History of Eco-Products

Early Years: 1990 – 1993 In the summer following his graduation from the University of Kansas, Steve Savage and his father Kent were hiking together in Rocky Mountain National Park when Kent decided to pitch a simple business concept to his son. The general idea was to provide products manufactured from recycled content to businesses around Denver and Boulder. With an idea, a garage, and a few grants to write a business plan, Kent and Steve officially founded Eco-Products on October 1, 1990. Steve and Kent first turned their attention to businesses that used large quantities of paper products including office paper, toilet paper, and paper towels. While the demand for these products was consistent, the two found that many of their competitors already offered products manufactured with recycled content. This precipitated a shift toward foodservice disposables and janitorial supplies in 1993. The move was solidified when the team landed their first “big” account: Denver based Peaberry Coffee.

From Retail Distribution to Wholesale Manufacturing: 1993 – 2005 For the next 12 years, Eco-Products would grow at a slow yet methodical pace by purchasing recycled content products from companies like International Paper and Georgia Pacific, and distributing them to businesses in the greater Denver/Boulder area and beyond. During this time Kent and Steve never experienced an unprofitable year, as awareness of environmental issues in America grew rapidly. It was also during this time that Kent Savage, in 1999, officially retired from the company, and turned the reigns over to his son. For the next six years Steve worked to grow Eco-Products into one of the leading distributors of environmentally friendly products in the country.
	In 2005 Steve introduced a new wrinkle into the business model. Rather than operating strictly as a distributor for other firms, Eco-Products invested for the first time in the manufacture of its own products. These products would utilize a new technology that replaced traditional petroleum based plastic with “corn plastic”, and traditional styrofoam with sugarcane. The result of this shift was a new and unique value proposition never before seen in the marketplace – one that would offer customers compostable products made from renewable resources, equal in quality to traditional plastics, and competitive in price.

High Growth: 2005 – 2009 With the shift towards wholesale manufacturing came rapid growth. Between 2005 and October of 2008, the number of employees increased from 10 to just under 70. A retail arm selling organic homewares called “Ellie’s Eco Home Center” was spun off in December of 2007. The business takes its name from Steve’s daughter, Ellie. The grand opening of its new Boulder location happened on November 15th, 2008. Around the same time, Eco-Products moved into a new corporate headquarters just east of its present location on Walnut St. On the roof of the new building is the largest solar power installation in Boulder County — a 49 kilowatt system that offsets a portion of the building’s energy needs.