east valley
Volume 4 Issue 29 Mesa, AZ
January 30, 2021
Common purpose drew 4 alumni to same Gilbert �irm TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
T
IN THE BIZ
hey attended the University of Wisconsin at different times, but have ended up working at the same Gilbert company, drawn by its commitment to reduce – if not eliminate –the use of single-use plastic packaging. And now, Jorgen Hamann, Brandon Moore, Collin Euteneuer and Roder Connell have embraced the ecological mission of Footprint, a molded fiber company occupying a 135,000-square-foot building near Baseline Road and Hobson Street that develops and manufactures eco-friendly packaging. Headquartered in Gilbert, Footprint said its products have already led to a global redirection of 61 million pounds of plastic waste from entering the air, earth, and water working with leading global consumer brands like Walmart and Conagra. Recently, it became publicly listed on NASDAQ through a combination with Gores Holdings VIII, Inc. The combined company is expected to have a posttransaction total enterprise value of $1.6 billion. The four University of Wisconsin grads all went to its Stout campus, where close to 10,000 students are enrolled in what has been called that state’s polytechnic Public Notices ............... page 3 © Copyright, 2022 East Valley Tribune
university. Hamann (Class of 2018) is a packaging engineer who lives in Tempe; Moore (Class of 1996) is vice president of design and lives in Mesa; Euteneuer (Class of 2015) is sales director and lives in Chandler; and Connell (Class of 2019), a Gilbert resident, is a platform engineer. All four men reflect a commitment to Footprint’s determination to reduce the disastrous impact plastic has had on human and environmental health. “Together, these UW-Stout alumni are fighting it head on by designing, engineering, and manufacturing plant-based fiber containers, bowls and trays that replace short-term use plastic,” a company spokeswoman said. Connell, who defines and manages the development path for new product launches, said he decided to major in plastics because it has become an increasingly more sought-after skill among corporations. “There will always be a need for packaging,” he said. “Every physical item you buy comes in a package. There is an abundance of career opportunities for packaging majors.” Though he is the youngest of the four alumni, he interacts with them on a continual basis, tackling tasks together on projects with their individually define (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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roles and responsibilities. Though he initially had figured he’d end up working in his native, Wisconsin, he was drawn in part to Footprints because of its mission. Indeed, at a job fair at the university, Connell said, “I did end up pitching my take on ‘The Benefits of Molded Fiber and the Danger of Single-Use Plastics.’ I had spent all night and morning rehearsing my pitch before the interview… and I guess I nailed it.” Moore joined Footprint partly out of his passion for design, creativity – and the environment. “Footprint and having multiple patents have been great accomplishments so far,” he said. “In the future, I would love to see Footprint go into history as a company that helped change the world.” Like his three fellow alumni, Euteneuer says packaging offers a world of opportunity. But as Hamann noted, Footprint also offered an opportunity to do more than make a living. “Our mutual interest in living somewhere new and helping save the planet is likely what brought us together,” Hamann said. And they share a common goal, he added: “To continue taking steps to improve the planet we all live on and make it a better place for the next generations.” Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
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