Entrepreneur Success Stories

Waste Not, Make A Lot

It started as “Project Worm.” Digging through the garbage of Princeton University’s dining halls to explore a business idea is not the typical Ivy League way, but students Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer were convinced they could “bridge the gap between capitalism and environmentalism.” In 2001, the pair created a plant food from worm waste and packaged in used soda bottles, and the company TerraCycle was born.

Now, run on the brainpower of researchers at the Rutgers University EcoComplex and a staff of nearly 30, TerraCycle has expanded its “waste” products line and formed a charitable bottle recycling project with schools and organizations across the United States. TerraCycle products are in major retail outlets such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart, and the 2006 anticipated revenue is $2 million.

Beyer graduated from Princeton in 2005, and is the company’s chief technology officer. Szaky took a hiatus from college to assume the role of CEO of TerraCycle and is a much sought-after speaker at entrepreneurial classes around the nation.

New Soda Hits the Slightly Sweet Spot

Specialty drinks are no longer limited to alcohol. Entrepreneur Sharelle Klaus has created a line of sodas unlike the typical sugary fare.

Klaus was inspired during her pregnancy by wanting to have a non-alcoholic yet still celebratory beverage while enjoying fine food, so she tested a variety of options until she was satisfied. Dry Soda Company has four flavors specifically designed to be liquid companions to just about any food, very similar to the way a wine or beer might complement a meal.

Flavors include:

• kumquat, to be served with seafood like mussels, salmon and white fish, as well as risotto and leafy greens;

• lavender, a companion to cheese, pork and chocolate;

• lemongrass, an obvious favorite alongside Asian dishes;

• rhubarb, a sweet-tart combination that accompanies heavier food such as hamburgers and winter vegetables.

Created with natural fruit and herbs, Klaus’ Dry Sodas are non-caffeinated and contain approximately 50 percent less calories than the big name counterparts.

Klaus, a former dot-com executive, initially had trouble securing a distributor, so she shopped the sodas to restaurants and retailers in the Pacific Northwest herself. She hopes to be nationwide in 2007. In the meantime, curious customers and culinary connoisseurs can purchase a multi-pack of the sodas online or by phone by visiting the Dry Soda Web site.

Building America One Contract at a Time

What could a former schoolteacher possibly know about construction? In 1994, Aldrica Lattimore and her husband Steven partnered with her brother Rodney Thompson and set out to answer that question.

Under the umbrella of a business-to-business mentoring program in San Diego, Lattimore became a student of the construction industry. In 1994, she used $2,000 in seed money to establish Accurate Engineering Integrated Constructions Services, a multi-dimensional contracting company and under the guidance of the larger construction firm Soltek Pacific, Lattimore and her staff acquired lucrative federal, county and city contracts. A decade later, she secured an SBA loan to further the direction of the company and enable expansion in Southern California and Georgia.

Lattimore believed a company that could provide all contracting services would better serve clients, and this idea seems to be proving its merit. Accurate Engineering, which now employs 50 people, is expected to achieve sales of $6 million in 2006. Lattimore has won many awards for her entrepreneurial leadership and the interactive concept of employment and training opportunities for young students.

More Entrepreneurial Success Stories to Come

This article will be the first of many snapshots to focus on innovative self-starters. If you know of an interesting entrepreneurial success story, please let us know.