7 minute read
UAB
by WBEC South
UAB SMALL BUSINESS INCLUSION
It is the mission of the Department of Small Business Inclusion (SBI), as a unit within the UAB Facilities to increase participation of Diverse Business Enterprises in the procurement and construction process through education, advocacy, mentoring, relationship building, and other data driven initiatives.
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Academic Small Business Alliance
This program connects students with Diverse Business Enterprises to build employment and economic growth opportunities. We place students in internships that complement their skill sets and the needs of partnering businesses. This initiative ensures local and small Diverse Business Enterprises receive fair opportunities to bid on smaller UAB projects. These projects are typically limited in scope, consist of interior renovations, and are $50,000 or less. We educate students, be proactive in developing active partnerships between UAB and Diverse Business Enterprises. We understand when the local economy does well, its a win-win for UAB and local businesses.
Small Public Works Campus Advocacy & Education Contact Us
Demetria Scott dpscott@uab.edu 205.934.9349 Tamika Logan-Reynolds tamikalr@uab.edu 205.934.8040 Tony Ellis tellis22@uab.edu 205.934.9349
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Fueling Growth
If you’ve been a participant or fan of the WBENC national pitch competitions, you’ve likely seen Jessica A. Findley, Co-Founder and CEO, Neowaste, deliver her compelling presentation that won her first place and $20,000 in July 2021. Headquartered in Pell City, Alabama, Neowaste converts mixed, contaminated plastic waste into diesel fuel. This isn’t the stuff of science fiction but is the world of chemical recycling. Neowaste uses Polycrack Technology that can convert one ton of plastic into 260 gallons of fuel and that has a real impact on the environment and bottom line.
We sat down with Jessica to find out what’s been happening since her WBENC pitch win and ask what start-up advice she has for other WBEs.
Q: What has been going on with Neowaste since last year’s WBENC pitch competition win?
A: Where do I begin? The interest generated by our pitch competition win is always exciting. Since last year, we’ve had conversations with what feels like hundreds of municipalities and major corporations (mostly all WBENC corporate supporters) about processing various waste streams and integrating our conversion units into the companies’ actual operations, so no waste ever has to leave the facilities. We’ve expanded our processing capacity and hired a part time operator and are trying our best to strategically manage our growth so we don’t get too big too fast. We’ve also been receiving more and more sample materials from companies and municipalities from across the country to test in our pilot unit. We process these samples to (a) determine the materials’ viability as a feedstock for our conversion process and (b) to share data with the waste generators about the amount of fuel, gas and carbon we can produce from their respective waste streams. The interest in our circular waste management solution has grown exponentially, and though we’re still working towards commercialization, every company we’ve spoken with seems to appreciate our methodical, scientific approach to scaling up. They’ve become some of our biggest champions while patiently waiting for us to increase capacity and start taking larger volumes of waste materials.
It’s been very exciting to garner so much support at this stage in our development. It keeps me motivated and reassured while also encouraging me to stay the course. The interest also confirms that we’re on the right track and reminds us that we were truly made for this market moment with all the increased focus and attention on sustainability and waste/ recycling initiatives. Since our WBENC pitch competition win last year, we’ve demonstrated our ability to process everything from household recyclables and electronics to shoes and jackets and even phone cases and packaging of all kinds (we also process waste fuels/lubricants). The majority of the material we’ve processed has been mixed, contaminated plastic waste from automotive manufacturers. We initially started Neowaste to address the growing waste disposal needs of Alabama’s automotive manufacturers, and we’re staying true to that original mission despite all the interest from alternative industries and regions.
Q: How were you able to put those grant dollars to use for the company?
A: The majority went towards upgrading our pilot unit and expanding our shredder and conveyor systems, but we also used some of the funds to hire part-time labor to help us manage the increase in activity. We probably should have put some funding aside
By Julie Lilliston
Jessica A. Findley
for expanding our facility—I hate to complain about running out of space for all the materials we’re bringing in, but we’re already beyond capacity and have a backlog of sample materials to process. Again, it’s a good problem to have, but not a position we want to be in for long. So, at least we know what we’ll use future grant funding for!
Q: What are you tackling this year in your business? A: Our main objective is to generate as much performance/operating data as possible by running our pilot unit. We’ve been processing different types and combinations of contaminated, hard-torecycle plastic waste into fuel samples that Sunoco LP then tests in the onsite labs at their fuel reclamation facility here in Birmingham, Alabama, to ensure the product meets certain specs. We’re also in the process of designing a first of its kind unit that has the potential to be integrated into existing facilities and operations—whereby the waste generated on site is processed into energy products that can be used on site such that no waste or output products have to be transported outside the facility’s fence line—truly an integrated circular solution. The transportation component of waste management/recycling is most often the thing that keeps “green” initiatives like ours from being truly sustainable. Transporting waste and products around the country to achieve economies of scale will never be sustainable. By the time you’ve transported something more than 100 miles away, you’ve negated any carbonoffset you achieved from recycling in the first place! What’s more, transportation has always been the most expensive aspect of waste management. Focusing on smaller scale conversion units that can be integrated into existing operations, we’re working to tackle the transportation conundrum associated with most sustainability initiatives. We’re gearing this integrated solution toward automotive manufacturers, but we’re also adapting it to respond to interest from theme parks, cruise lines, airports, and other selfcontained entities that in many ways are like their own standalone cities.
Q: Any advice you would give to a WBE in chemical recycling/waste to fuel technology? (Are there any others?)
A: Gosh…I’m not usually asked for advice because I’m so busy getting advice from everyone else. If I had to say one thing to someone working in this emerging sector, WBE or otherwise, I’d say that for me, it comes down to managing expectations and not saying yes to everyone right out of the gate. Chemical recycling/waste-to-fuel technologies have been around for decades, although they’re just beginning to really take hold and gain attention outside select circles. For most people, it’s a completely new concept and they get so excited about the prospect of a solution like this that they want to see it deployed and processing their waste the next day. But it’s not a one-sizefits-all solution and it requires deep collaboration with the waste generator and offtake partners to make it make sense economically. There’s a big gap between the technical ability to convert someone’s waste into fuel and the economic viability of scaling up to a commercial operation. I’m constantly educating people about this to help them understand why we can’t just start processing all their waste tomorrow. Lastly, it’s super hard not to jump 10 steps ahead when you see the revenue potential and opportunities for collaboration with major municipalities and well-known big-brand companies. I’ve found that we seem to have garnered more respect and more trust from corporations and municipalities by being completely transparent about where we are in our development and walking them through the process. I remind folks that we’re a small, bootstrapped entity and shy of a benevolent investor putting money down to build a bigger unit or more units. We have a strict course of action and key performance milestones we’re committed to achieving before scaling up again. Folks appreciate that we’re not promising the moon on day one and respect the fact that we’re honest and staying true to our original commercialization plan. By keeping them in the loop like this, they are eager and committed to staying alongside us and have even helped contribute to our solution along the way. Manage expectations and don’t over-promise. WE
