How a Navy Reservist Turned Firefighting Frustration into Lifesaving Innovation

By Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) One of the most rewarding—and often the most frustrating—types of volunteer work I do is mentoring young startup founders. They come to me brimming with enthusiasm, presenting a bold idea, and I give them the homework they need to transform that idea into reality. What typically happens next? Well, they vanish or don’t follow through. This is the cycle I’ve come to expect.

Then, in 2021, along came a plumber and Navy Reservist named Thomas Williams, with an idea that seemed promising. He reached out with a big problem he wanted to solve: seconds matter in a ship fire, and too often, the many tools shipboard firefighters carry get misplaced or damaged. His idea? A multitool designed specifically for fire lockers aboard ships.

“Alright,” I told him, “this sounds like a good start.” He showed me some drawings and concepts. They looked promising, but I wasn’t about to pat him on the back and send him off. “Great, now go build it,” I said, and left it at that.

Months went by, and as with many young entrepreneurs, I didn’t hear much from Tom. Then, a year later, I’m attending a conference, minding my own business, when a sharp-looking guy in a suit and tie introduces himself as counder of Northstar Tools. It’s Tom. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much—I’ve been in this game long enough to know that bringing a new tool to market can take years, if it happens at all.

But Tom? He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a prototype of his fire locker multitool.

I was impressed. “Looks awesome,” I told him. “Now get it aboard ships.” I connected him with some people in the industry, and sure enough, Tom followed through. There were issues with sizing, and the prototype sustained some damage in testing, but he wasn’t discouraged. He told me he’d fix it, and that’s exactly what he did.

We met again earlier this year, and this time, Tom wasn’t just carrying a prototype—he had contracts. He had put in the hard work, refined his design, and now he was getting it onto ships. I knew he was on the right track, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized just how far he’d come.

Last week I was wondering through 22 acres of booths at the SMM maritime conference in Hamburg, Germany, and out of the corner of my eye, I spot something familiar. At first, I think someone had stolen Tom’s idea! So, I walk over to the Phoenix Group booth and ask Hector Mas, the Program Manager and retired Navy Damage Controlman manning the stand, where he got that multitool. He tells me about a smart young entrepreneur named Tom Williams and Phoenix is an authorized reseller.

Turns out, the Navy’s Damage Control teams love it. Hector’s excited about how much time the tool is going to save, how many lives it could protect once it’s adopted by commercial ships. And I can’t help but feel a swell of pride.

This mentorship wasn’t like others. It wasn’t a long grind of ideas falling flat or projects getting derailed or founders listening to advice then doing the opposite. Tom kept his focus on the problem, built the simplest possible, effective solution, and put it in the hands of the people who needed it most.

Today, I’m excited for Tom and his journey from a simple idea to a tool that could save lives at sea. I hope every ship in the world adds one of these multitools to their emergency lockers—and that it stands as a testament to what happens when you stay focused, follow through, and never give up.

He has a lot more work to do. Currently the only way for naval ships to purchase the tool is with the ship’s credit card, which is problematic and makes reaching scale difficult. He’s also looking for ways to sell the product to allied Navies and commercial ship operators.

Tom and his small team has put in countless hours but, from my perspective, it’s been the easiest mentorship I’ve ever done. Tom’s drive and commitment made it all happen. I can’t wait to see where he goes next.