Interview with Sustainable Packaging Specialist Dennis Salazar

Dennis Salazar is the founder and president of Salazar Packaging, Inc. He recently invented and introduced a new industrial product, the Globe Guard® Reusable Box. If you’ve ever tried, you know how difficult rolling out a new product is. Still, innovation is a phenomenal way for a small firm to differentiate itself and penetrate new markets. Here, Dennis shares some of his experiences, which should be inspirational and helpful for entrepreneurs who are contemplating bringing something new to market. (Salazar Packaging is a Word Sell client.) This interview is part of a series on Innovation in Small Business.

Where did you get the idea for the Reusable Box? My wife and co-founder of our company, Lenora and I saw “reuse” as the untapped and ignored R in sustainability. It bothered us that good, solid corrugated boxes were discarded or recycled after one single use, for primarily cosmetic reasons. Especially when there was a clean, like new inside that could be used again. The trick was turning the box inside out without adversely affecting the cost or performance of the box.

Unlike big corporations with vast marketing budgets and resources, you are very much an entrepreneurial business. How do you plan to get the word out about the product? The only way we can afford to do it – virally. We have earned a position and a level of credibility in the internet’s packaging and green markets through our work, articles we’ve written for other leading sites and our own blog so we feel we can reach the people most likely interested in what we have designed. We are also fortunate that the green community is very open and friendly and they communicate good and bad with each other, better and faster than any other market we have every worked in.

What lessons did you learn about product innovation through your Reusable Box experience? You can never go wrong by listening to your customers and developing a solution to their needs. We also learned the patent filing process can be very detailed and expensive. There is no substitute for experience so it is extremely important to identify resources you can trust and not hesitate to utilize a non-disclosure agreement even in preliminary conversations but definitely before you show too many of your cards. If fences make for good neighbors, NDA’s create good business relationships.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs and small companies about rolling out a new product? Take time to understand the market and the process. Who would the product appeal to and why would it appeal to them? In today’s economy, that should be immediately followed by how can we make the product better and less expensive? Friends and allies are invaluable because everyone knows someone so once your product is safely patented, make sure you tell everyone about it. Participate and use web based social networks but they will never replace people you can depend on to be eager to contribute to your success.

About Salazar Packaging
Headquartered near Chicago, IL, Salazar Packaging is a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) specializing in packaging design and development, sustainable packaging products and services, and automation of high volume packaging operations. It represents leading industry manufacturers including Bemis Clysar® shrink film, Autobag® automatic bagging systems, Rennco® vertical packaging equipment, and its own line of eco friendly Globe Guard® packaging products.