Our first big job happened when a company called Komag hired us to develop a system that could enable multiple clean rooms in different parts of the world to be viewed at once. At that time there was no Internet. We did everything over satellite communications. We designed the software and used the first Windows 3.1 system to build it. Our client was able to bring up Windows and see all the clean rooms they managed in three different countries. From there, we started developing systems for companies all over the world.

Around 2001, the company we were buying electronic sensors from told us they were getting bought out by another company – and said we couldn’t use their products any more. That threatened to put us out of business. Dr. Kim called a staff meeting and asked us what we should do. After listening to our ideas against doing hardware, she announced that we were getting into the hardware business to develop our own sensors. We created a small group we called the Star Team. For months, we worked day and night, seven days a week to develop our own sensors. We put them out in the marketplace. Now we had both software and hardware and could deliver systems again. That tactic helped build Lighthouse to where we are today.