Kyle
The Plastic Bag Solution is a green startup located in Chicago IL where the issue of plastic bags is actually becoming a hot button topic among residents, environmentalists and government officials. In fact 1st Ward Alderman Proco Joe Moreno introduced a ban in 2011 of single use plastic bags. The legislation is still waiting to be heard in the Health and Environment Committee. If the legislation is passed Chicago will be the largest city in the country to enact such legislation.
Plastic bags clog sewers,drains,cause animals to suffocate, and take hundreds of years to decompose. The Plastic Bag Solution provides an alternative to the plastic bag that is 100% compostable and great for the environment.
The Plastic Bag solution provides their compostable bags at a fraction of the cost as traditional plastic bags and also educates consumers, business owners and government officials on the use and benefits of their solution to plastic bags.
We got a chance to talk with Coleman Franklin, Co-Founder and Vice President of The Plastic Bag Solution about what their startup is all about and what they’re doing in Chicago.
Check out the interview below:
What is the Plastic Bag Solution?
The Plastic Bag Solution is a for profit business that specializes in city wide sustainability
initiatives. We do this by producing a sustainable product that will replace the number
one consumer commodity in the world, Plastic Bags. We distribute our product at little to
no cost to our end user and educate the community and elected officials on the benefits of
sustainability initiatives in their cities. Our product is a 100% compostable bag that will
naturally decompose back into nutrient rich soil.
Who are the Founders and what are their backgrounds?
Camilo Ferro-Founder and CEO,
Camilo has extensive sales experience and has had an impressive career in management
and business development as an owner of multiple logistics franchises and a tech startup.
Business ownership was a natural inclination for Camilo as his father ran his own Rent-
a-Car business which gave Camilo his first lessons in business ownership. Simply put it’s
in his blood.Coleman Franklin-Co-Founder and Vice President
Coleman’s love for the environment is rivaled only by his creativity and sales skills.
After several years of outdoor instruction and environmental stewardship with companies
such as R.E.I and the American Youth Foundation (AYF) Coleman moved his attention
towards the business world and took positions with U.S. Bank and Edward Jones
Investments. It was an easy transition to entrepreneurship for Coleman as well; his father
owned a St. Louis Candy store on the north side of St. Louis for over ten years.Dave Herrera- Co-Founder and CFO
Dave Herrera is our number guy. Dave has several years experience in private equity
and managing investment portfolios. He also brings contract negotiations skill and bid
procurement expertise to out team.
Where are you based?
The Plastic Bag Solution is based in Chicago, IL.
What is the startup culture/scene where you are based?
Thankfully Chicago is a city that fosters a lot of support for startup companies. We have
been fortunate that both Chicago and Philadelphia city alderman and Chicago local
businesses have shown a great deal of support for the company. Chicago is also dedicated
to creating new and lasting jobs for its citizens. This fits in nicely within The Plastic Bag
Solution’s long term goals of building a factory for our products here in Chicago and
building a large scale composting infrastructure that can support several hundred jobs for
Chicago residents.
Do you have access to the resources you need in your area?
No. The company’s revenue streams and vertical markets are quickly growing to include
not only direct sales, but consulting, marketing, and educational efforts as well. Our
capabilities will soon outgrow our limited sales force and we will not be able to fully
capitalize on these markets.
What problem does the Plastic Bag Solution Solve?
The Plastic Bag Solution solves several problems. We provide a way for consumers
to reduce their dependence on non-renewable resources and plastic pollution without
altering their everyday habits. This solves the problem of how can we stop the damage
that we have done to our environment. We also provide the means for local business
to distribute our product at little to no cost, putting our product directly into the hands
of our end user. This solves the problem of how do we get this product and message
to the people most efficiently. We are also able to increase business’ visibility in local
communities as part of tax deductible green ad campaigns that inherently subsidize the
cost of the product through large company advertising budgets. This solves the problem
of who’s paying for all this. We consider The Plastic Bag Solution a win on all fronts.
Initially we all see the win for the environment, but it is more than that. We help people
understand the long term vision of a green future. We give them the tools to support that
future and we don’t pass any of the cost onto the end user. City officials are recognized
as stewards of the community for their support of our initiatives and local and national
businesses get the advertising exposure they need to continue building their businesses.
All of this is done while helping the environment.
Who is your target user?
We have two target users in mind: The first being large retailers of more than five
thousand square feet. In St. Louis this would mean: Schnuck’s, Walgreens, Target, Best
Buy etc.Secondly, would be the individual consumer that leaves the above mentioned retailers
and carries our product into their homes every day. This is the basis of the advertising
medium. Because these bags reach millions of consumers on a daily basis they becomethe perfect advertising medium for large companies that want to reach specific markets
and promote green causes.
What is your secret sauce?
Passion would of course be #1, but we also are aware of how useful a keen understanding
of the political process is. We work closely with city officials to move them towards
a more sustainable infrastructure. One of the ways we are able to achieve this is by
eliminating or banning the harmful plastic bags that litter our streets and waterways. This
ban on plastic also serves us well as retailers now have the choice to move towards paper,
reusable or our compostable bags. Paper and compostable bags are both compostable so
this furthers the long term goal of landfill diversion and re-usable bags are simply too
expensive for large scale use.
What is one dilemma you faced in the startup process?
Our greatest dilemma is procurement of capital that will allow our business to grow
successfully. It is often said that the answer to ninety nine out of one hundred questions is
money and that couldn’t be more true in our case.
What is one challenge you’ve overcome in the startup process?
The greatest challenge is never giving up. The allure of a nine to five “job” making a
decent salary plus bonus etc. etc. is tempting and takes continued vigilance to overcome.
I am an entrepreneur and we without a doubt are cut form a different cloth than most. As
a former investment advisor I understand to propensity to visualize things in the short
term. Thankfully, I also understand the wisdom in visualizing things in the long term.
Who are some of your business role models and mentors?
Napoleon Hill wrote that several million dollars is nothing compared to “the definitive
knowledge that an intangible impulse of thought can be transmuted into its physical
counterpart by the application of known principles” This was the greatest thing I had ever
heard! We all tell ourselves that anything is possible but very few of us ever really do
anything with that information.
My mentors also include:
Lois Franklin, my mother who was the toughest person I’ve ever met. Her ability to make
something from nothing was nothing short of miraculous. She was my biggest fan and I
am undoubtedly hers.Eric Clarke- Dean of Students SLUH
Emanuel Kuntzelman- Philanthropist
Camilo Ferro-Founder
What’s next for the Plastic Bag Solution?
In the next few months Chicago will vote on a ban of plastic bags, following in the
footsteps over 65 other U.S. cities. This will be our tipping point. Retailers over five
thousand square feet will no longer be allowed to give away plastic bags. The options
will be paper or “compostable”. This will place us in a unique situation to become the
supplier of compostable bags to thousands of Chicago businesses. We have also been
invited to Philadelphia to consult on their upcoming sustainability program.
Linkage:
Check out The Plastic Bag Solution here
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