Three friends who met during freshman orientation are keeping space clean and Northern Initiatives is along for the ride.
Kall Morris Inc. is based in Marquette, where Adam Kall, and brothers Troy and Austin Morris met, bonding over Star Trek, at Northern Michigan University. They never wanted to leave the beautiful, rugged Upper Peninsula, but they also had to earn a living. They finally found their way back to the shores of Lake Superior and founded KMI in office space in downtown Marquette.
“The goal of KMI is Keeping Space Clear For All,” said Director of Science Adam Kall. “Reducing the amount of waste being produced is already happening around the world, but there’s unfortunately a critical mass already in orbit that, unless removed, could continue breaking apart and start striking current and active vehicles.” The floating debris is a hazard to satellites, space stations, and other equipment, and could cause fallout to Earth is there’s a space collision.
Austin Morris, who graduated with a mechanical engineering technology degree and computer numerical control certificate, is director of engineering and develops direct applications and solutions by building physical prototypes, products and production plans; Troy Morris, who has a degree in psychology behavioral analysis and is KMI’s director of operations, runs the day-to-day operations.
The founders first came to Northern Initiatives in 2023 when other lenders had balked at the startup nature of the business. A loan, paid off within months, helped launch KMI, who won an award to demo their REACCH technology on the International Space Station.
Fast (hyperspeed) forward to 2025, with KMI bidding and winning contracts from both private and public entities. Because the contracts call for the work first and pay later, KMI came to Northern Initiatives for a second “short-term” loan to get them through until payout. Despite two years of success, banks still balked at the loan. Northern Initiatives used SBA microloan funds to help launch yet another endeavor.
