Sourgum CEO Joe DiNardi-Mack on Bringing Tech Innovation to Waste and Recycling

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We very much believe that
sustainability and profitability

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have to go hand in hand for it
to not be a greenwashing

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endeavor and for it to actually
stick.

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So we use all of our available
data and resources to help

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separate the shrink out as much
as possible to increase the

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version while also reducing
cost.

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Welcome to the Environmental
Transformation Podcast, where we

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bring you interviews with
industry leaders, climate

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champions, sustainability
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professionals making an impact
in their businesses today.

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I'm your host, Sean Grady and
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Now let's get started.
Welcome to the Environmental

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Transformation podcast.
I'm your host Sean Grady and

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today's guest is Joe Denardi
Mack.

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He is the Co founder and CEO of
Sour Gum, a technology driven

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waste and recycling company
transforming an outdated waste

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industry.
Under his leadership, Sargum has

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grown into a national provider
serving thousands of businesses

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with streamlined, cost effective
waste solutions.

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Joe comes from a family with
over a century of experience.

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He's a fourth generation
businessman here in the business

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in waste recycling and brings a
rare combination of deep

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industry expertise and a tech
forward perspective.

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Prior to founding Sour Gum, he
operated both collection

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companies and waste disposal
facilities.

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And he's the founding and he's a
founding full stack software

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engineer at a proptech startup.
So, Joe, welcome to the show.

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Thanks, Sean.
Appreciate you having me on.

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You know, I, you're one of your
posts a while back caught me

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piqued my interest is what I'd
say.

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And I've got a little background
in waste management software

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and, and I thought, you know
what, I want to learn more about

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what Joe's doing and, and what
his company's up to because it's

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pretty exciting.
So here we are.

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You know, let's talk if we could
a little bit about your origin

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story here.
Joe, you know you are our 4th

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generation waste and recycling
entrepreneur and you know what

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made you decide to take this
family legacy and reinvent it to

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with a tech driven company like
Sour Gum?

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Yeah, absolutely.
So on 4th generation great

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grandfather started back in 1897
actually with the horse and

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buggy.
OK, you're totally old school

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there.
Oh yeah.

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And you know, since then, our
family's been in the space

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owning and operating various
collection companies, disposal

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facilities, really affording me
the opportunity to work every

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position in the industry, from
the back of the truck to office

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duties to managing Murph's
myself.

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And I want to take a bit of
hiatus from the industry, see

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what else was out there.
So I went to work at a prop tech

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startup and that's what really
opened my eyes, saw the ability

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to bring software technology
into a legacy industry.

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And, you know, it was after my
time there that I realized just

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how outdated this industry I've
known my entire life actually

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was and wanted to kind of bring
it into the modern age to

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improve the experience for both
customers who need to get rid of

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their waste and recycling as
well as the haulers operating in

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the space themselves.
So when you, when you, you know,

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took that little hiatus, you
know, is that when you really

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started to invest in like your
programming and, and technology

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skills?
Is that what you focused on when

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you did that?
Yeah.

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So actually when I joined this,
you know, proptic startup, it

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wasn't even for engineering.
It was for more of an operations

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role.
And then you know how startups

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go, you start picking up
different hats.

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And I started picking up that
full sack engineering myself.

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And you know, that's what really
made me realize how powerful

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technology is.
Were you always tech savvy as a

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kid growing up?
You strike me as one of the

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digital natives growing up.
So you kind of had it always in

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your blood, I'm assuming?
More than you even know.

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So my father actually started a
software company way back,

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actually designing custom built
systems for different waste and

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collection companies himself.
So I've always had the mix of my

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mother's side in the actual
operating part of the industry,

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the collection companies, the
disposal facilities and my

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father, you know, bringing that
technology in very early on for

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custom solutions to them.
That's great, Great.

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So you taking this time off now
you're, you're, you're basically

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thinking about, you're seeing
the problems in the industry.

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You know, when you look at the
waste industry, what stood out

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to you is broken and, or
outdated.

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And and how did that spark your
idea for sour gum?

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So it was a few things.
The industry itself still was

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running on pen and paper for the
large part.

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Lot of carbon copy on disposal
tickets actually going in and

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out of facilities.
Routing was primarily done by

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hand.
Still.

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I'm not really using software to
kind of improve the, you know,

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different stops along the way as
well as there's just a real lack

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of infrastructure across the
entire country.

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You know, you can recycle as
much as you want in some parts

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of the US, but it's just going
to end up in a landfill because

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the infrastructure doesn't exist
in those rural parts.

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And a large part of that is
because there's a lack of data.

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People are really hesitant to go
build a brand new facility in

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certain parts of the US because
they don't know how much

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material they'll actually get in
the door to make sure it's

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actually cost effective and
justifiable to build it.

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Yeah, there's a lot of truth to
that right there.

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I mean, disconnected, not
accessible your facilities when

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you think about your product.
Tell me a little bit about how

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you vision or see this kind of
supporting the circular economy.

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Absolutely.
So not only are we creating

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software to help improve the
actual operations of different

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collection companies and improve
the experience for those getting

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rid of their different debris,
but we're also ensuring that

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we're building data across the
entire infrastructure.

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Whether that's AI, image
recognition, self reported

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origin information of the people
actually disposing the material

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themselves.
We are pretty much trying to

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build the operating system for
the waste recycling industry to

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the point where we're collecting
enough data to then work with

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both public and private entities
to give them the confidence they

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need to know what facilities to
build to divert the majority of

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waste that's in their streams
and of what size it needs to be

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to make sure it's an actual
profitable endeavor.

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Wow, that's great.
I mean, so there had to been a

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moment where you had this aha
moment like, Oh my gosh, this is

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like what we need.
What was that specific moment

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where you thought we can do this
better with technology and that

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became the catalyst for
launching the company?

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I wouldn't say it was 11 moment
necessarily.

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It was my entire life growing up
in the industry, knowing how we

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operated, seeing all the
problems and then maybe multiple

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aha moments as time went on
working at that.

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Projects are going, Oh my God,
why are we entering these

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tickets manually when we can use
AI to read them?

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Why are we writing this three
times in three different systems

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when we can have it all
connected and sync together?

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So it was just uncovering the
power of technology along the

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way and uncovering all the
problems and headaches within

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the industry as well.
So you were living, breathing

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the challenges every day and,
and recognizing there's got to

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be a better way.
And it was probably just gnawing

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at you all the time and you're
just constantly thinking about,

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man, I got to figure out a
better way to do this.

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And and it wasn't like you
mentioned that it was all these

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little aha moments, but it was
not like the one big one.

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But so I, I totally, totally
understand that.

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That's a good summary.
So for the listeners you know

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who haven't really maybe you
visited your website, know much

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about what you guys do talk a
little bit like how does this

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service work?
Explain in simple terms you know

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the the sour gown platform and
you know what makes booking

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waste and recycling services
easier of.

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Course so for those who need to
get rid of different waste and

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recycling debris, we've created
an Uber or Amazon like platform

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for them where they can either
go online and completely check

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out themselves.
They don't have to interact with

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anyone.
It's a you know modern

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e-commerce like experience.
They can also work with one of

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our waste specialist as well to
help optimize their setup,

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especially for more enterprise
grade clients.

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From there we're really trying
to make it on autopilot.

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You know every customer no
matter their size, gets access

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to a free online portal for all
procurement management.

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However, we really measure how
often they don't go into it.

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You know, if you're going into
the portal and doing things,

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that means we're not, we're not
really doing our job because it

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should be on autopilot.
It should be the last thing on

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their mind.
And it's all made possible

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because on the supply side where
you have over 5000 partners

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haulers across the US, mostly
small local haulers who have

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great pricing, great service,
but really, you know, just lack

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some of that business
development to really get

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discovered.
And we're also equipping them

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with our proprietary technology
to better run their business as

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well as kind of integrate into
our network so that we're taking

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all these 5000 haulers and
almost having them run as one

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single fleet.
And that's where all the magic

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happens, where, you know, we're
improving their routes.

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We're using cameras on the
trucks to analyze the streams

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coming out.
Everything we're doing is on the

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supply side, the heavy lifting
to make that remain side

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experience just as seamless and
as, you know, automated as

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possible.
Well, let's let's dive into that

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a little bit because that's
quite interesting.

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You know, supporting local
haulers, you know, waste is such

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a local business.
How does Sour Grim help small

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independent haulers compete and
thrive in that with this new

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technology model?
I mean, are you vetting these

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vendors?
You know, you mentioned cameras

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on trucks.
I mean, are these access or

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tools that you're providing or
are they they buying them and

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they link in?
I mean, talk a little bit about

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your process here of connecting
your your service providers to

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this infrastructure to make it
this Amazon Uber ordering

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process.
So we give our partner callers

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technology, you know, they don't
have to bring in outside

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packages.
We give them the full stack

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themselves so they only have one
turnkey solution that they need.

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We'll also give them free
cameras to put on their service

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vehicles, and that's what helps
us get more data about what's

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actually going on the ground.
And then that software helps

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just improve all aspects of
their business, routing and

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dispatching, time clock
management, even billing and

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charging their customers they
received on their own outside of

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the sour gum network.
And then as they use the

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technology, you know, we get
some benefits on our side where

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we know where the next Sargam
order falls into a schedule to

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provide real time ET as we're
seeing the material actually

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coming out of the cans.
So we can analyze that to make

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improvements in diversion
efforts, you know, taking

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cardboard out of waste streams
for example.

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And then we're opening up larger
opportunities for them as well.

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We focus more on enterprise
grade clients.

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So I think people with multiple
locations across multiple states

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who want sour gum because it's a
single point of procurement,

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it's online, it's modern, it's
easy.

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And now we're giving these
opportunities to all these small

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local haulers who can work on
the few locations that are

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within their area.
I got it.

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I got it.
So so if you're a small service

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provider and you want to improve
your business operations,

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basically you can sign up to be
a sour gum, you know, supporter

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or being a, you know, vendor.
And and then you can even just

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book your own projects through
sour gum to deliver the service

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and essentially kind of use you
guys as the broker waste hauling

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business for them.
Is that accurate?

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Yeah, that's accurate.
So, you know, the way we built

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the technology is it's not
cornered into just the sour gum

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work.
It's designed for all the work

230
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with their billing directly not
using sour gum at all.

231
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This way they're, you know,
really modernizing their entire

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operations because the better
they run their operations in

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total, the better experience we
provide to our customers.

234
00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:33,560
Gotcha, gotcha.
Well that's pretty interesting.

235
00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:37,920
I like this.
This is a interesting new, I

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00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,680
guess, tech forward focus on the
service.

237
00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,720
You know, it's so many of the
waste companies, it's all

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00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,240
regionalized, right?
I mean, you know, it's local,

239
00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:51,240
you know, do you have challenges
with providing consistent

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containers, you know, and
service pickups with some of

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these these haulers?
And and if you do encounter

242
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that, well, what do you do to
kind of adjust and and kind of

243
00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:02,680
solve those problems?
So because they're running on

244
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our technology, we do have the
ability to measure their service

245
00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,640
level agreements against what we
need our SL as to be.

246
00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:15,160
So that's kind of how we keep
our vendors, you know, in line

247
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,720
with what our customers expect.
We show them obviously reports

248
00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,040
and dashboards of how they're
performing, what they have to do

249
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to kind of improve to stay
within the network and stay

250
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,160
receiving jobs from sour gum.
And then it is obviously very

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local and regional.
So we don't really have too many

252
00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,440
issues on the SLA side with the
haulers.

253
00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:36,320
But every time we go into a new
market, it's like that chicken

254
00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:38,720
and egg problem all over again.
You know, we leaned on

255
00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,720
experience from Uber and Airbnb
and other tech forward

256
00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:45,720
marketplaces to figure out how
to build that supply side

257
00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,920
network while also building the
demand needed to get that supply

258
00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:51,960
into the network.
Right, right now this is good.

259
00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:59,120
I mean, there is the time when I
was doing software development

260
00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:03,560
and overseeing a product and
yeah, we had a similar kind of

261
00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,920
recycling platform where we
would companies to put up, you

262
00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,200
know what they had that for like
a recycling market.

263
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:12,960
Hey, I've got, you know, 5000
lbs of this type of material,

264
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,400
you may want to bid on that.
So it was kind of like an eBay

265
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,200
for, you know, waste recycling
products and really enjoyed it.

266
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,160
But, you know, it was really
hard to scale.

267
00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:25,200
The former company I was with
just really unfortunately wasn't

268
00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,120
prepared to be a software
company.

269
00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,080
They were more of a consulting
company.

270
00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,400
So they just didn't see the
value and the vision that we

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00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,120
were, you know, in the trenches,
us in the trenches who saw it.

272
00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,640
And so just, it didn't go where
we was hoping it would go.

273
00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,480
But you know, I'm, I'm glad to
see, you know, somebody like

274
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,480
yourself and your company doing
this because I think there's a

275
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huge value in it.
I mean, people want it simple.

276
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,800
They, they want to hit the easy
button, right?

277
00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:54,000
They want to go and just get on
their phone and then make it

278
00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,240
streamlined and simple and
painless and straightforward

279
00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:59,320
and, and reliable.
And that's, that's sounds like

280
00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,680
what you're doing.
And yeah, when you're when

281
00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,240
you're, you know, trying to
focus on scaling this

282
00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,400
nationwide, you know, I'm sure
you've, you've expanded rapidly

283
00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:09,800
across the States and metro
areas, you know, but what,

284
00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:13,240
what's been the biggest
challenge in scaling the

285
00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:15,960
business that traditionally has
been so regional and

286
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,720
operational?
Yet that biggest challenge is

287
00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,800
just every new market.
It's that rinse and repeat

288
00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:25,600
method of having to go find the
supply, find the demand, solve

289
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:27,760
that chicken and the egg every
single time.

290
00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:32,000
Not only that, I grew up
predominantly on the East Coast

291
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,040
for, you know, waste and
recycling operation.

292
00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:37,320
So every time we've entered a
new region, there's, there's

293
00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,240
nuances and differences that
I'm, you know, having to learn

294
00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:42,280
on the fly about how they
operate in the waste and

295
00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,800
recycling industry, weather
that's using tandem trailers and

296
00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,400
now doing like 2 deliveries at
once, which is something we are

297
00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,640
not accustomed to on this side,
using more dump trailers instead

298
00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:55,120
of the larger containers.
Just all these small operational

299
00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:59,040
nuances that if you're not very
attuned to the industry and

300
00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,760
willing to continuously learn,
it's always going to provide a a

301
00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:03,880
new headache and a potential
scaling challenge.

302
00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,560
So what does the sales force
look like for you guys?

303
00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,640
I mean, and you know, and, and
talk a little bit about the

304
00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:12,960
specific waste types you're
you're wanting to service and

305
00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:16,840
focus on.
So sales are split up into two

306
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,000
ways.
We either have an inbound motion

307
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,880
where people discover us as well
as an outbound motion focused

308
00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:24,840
more on enterprise level
clients.

309
00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:28,320
We streams, we'll handle
everything up to radioactive

310
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:30,800
essentially.
So no matter what you're looking

311
00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:33,880
to dispose of, our goal is to
help you do it in the most

312
00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:36,120
sustainable and profitable way
possible.

313
00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:38,800
You know, we very much believe
that sustainability and

314
00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,680
profitability have to go hand in
hand for it to not be a

315
00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:43,680
greenwashing endeavor and for it
to actually stick.

316
00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,640
So we use all of our available
data and resources to help

317
00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,880
separate the stream out as much
as possible to increase

318
00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:53,280
diversion while also reducing
cost.

319
00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,440
Are you focusing on?
Are you helping clients manage

320
00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:01,560
hazardous waste?
Yes, so medical waste and things

321
00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,200
like that.
Oil drums as well.

322
00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:07,200
Yep.
So, so solvent waste, all that

323
00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:09,599
kind of stuff has listed
hazardous waste, you know,

324
00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,400
characteristic hazardous waste,
all those waste streams.

325
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,240
Is your software integrating
with E manifest with EPA?

326
00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,359
Yes.
So we work with our partner

327
00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:24,520
haulers as well to ensure that
everything is up to to code and

328
00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:26,560
spec.
And we work with them primarily

329
00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:30,120
on the hazardous side to make
sure that we are in full

330
00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:33,040
compliance and building out
continuous integrations for

331
00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:34,600
every new material stream we
get.

332
00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,480
And so when you talk about those
types of services, is it is it

333
00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:44,320
kind of like a total waste
management service program or is

334
00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:47,320
it really just the use of the
actual, you know, technology

335
00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:51,960
tool?
So for getting rid of the

336
00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,000
hazardous waste, it's more of
the use of the technology tool.

337
00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,120
And so we kind of build it out
even further to kind of

338
00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:00,200
encompass all of the other
aspects.

339
00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:04,440
We're really relying more on the
partnered haulers at that scale,

340
00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:07,720
on the hazardous side to handle
it in the most sustainable

341
00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:09,720
manner possible.
OK, OK.

342
00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:13,600
I got you.
So is the software, is it a

343
00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:18,080
license type software or is it
really just the use of it

344
00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:23,680
through purchasing a service
directly like a pickup or a

345
00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:26,920
disposal pickup type thing?
Is that is it really based on

346
00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:29,840
that approach or is it actual an
independent software that people

347
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,680
can use to track their waste and
enter waste volumes and things

348
00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:36,480
like that?
So on the demand side, it's in

349
00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:40,280
tandem with the actual service.
So they have to be using the

350
00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,920
shower gum service to actually
get rid of their waste and

351
00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:46,880
recycling debris, have access to
the platform and all the data

352
00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:50,000
because we need to have our
partnered haulers actually as

353
00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,480
the ones performing the service
so we can get information from

354
00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:55,760
the field coming out of it.
Very good.

355
00:18:56,200 --> 00:19:00,800
And then on the partnered hauler
side, they can be in network out

356
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,000
of network.
Anyone on the supply side can

357
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,520
really use the software.
So how many you know, like

358
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,880
operationally where are you in
within the US?

359
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,280
Are you primarily East Coast,
West Coast or you know where,

360
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:16,840
where are you expanding your
business, you know, across the

361
00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:19,520
the nation?
So we're currently operating in

362
00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:23,440
all 50 states within at least
one or two major metros in each

363
00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,280
state.
Heavy focus on the eastern half

364
00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:31,520
of the US currently in terms of
full state coverage by the end

365
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,520
of this year though will be in
all rural parts of the western

366
00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,480
half of the US as well.
I was reading somewhere that you

367
00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:43,480
just made a big move to go into
the metro Louisville metro area.

368
00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,680
Tell me about that little
project or the effort.

369
00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:49,160
Yeah, absolutely.
So for that we're already doing

370
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,440
some work in that area
predominantly like open top

371
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:54,320
dumps rentals for construction
projects.

372
00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,760
We saw the opportunity to then
move into that from a

373
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:03,440
geographical standpoint going
from the east to the West to go

374
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,400
more into the reoccurring waste
collection service as well.

375
00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:10,640
So for opening a new market like
that, it's pretty

376
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,200
straightforward.
We have those partnered haulers

377
00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,640
who are already performing that
open top dumps rental for us.

378
00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:18,280
They also do the reoccurring
waste service.

379
00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:22,440
So now more it's more of a, you
know, demand side motion to get

380
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:26,560
clients on.
Using the software to then open

381
00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:28,480
up more opportunities to the
haulers we already know are

382
00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,240
vetted and online in that area.
Well, let's talk a little bit

383
00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,480
about the waste disposal aspect
of this.

384
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,560
I mean, are you negotiating big
contracts with the big landfill

385
00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,920
firms out there to, you know,
secure the, you know, good

386
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,200
pricing?
Actually, no.

387
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,720
When we first enter a new
market, it's only working with

388
00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,240
the collectors.
We're using their current

389
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,640
tonnage and rates.
And then once we're in a market

390
00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,480
for about 6 to 8 months, we'll
start talking to disposal

391
00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,640
facilities directly to aggregate
that all in.

392
00:20:57,120 --> 00:21:01,360
We just need about that 6 to 8
months of data to really hang.

393
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,320
Out.
Yeah.

394
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:04,400
There you go.
OK.

395
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:05,320
All right.
All right.

396
00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:06,760
That's interesting.
That's good to know.

397
00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,440
You know, I think one of the
things I noticed on your

398
00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,400
website, you there's the
sustainability promise and I

399
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,080
love the fact that you say you
plant a tree for every order,

400
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,760
you know, talk a little bit why
talk a little bit about why that

401
00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,720
is important to you to build
sustainability into your

402
00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:25,880
business, you know, from the
very beginning.

403
00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:29,000
Yeah.
So part of it is, you know, my

404
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:33,200
experience in the industry,
seeing how broken the system is

405
00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:38,000
in terms of improper recycling,
where it's ranging from

406
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:41,120
customers not knowing what to
put in a bin because it really

407
00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:44,600
changes from region to region to
again, just that lack of

408
00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:46,000
infrastructure throughout the
US.

409
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,080
It's really something when I
started the company, we wanted

410
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,280
to to change that.
So we have a vision of achieving

411
00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,520
0 waste within the waste and
recycling industry.

412
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:55,840
Sounds a little paradoxical,
sounds like we're putting

413
00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:57,960
ourselves out of business, but
at the end of the day, we're

414
00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,400
just trying to change it from
going into landfills to more

415
00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,560
like recycling and upcycling
facilities.

416
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,680
And again, part of our belief
here is sustainable and

417
00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,200
profitability have to go hand in
hand.

418
00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,520
So the beginning we wanted to
kind of obsess over the unit

419
00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:15,680
economics of it, ensure that as
we were building this company

420
00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,160
that we had that vision in mind
throughout every step of the

421
00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:20,040
way.
And then the plant to tree

422
00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,400
program is actually to offset
the carbon emissions from the

423
00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:27,280
service vehicles until those are
really like carbon neutral

424
00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:30,680
service vehicles.
Hello ET Nation, I want to thank

425
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,200
you for listening to the
podcast.

426
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,080
If you're enjoying the
interviews we bring you,

427
00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,440
consider supporting the program
by visiting my website at

428
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,440
seankgrady.com and buy me a cup
of coffee.

429
00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,360
Proceeds will go towards helping
me continue producing timely

430
00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:46,000
content and offset production
costs.

431
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,240
I'd also like to take a moment
and recognize a few of our

432
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:52,920
sponsors of the show who have
been amazing partners and our ET

433
00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:55,760
Nation legends.
If you're looking for a drilling

434
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,640
and environmental contracting
firm to help you delineate the

435
00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:02,120
extended contamination at your
site, then look no further than

436
00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:06,160
Cascade Environmental.
Cascade has over 37 offices

437
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across the country and offers a
huge range of environmental and

438
00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:12,360
geotechnical drilling, site
characterization, and

439
00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:15,320
remediation services.
With their huge fleet of

440
00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:19,600
equipment nationwide coverage,
Cascade is a great choice to

441
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,280
support your environmental and
infrastructure needs.

442
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To learn more, check out their
website site@cascade-env.com.

443
00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:31,320
That's cascade-env.com.
Hey, are you looking for an

444
00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,320
equipment rental company to help
you with your next wastewater

445
00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:36,880
remediation or waste management
project?

446
00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:40,800
E Tank is the only environmental
equipment rental company in the

447
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:45,080
industry that offers 100%
guaranteed certified clean

448
00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,320
temporary liquid storage tanks
at no additional cost.

449
00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:52,840
This protocol gives Peace of
Mind for the previous customer

450
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,120
by limiting their downstream
liability as well as the future

451
00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:00,240
customer by preventing any cross
contamination for all of their

452
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,400
rental tanks.
E Tank also runs a one-of-a-kind

453
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,880
complete maintenance program for
all rental items including

454
00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:12,120
liquid tight roll off
containers, fluid transfer pumps

455
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:15,960
and filtration items.
The next time you are presented

456
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,880
with an environmental challenge,
call E Tank to come up with the

457
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,480
solution for your problem.
I want to thank one of our

458
00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,600
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459
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460
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:32,520
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generators, service providers,

461
00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:36,800
and disposal facilities in a way
that is simple, connected, and

462
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:40,000
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463
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everything from waste profiling
and routing to inventory

464
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:47,000
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465
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466
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looking for better options or a

467
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468
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covered.
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469
00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:02,720
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470
00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:06,920
business, visit wastelink.com to
schedule a demo today.

471
00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:09,480
Yeah, talk about the service
vehicles.

472
00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,240
Are there, are there things
you're doing with your service

473
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:16,120
providers to, you know, I guess
encourage, you know, either

474
00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:22,160
battery operated transport, CNG
transport or is it just

475
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,600
basically, hey, we, we're going
to, we know that we're going to

476
00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,280
have a hit on the emissions
because we have to get the waste

477
00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,360
somewhere.
So this is part of the the

478
00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:32,840
pledge.
So it's really part of the

479
00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,320
pledge right now.
You know, we do have financing

480
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:38,080
opportunities for our partner
haulers to take advantage of

481
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:42,240
just the current state of the
industry is electric vehicles

482
00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,640
for, you know, garbage trucks
work great in like very tight

483
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,040
natural areas.
But once you start going to

484
00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:50,480
other parts of the US where they
have to travel greater

485
00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:53,280
distances, you know, most
haulers don't want to adopt them

486
00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:55,240
because of the amount of
charging time and the amount of

487
00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,480
extra work has to be involved in
it.

488
00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,560
So for those haulers, we help
them by improving the efficiency

489
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:04,160
of their routes to also help cut
down carbon emissions and reduce

490
00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:07,160
fuel costs as well.
What type of partnerships are

491
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,040
you developing with recycling
firms that are actually doing

492
00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:15,400
the sorting and the repurposing
of these types of products that

493
00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,000
you're managing through Sourgom?
I'm just curious of what that

494
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,880
looks like on your side.
So right now those partnerships

495
00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,400
look like getting them more
tonnage in the door and then

496
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,720
helping them clean up the
streams that come in because we

497
00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:31,120
can actually see the material of
from every location when it gets

498
00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:34,560
dumped in the truck or the
contamination levels and help

499
00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:36,760
that customer improve their
stream.

500
00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:40,000
So it's a cleaner stream.
And then working with our

501
00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,440
collecting partners and disposal
facility partners, we're getting

502
00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,040
cleaner material in greater
volume to these facilities.

503
00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,160
And then later down the road,
we'll also start integrating our

504
00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:51,960
software into the facilities
themselves.

505
00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:57,640
Seems like a, a good opportunity
to help provide, you know, more

506
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:02,040
data and waste volumes into that
type of a business model.

507
00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:05,360
And do you ever envision
yourselves managing and

508
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:09,640
operating recycling facilities
through this this business model

509
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:11,240
that you have?
I don't think you own any

510
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,680
facilities now, right?
You just you just have software.

511
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,520
Just have software.
We'll stay as a software

512
00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:20,880
company, but tie in and create
greater and greater partnerships

513
00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,560
with the facilities or those who
want to build facilities because

514
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:26,840
again, we can provide them with
the data needed to kind of

515
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:30,920
improve those operations, ensure
they're building facilities of

516
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,640
the appropriate size for every
given region as well.

517
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:35,160
Got you.
That's makes sense.

518
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,800
OK, You know, I know managing a
startup has got to be

519
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,760
challenging and a lot of times
you're on shoestring budgets and

520
00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,720
you're always wondering where is
the next dollar coming from to

521
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:49,040
help us get to the where we got
to be or where we want to go,

522
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,680
where our Rd. maps leading us.
You know, when we talk, when you

523
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:56,120
talk about funding and growth of
of sour gum, you know, you

524
00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:59,160
recently closed a 12 and a half
million dollar Series A fund,

525
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:01,160
which is fantastic.
I'm sure you guys were like,

526
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,760
yes, this is great.
How does that funding change the

527
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,520
game for Sour Gum's growth and
product road map?

528
00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:09,800
OK.
So that funding allows us to

529
00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,080
really double, triple down on
our investments in our

530
00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:16,200
technology stacks, improving the
software for our partnered

531
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,840
haulers, outfitting more and
more with cameras, increasing

532
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:23,280
more of our AI and automation
throughout that stack, all the

533
00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:26,640
name of kind of 10X ING the
customer experience and

534
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:30,840
increasing landfill diversions.
So kind of unlike your previous

535
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:34,200
company, you know, we're just
doubling down on the actual

536
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,120
technology cuz that's a bet
we're willing to take to really

537
00:28:37,120 --> 00:28:39,080
transform this industry.
Yeah, absolutely.

538
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:41,760
Yeah.
You need that investment, you

539
00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:46,040
know that that's great to hear.
I think it's, it's, it's always

540
00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:48,520
comforting to know you've got a
little funding background and

541
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,560
your support from investors talk
a little bit too.

542
00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:54,600
If you could, Joe, what does
your development team look like?

543
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,440
I mean, is it, is it US based?
Is it, how many developers do

544
00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:00,800
you have?
You know what's What's this look

545
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,160
like for you on the back end?
So we're currently at a 12

546
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:07,640
person engineering team and
growing all US based in fact,

547
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,320
all in our office in Jersey
City, NJ as well.

548
00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:12,960
Because how nuanced this
industry is, We really wanted to

549
00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,920
make sure that they were
experiencing it, hearing the

550
00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,320
operating pains of other people
on the front lines, you know,

551
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:21,560
really kind of embracing the
entire industry.

552
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:24,040
That's that.
I think that's great, having

553
00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:27,000
your tech team right there.
You can walk them down the hall

554
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,040
and say, hey, this is what's
going on.

555
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,920
I need to solve this problem
like, can you help me figure out

556
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:37,080
a solution to do this?
You know, that is so powerful

557
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,880
and I think it's important
because it really helps scale

558
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:45,040
the speed of scaling and fixing
problems and a product is that's

559
00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:46,120
key.
Oh.

560
00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:48,800
Yeah, there's nothing like
someone running in with their

561
00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:50,640
hair on fire saying we need to
fix this.

562
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,000
It's not working.
Fix it.

563
00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:03,080
Now someone's trying to order.
Oh, yeah, no, I got it, man.

564
00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:04,400
That's great.
That's good.

565
00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:08,760
Well, in the future of waste
Tack, I mean, you know, if we

566
00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:13,200
Fast forward 10 years from now,
how do you see technology

567
00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:15,640
transforming the waste and
recycling industry?

568
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,920
And what role do you see Sourgon
playing in the future?

569
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:21,480
Right.
So we see sourgum kind of being

570
00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,920
that operating system beneath
the entire industry to help it

571
00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:28,400
run in a very systemized manner.
So, you know, right now the US

572
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,680
is very fragmented.
The way different regions

573
00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:34,960
operated are drastically
different sometimes from one

574
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:37,840
another even on the types of
material they'll accept into the

575
00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:42,680
same type of recycling facility.
You know, we see data really

576
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:45,800
being the main driver across
this entire industry, real time

577
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:49,680
information coming out of what's
getting generated on sites to,

578
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:53,240
you know, sending the proper
collection company to actually

579
00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,440
pick it up to then integrating
into the disposal facilities and

580
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,320
all the way down to the mill.
There should be data across the

581
00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:04,040
entire chain so that we can
clean up the material streams as

582
00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,600
much as possible and increase
diversion rates as much as

583
00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,480
possible.
All the name of also

584
00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:10,280
profitability to save people
money.

585
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,080
So 10 years, you're seeing you
you.

586
00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:19,520
You think that you'd like to see
Sour Grum be that main platform

587
00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:22,880
driver to with all that data for
across the country?

588
00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:24,560
That's exciting, that's
ambitious.

589
00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:26,240
I think, I mean, best of luck on
that.

590
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,400
I hope that works out because I
mean, that's really interesting.

591
00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:31,680
I like that concept.
And you know what, you need

592
00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,160
goals like that because I think
that's where, you know,

593
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,520
entrepreneurs are growing their
business and you know, talk a

594
00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,560
little bit if you could about
the challenges of starting your

595
00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:41,920
company.
When did you started this

596
00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:43,920
company?
What 20/20/2019?

597
00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:47,600
What was the start of this firm?
It is so we started Sour Gum in

598
00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:53,520
2022. 2022, OK.
So yeah, you're three years in.

599
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:58,000
Yeah, but prior to that my my Co
founder is actually my cousin.

600
00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:02,640
We had a small physical company,
you know, running roll off

601
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,200
trucks and front end trucks in
2019.

602
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,080
We started with the name of
wanting to bring technology into

603
00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:09,920
the space.
We were just experimenting with

604
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,080
different business models
essentially along the way.

605
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:15,000
A lot of trial and error to see
what would work, what wouldn't

606
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,000
work.
And then in about late 20/20/20,

607
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,280
I'm sorry 2021 we landed on
what's our goings today as a

608
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,400
business model and that's when
we pivoted, sold off all the

609
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,160
assets raise that first round
of.

610
00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:28,280
Funding.
We'll talk a little bit about

611
00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,480
that process of raising your
first round of funding.

612
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:34,120
What was that like for you guys?
The first round was difficult.

613
00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:39,520
You know, essentially we had a
moon shot vision.

614
00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,560
We were two young kids from the
waste and recycling industry.

615
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,200
Not really a lot of experience
from, you know, the technology

616
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:48,880
sector, let alone, you know,
venture backed companies.

617
00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:52,160
So it was a lot to get someone
to to take that first risk on

618
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,400
us.
But you know, luckily it's kind

619
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:57,040
of that snowball effect.
Once you get the first one in,

620
00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,360
it starts getting easier and
easier every subsequent 1, so

621
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:02,520
long as you know you're proving
that the model actually works

622
00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:06,680
along the way well.
What's been the advisory support

623
00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:10,640
you've been receiving from the
the these investment companies?

624
00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:13,760
Well, yeah, our investors and
our partners have been

625
00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:18,120
phenomenal, A huge resource
really, you know, providing us

626
00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:24,320
it's expertise in how to
actually scale a technology and

627
00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:27,560
software company, not just a,
you know, physical operating

628
00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:30,040
company, which is what our
background has been in.

629
00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:33,160
You know, everything from what
types of positions we need to

630
00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:37,520
hire to how to think about, you
know, market health to opening

631
00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:41,040
doors to some larger clients.
They've been just a wealth of

632
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:43,480
resources.
That's great.

633
00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,560
That's fantastic.
I mean, yeah, you need a group

634
00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:49,200
of people to help you with that.
Now, I'm assuming you guys got a

635
00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:53,120
small, small board of directors
or a board that helps you grow

636
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:54,440
this.
What's that look like for you

637
00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:58,240
guys?
It's a nice lean board, three

638
00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,600
formal board members and then
three additional advisors, so

639
00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:05,320
it's been great to just have
people around the room who we

640
00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:07,920
can really lean on.
Yeah, no, that's that's

641
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:09,639
fantastic.
Well, when you talk about

642
00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:12,960
leadership and these lessons
that you're learning along the

643
00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:16,960
way as a founder in such a
traditional industry, what has

644
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:20,639
surprised you the most in this
journey in these the short three

645
00:34:20,639 --> 00:34:24,120
years of growing this product?
You know, what advice would you

646
00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,760
give other entrepreneurs trying
to modernize an old school

647
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:31,320
business?
So what's really surprised me is

648
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:33,760
I thought I knew every part of
this industry like the back of

649
00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:36,920
my hand, but it was really only
the Northeast I knew.

650
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,880
So every new region, it was a
continuous learning experience

651
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:42,920
on how to kind of adapt and
change for them.

652
00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:48,280
Anyone who's really starting to
start a business in these legacy

653
00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:50,760
industries, I, my advice would
be really you got to learn it,

654
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:52,560
you got to experience it, you
got to live it.

655
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,040
There's only so much you can do
from reading your second hand

656
00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:59,680
experience and you got to
remember you're walking into an

657
00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:01,880
industry that's existed for a
long time.

658
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:03,200
There's been people operating in
it.

659
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:05,960
You have to have a certain
amount of appreciation for those

660
00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:09,680
who've kind of forged the path
already and have to really be

661
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,800
able to speak their language and
understand their pains and what

662
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:15,120
they've been through if you want
to really help them and improve

663
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:17,120
the industry overall.
Yeah, right.

664
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:19,000
No, absolutely.
I mean, when it comes to

665
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,600
leadership, who are you relying
on?

666
00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:24,880
Who, who, who are you leaning
into to help you, you know, kind

667
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:27,560
of gain this inside knowledge of
certain things?

668
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:30,560
I mean, your 4th generation, is
it your, is it your family?

669
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,600
Is it other, you know, connected
industry leaders?

670
00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,000
Talk a little bit about what
you're doing and, you know,

671
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,600
trying to pick up, pick the
brain of some other leaders to

672
00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:40,400
help you grow.
Yeah.

673
00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:42,760
So as we've been growing, you
know, I've been kind of

674
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:46,920
expanding the network, started
relying heavily on my family at

675
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:50,400
the onset on how to, you know,
really build and scale a

676
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,440
company.
Again, Northeast focus that that

677
00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:56,680
got us so far.
And then as we brought in our

678
00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:59,360
investors, not only have they
been great, but they've also

679
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:03,480
been opening doors to other
executives who have been through

680
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:07,640
this path three times over.
Have startups have run and

681
00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:10,800
scaled businesses they've been
kind of opening the doors to to

682
00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,320
speak to people who have already
forged ahead in different

683
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:14,520
industries?
That's great.

684
00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:19,440
So are you guys getting requests
from a lot of other interested

685
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,520
firms that are like, hey, we
need your product.

686
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:25,600
What's what's, what's the been
the response of the industry so

687
00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:27,840
far with for with sour gum and
your platform?

688
00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:30,400
Yeah.
So the first two years, just

689
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:34,400
definitely a lot of us knocking
on doors, going out ourselves.

690
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:37,160
But recently in the last eight
months, our inbound funnels have

691
00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:39,640
really kind of increased.
And now that the word's gotten

692
00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:42,800
out of it, a lot more people are
interested in our product and

693
00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:46,400
services and coming to us.
Are you promoting, you know, I

694
00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,880
guess at conferences, trade
shows, how are you getting the

695
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,560
message out aside from just, you
know, the traditional maybe

696
00:36:52,720 --> 00:36:56,200
typical social media and or your
your website?

697
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:59,800
Been going to a lot of trade
shows and conferences in the

698
00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:02,760
last eight months as well.
You know, now that we've secured

699
00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,560
this Series A round of funding,
it's a lot more about getting

700
00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:08,120
the word out, going across the
country, being in person, really

701
00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:10,120
talking to people.
That's great.

702
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,680
That's fantastic.
Well, I really appreciate all

703
00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:16,560
the, the good stuff that you're
doing and I appreciate the time

704
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:20,760
you're spending with me today.
And our listeners, you know the,

705
00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:24,800
we call it the ET nation here.
They, they, they listen a lot.

706
00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:30,080
They, they call in, they're
responding, you know, this, this

707
00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:33,080
is a waste and recycling is a
central part of, of the

708
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:34,800
industry.
It's, you know, it's not just

709
00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:38,120
though maybe P Foss or some
other time, you know, topic that

710
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:41,440
we cover, but waste recycle,
recycling is huge.

711
00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:45,280
Digital technology and
innovation is, you know, very

712
00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:49,160
interesting component of the
industry and I'm glad to see you

713
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,200
guys leaning in on it.
Appreciate all the work you're

714
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,640
doing, Joe.
What's the best way for a

715
00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:58,840
listener who doesn't know much
about Sour Grom to connect with

716
00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:02,080
you guys, learn more about you,
and even maybe connect

717
00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:04,280
personally with you?
Yeah, absolutely.

718
00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:07,400
Best way to connect is, you
know, hello@sourgum.com.

719
00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:10,640
If you want to reach out, also
visit us@sourgum.com.

720
00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:13,680
And, you know, I'm happy to, you
know, speak to anyone who's, you

721
00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,640
know, looking to run a startup
themselves and kind of pay

722
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,320
forward what others have kind of
taught me.

723
00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:22,000
Well, that's fantastic, Joe.
Well, Joe, best of luck with

724
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,320
the, the business.
And as you're, you're growing it

725
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:28,240
and scaling and congratulations
on your current success three

726
00:38:28,240 --> 00:38:30,720
years and what you've done and
accomplished already is, is

727
00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:32,160
fantastic.
It's amazing.

728
00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:36,200
And really, really enjoy your
journey so far.

729
00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:39,920
So thanks for coming on the show
and we'll, you know, we'll keep

730
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,720
in touch over the course of the
next, you know, several months,

731
00:38:43,720 --> 00:38:46,360
I'm sure and, and see where your
guys are going.

732
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:48,640
Sounds great, Sean.
I really appreciate you having

733
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:50,320
me on today.
You bet.

734
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:52,720
It's a great, great product.
Thanks a lot.

735
00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:54,960
Thanks for listening and
watching the show.

736
00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:57,520
If you enjoyed the show, then
please share it with your

737
00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:00,840
friends and coworkers on social
media and tell somebody in

738
00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,040
person.
Thanks for being with us, ET

739
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:03,640
Nation.