VALDOSTA — CJB Industries expands to develop Salvus Detection Technology with the world’s first handheld chemical and biological interferometric detector.

Salvus is the Latin word for safe. As a part of the CJB Industries, Salvus serves the food and agriculture, life sciences and specialty chemical industries.

“We wanted to have an impact on the community by reinvesting, bringing people, training, teaching and learning,” Clinton Beeland, president and chief executive officer, said. “We chose a platform that would allow us to support health, food and agricultural without delving deep into one specific industry.”

Beeland said Valdosta is a viable location for the technology company due to the network of universities and colleges, technology and science labs established in the Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa and Gainesville areas.

Backed by years of research and testing at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Salvus has demonstrated fast and effective detection capabilities across numerous applications, according to CJB. CJB Industries partnered with Georgia Tech to produce and manufacture the product.

The company hosted an open house for city and county officials, community partners and people interested in science and technology to tour the newly renovated facility.

The open house included demonstrations of the Salvus handheld by Dr. Nicholas Fisher, development chemist, and Dr. Jennifer Pardieck, senior scientist.

Andre Tartar, product manager, said the device has the ability to rapidly identify contaminants or beneficial substances in liquid, air or surface environments.

Currently, Salvus has multiple agreements with collaborative partners, recently acquired a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services in California, two patents, and more in the process in collaboration and separate from GT, Beeland said.

The company plans to commercially launch the product in 2023.