Recent Penn-Trafford grad marries political, demographic trends in new company

An ambitious graduate of Penn-Trafford High School created a company that combines information on elections and voting trends throughout the nation with a variety of statistical demographics that can be sold to educators as well as political campaigns, providing them with insight into what issues might resonate with voters.

Trevor Wilson, 18, of Penn Township, a 2021 graduate, said he saw an opportunity to use his software programming skills to create a company that presents publicly available data in an educational program and an easily understandable manner. He created Focal Demographics in April 2020 when he and other students were struggling with statistics as they were being taught virtually that spring because of the state’s pandemic-related restrictions.

Using software programming skills he learned from his father, Tim, chief information officer at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, he created the website that shows political affiliation and voting trends in every county in the nation. Employment numbers, minority population, household income, crime rate, education levels and gender balance among singles are among the demographics shown for each of the counties. The correlation between the voting results and the demographics is explained through a video and transcribed text analysis, said Wilson.

The team compiles the data by taking raw Excel sheets from various public domain sources and codes everything that is interactive, Wilson said.

Armed with statistics showing an aging population in a county or region might give politicians what issues to emphasize in an election, such as those related to Social Security. Conversely, statistics showing a majority of millennials in a region could give the same politician an idea to promote services such as public transportation, sustainability and environmental causes.

To best understand the correlation between voting trends and demographics on its website, a user would need to purchase a version of Focal Demographics’ program.

Like a professional athlete or entertainer, Wilson said he “began to promote my brand and idea on social media,” such as You Tube, Twitter and Instagram.

“Social media is really helping us,” said Tyler Campbell, chief political analyst and Penn-Trafford graduate.

Wilson created a team of fellow students, naming Nicholas Chesky as the chief financial officer, and hired four others to spread the message about the fledgling company. Joshua Kapcin is monetization director, helping to form partnerships with other companies, Wilson said. Mason Cenci is marketing director and lead sales rep, while Dylan Armstrong is the content manager who oversees social media posts. Ryan Donnelly is the end-user specialist who tests software and suggest changes to make the product better for the consumer, Wilson said.

They looked at other political-based software before developing their own, Wilson said.

Wilson acknowledged he encountered some barriers in launching the company, from “people telling me ‘I couldn’t do it’ to people telling me ‘I’m not smart enough.’ ”

Working for several months, they launched the first version of Focal Demographics on Jan. 2, complemented by a virtual launch on YouTube.

“Thousands of people began interacting with me within the first week. I was shocked,” Wilson said.

“Our YouTube livestream of the launch reached countless views and watch hours, and a feeling of success finally rained over me and my team,” Wilson said.

They made contacts with potential clients at colleges that might be interested in purchasing the rights to use the program, Wilson said, but he declined to discuss those details.

To gain the full effect of the data displayed on the maps and graphics on the website, the company charges subscribers a fee ranging from $4 a month to $36 a year to access an interactive version of the statistics. Institutions such as colleges will be charged from $3 to $3.50 per student per semester, depending on the size of the student body.

Wilson and Campbell participated in a New York Times-sponsored conference in February, the “DC Policy Project,” which sought to break the communication barrier between corporations and federal politics. Wilson and Campbell spoke with U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, New York Attorney General Letitia James and some corporate executives.

Wilson said he intends to continue operating the company when he is in college in the fall, where he plans to study political science and pre-law.

“I’ll have to make time for it,” Wilson said.