air installed at those six. And those six had one off cases of COVID and illnesses. But the four had multiple instances. And even one of the restaurants had to be completely shut down.

Michelle Murdock: [00:20:43] So, there was, less of the, I guess, traveling. And that’s what the system, it’s not going to prevent illness completely because if you’re, obviously, right in front of somebody and they cough in your face, well, the chances of you getting what they have is going to be probably larger. But the trance of Joe, who may be in another room, getting infected by a virus is going to be very, very, very slim.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:12] This must be so rewarding for you to be so personally affected by this and to have a solution that really solves this for a lot of people. It must make you feel good when someone buys this.

Michelle Murdock: [00:21:22] Yeah. And we also do a lot of donating and a lot of giving away. And I get in trouble for that quite often, because it’s just something that if I could do it all for free, I would. But all of our proceeds, every bit that we bring in, we’re putting right back out. We’ve installed at several of the senior living and homes that maybe are lower income and don’t have the ability to afford it. We try to help out. We try to take care of it.

Michelle Murdock: [00:21:56] When we’re traveling, I wear my personal unit and always have several with me because it never fails. You get a waitress, or a flight attendant, or somebody that works in the public who are very interested in it. And in their line of work, we want them to feel protected. So, you know, I’ll often give mine away and have to get another one.

Michelle Murdock: [00:22:19] But, yeah, it’s probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life just knowing that it helps other people. We have so many people that will give us a feedback of, you know, they stopped taking Benadryl at night to sleep. They don’t use their inhalers. They’re going longer between episodes. We have a senior that he actually is going through cancer and he has COPD, and he calls them probes – it’s really cute. But he really likes his probes because he feels better. He wakes up and feels better. Which is really the whole reason behind what we’re doing and really trying to educate people about the technology.

Michelle Murdock: [00:23:04] It’s not even about where you buy it from. It’s about learning about the technology and knowing that that’s available to you, specifically to people, in my case, allergy and asthma, anything that triggers that upper respiratory infection. You know, I think they should definitely check out the technology, learn about it. It’s probably one of the most inexpensive investments I’ve ever made to improve my overall quality of health.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:31] Now, let’s talk a little bit about GWBC. Can you talk about how that association has helped you and your business?

Michelle Murdock: [00:23:38] So, we are just learning. I actually have another business, which is a green technology business or green service industry business. So, I have really learned a lot about the potentials out there and the ability to network and connect. And I’ve taken quite a few of their courses, and we ignite, and all of the things that group you together, and you really hear about other entrepreneurs out there that a lot of times are just fascinating, really.

Michelle Murdock: [00:24:17] So, we’ve learned a lot about how to even organize. I don’t know anything about product sales. I’ve always been in service sales and service industry. So, product is new to me. And I’ve realized a lot of things. You know, like I said, I pretty much give everything away for free and priced everything to where it’s just covering costs. And, you know, it’s taught me that you can’t really do that.

Michelle Murdock: [00:24:45] So, yeah, being part of the women-owned small business groups is just amazing information. And I really, you know, keep trying to take more time to develop these skills and these connections. So, I just think it’s been wonderful to see and hear about everybody else, and the possibilities of working to get this product into larger applications, and the commercial – or the retail market – is what I’m trying to say – it’s really kind of neat. So, yeah, I’m learning a lot. It’s really fascinating and really a lot of education.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:32] Now, if somebody wants to learn more about the Core Air solutions product for themselves or in their home or their business, is there a website?

Michelle Murdock: [00:25:40] Yeah. So, we have coreairpurification.com, which is more geared towards the residential. And then, we have core.green, which is all of our green technology. But either way, they can reach out to us on Facebook, LinkedIn, pretty much anywhere. And we’re happy to help and they can email me directly. You know, we just, again, want people to know about the technology.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:05] Well, Michelle, congratulations on all your success. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Michelle Murdock: [00:26:10] We appreciate you having us. Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:12] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on GWBC Open for Business.