Gathering moss in the land of sky blue waters

Making sidelines pay

Doctors who branched out beyond running their practice tell why they did it, how they did it, and what you should know before you do it.
» Other installments

Name: David R. Knighton, MD.

Specialty: Vascular surgery.

Location: St. Louis Park, Minn.

Business: Creative Water Solutions LLC. It develops a product using sphagnum moss to condition and purify water. Used in home spas to keep the water pure, stabilize its pH, absorb oils and prevent scum and foaming.

Annual revenue: About $50,000 in 2006, the first year of the product launch. Projected 2007 revenues of $300,000 to $350,000.

Why he started the business: Dr. Knighton started thinking about the potential properties of sphagnum moss after reading a magazine article about how it was used to treat wounds in World War I. For Dr. Knighton, who is also a cellular biologist, this was right up his alley. "It turns out that northern Minnesota is filled with sphagnum moss. So we got some and started working with it in my research company, and we found it has some very amazing antimicrobial activity that's natural," he said.

"During that time I had a swim spa in my basement, and my now ex-wife was constantly complaining about the odors and chlorine. ... So when I was up in northern Minnesota looking at moss, I made the connection that the beautiful waters up there could be clear because of the moss."

He tested the moss at home and found that it cleaned up the water, so he put his research and development company to work on the idea. Two years later, Creative Water Solutions was born.

Why he keeps practicing: About four years ago, Dr. Knighton quit doing major vascular surgery, choosing to concentrate solely on varicose vein surgery. He said it had nothing to do with his blooming business, but was fueled by new venous ablation techniques that were coming out at the time and a desire to spend more time with his family. Plus, he said, "it keeps me in medicine and I love helping people and I don't want to give that up."

Words of wisdom: "If you have a good idea, you can make a huge difference. But you better have [money] to spend on it to get good patent coverage and to really do good research and development to show that your product is going to work. You have to prove that your idea is not only a viable idea that will help people, but that it is economically feasible and it can be reimbursed."