false 2009-04-16T16:09:44-07:00 <p>In October of 2007, when I was &quot;down-sized&quot; (I REALLY hate that word!) by my former employer of nearly ten years, I vowed never to let that happen to me again. &nbsp;The only way that would be possible would be for me to start my own company, Green Packaging, Inc. &nbsp; With 20 years of experience in selling traditional packaging materials (yes, I sold those dreaded styrofoam packing &quot;peanuts), I wanted to make my company different from all of my competitors, and I wanted it to be a company I could be proud of! &nbsp;</p><p>No plastic bubble wrap, stretch wrap, polyurethane foam, or polystyrene products would ever pass through my doors! &nbsp; Those plastics are petroleum-based and they increase our dependence on foreign oil, and contribute to global warming. &nbsp;My business plan was to sell only recycled, biodegradable, eco-friendly, sustainable packaging materials. &nbsp;The goal was to help change the world for the better. &nbsp;After all, we can&#39;t keep filling our already brimming landfills with more plastic packaging materials that won&#39;t decompose for a thousand years! &nbsp; The goal was realistic, but it wasn&#39;t without a major bump in the road. &nbsp;</p><p>When my former employer found out about my new venture, he decided to take me to court to try to enforce a non-compete contract I had signed during my employment. &nbsp;Even though I was not competing with my former employer (they did not sell earth-friendly packaging materials) I was dragged into an extended court case that lasted almost a year. &nbsp;In the end, the judge agreed with me that I was not competing with them. &nbsp;I won my very first court case, woo-hoo! &nbsp;</p><p>Green Packaging, Inc. has successfully converted many companies from traditional plastic packaging to our eco-sensitive, sustainable products. Our products have great names like Prairie Eco Pak, Paper Nuts, and Globe Guard Boxes. &nbsp;We have successfully converted many companies from non-degradable plastics to our earth-friendly, recycled, biodegradable products. &nbsp;Our customers range from &quot;Mom and Pop&quot; operations all the way up to Fortune 500 companies. &nbsp;We have even sold our products to an Intuit company!</p><p>Selling products that are good for the environment made me feel good too! &nbsp;But I wanted to do a little more. &nbsp;I joined One Percent for the Planet, a group of companies who donate 1% of their annual sales revenues to environmental charities. &nbsp;I believe that as a successful business owner, I have a responsibility to give back to our community and to the natural environment.</p> cbJoX9FcSqllvkab8P4pmk false false false true true 2009-06-13T18:56:07-07:00 0 true 1 false false false 1 How I became the President (of my own company, that is) 2010-01-17T13:34:49-08:00 how-i-became-the-president-of-my-own-company-that-is dZVHmCFcOqllvkab8P4pmk GPIWayne 451 0 dY1Ghod6ZhRBWr3AL8abBw