Our Story

 

Engineered in the Trenches. Built for the People Who Protect Us.

Phokus Research Group was founded in 2009 on a belief that has never changed: life-saving gear should be designed by the people who depend on it — not by engineers who have never been in the field. That belief has shaped every product we build, every kit we configure, and every logistics solution we deliver. 

We serve America and its allies across three core capabilities: mission-critical Products, Equipment Logistics Services, and Integrations. But before any of that, there was a problem in the water off the coast of California, and a person who decided to fix it.

 

During an 'Over the Beach' evolution off the California coast, our Founder and CEO, Rob Hanna, found himself fighting waves and current — and a method for detaching a parachute from a Zodiac that wasn't good enough. So, he invented a better one on the spot. 

That moment didn't just produce an invention. It produced a philosophy: the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution. If you've been in the field, you know what breaks. You know what costs lives. And you know what needs to be built. 

Rob's early innovations were adopted — but not always with his name attached. Without business experience, he watched others benefit from ideas he had developed. That painful lesson didn't make him bitter. It made him clear: good ideas need good partners, and no one wins alone.

As the U.S. economy was collapsing, a group of CEOs arrived in Coronado, California, for a leadership program run by current and former special operations members. Modeled after Navy SEAL training, the course was designed to push people well past what they thought their limits were. 

Teams were sorted by height. Danny Stein — a New York entrepreneur who had built and scaled multiple multimillion-dollar companies — ended up on the 'Smurf Team.' Over four days of physical and mental punishment, that team battled its way to victory. The person who led them there: Rob Hanna. 

Danny recognized something immediately. Rob wasn't just physically capable — he had the kind of innovation instinct that can't be taught. When Rob showed him the Hoplite, a new NVG focusing device he had just developed, Danny saw exactly what it was: a battlefield-proven solution from someone who had been in the field. And a business that needed to be built.

 

Rob and Danny's partnership was built on complementary strengths and mutual respect. Rob's battlefield experience drove product innovation — ideas like the Under Armor Trauma Kit, conceived directly from the needs of deployed service members who needed trauma capability without a detectable profile. Danny's business acumen provided the structure, scale, and strategy to turn those innovations into a company. 

What followed was a growing catalog of mission-critical solutions trusted by military, law enforcement, and allied forces worldwide. Products covering hemorrhage control, airway management, NVG optimization, and hemorrhage control training. A logistics arm built to handle the procurement, fulfillment, and supply chain needs of government agencies that need more than a vendor — they need a partner. 

Phokus has never stopped building. The same drive that produced the first Under Armor Trauma Kit continues to produce new solutions for new problems — because the field keeps changing, and the people protecting us deserve gear that keeps up.

Phokus Research Group operates across three integrated segments — each one a direct answer to a real need from the people we serve:

 

[ P ] Products Purpose-built trauma kits, bleeding control systems, NVG focusing devices, and wound simulation tools — engineered from field experience, manufactured in America.

[ L ] Logistics End-to-end supply chain solutions, inventory management, secure fulfillment, and procurement support for government agencies and defense organizations.

[ I ] Integrations Combining products, training tools, and logistics into complete mission-ready systems for units, agencies, and allied forces.

Every milestone on this timeline started the same way: someone in the field had a problem. We built the solution.

 

2008	The Meeting at Coronado Rob Hanna leads Danny Stein's team to victory during a SEAL-modeled leadership program. A trusted partnership is formed around a shared belief: innovation belongs in the hands of operators.
2009	Phokus Research Group Founded Rob and Danny formalize the company with a mission to serve America and its allies with innovative, high-quality solutions. The Hoplite NVG focusing device — the invention that first caught Danny’s eye — enters active R&D.
2010	Hoplite NVG Focusing Device Ships After R&D spanning 2008–2010, the Hoplite reached the market. The invention that first caught Danny’s eye — a precision NVG focusing device designed by an operator, for operators — becomes Phokus’s first product.
2010	Under Armor Trauma Kit The second product was born directly from battlefield necessity. A trauma kit engineered to live behind a ballistic plate — invisible, protected, and immediately accessible. The idea that would define the Phokus product line. Thank you, Noel Sons!
2018	WOUND CUBE™ Wound Simulator Phokus launches the WOUND CUBE™ — a compact, clear hemorrhage control training device with specialized wound patterns that build tactile muscle memory for real-world hemorrhage response. Training and products, unified.
2019	Phokus Logistics Phokus expands beyond products into full supply chain and logistics services. Secure facilities, in-house fulfillment, and procurement support built specifically for government agencies and defense organizations.
Today	Still Building New products. New solutions. The same mission. Phokus continues to serve America and its allies — wherever the need exists.

Every product we build, every kit we configure, and every logistics solution we deliver exists for one reason: to give the people protecting America and its allies a better chance of coming home. 

We don't design from a catalog. We design from experience — from the operator in the water who needed a better way to separate a parachute from a Zodiac, from the special forces medic who needed and created a trauma kit behind the plate instead of on top of it, from the unit commander who needed procurement and fulfillment handled by someone who understood the mission.

 

That's Phokus Research Group. Engineered in the trenches. Built by our Operators. For our Nation.