Neil Gloger makes a living by finding homes for plastic heading to the landfill. He helms InterGroup International, an Ohio-based recycler of post-industrial plastics. Neil got into the recycling business because he wanted to make an impact on society. He’s done that while growing his company from $239k in year one to $14.9mm in 2011. He’s succeeded despite significant setbacks that included the crash in 2008 and another unexpected tragedy. ”We had a fire in 2007 that destroyed most of our inventory and an entire building. But we survived and thrived.” Neil eventually re-hired every employee that he lost in the fire and downturn. ”Hiring everyone back was the best thing that’s happened since we started the company.”
Neil is committed to press ahead despite circumstances. He cited one of our founding fathers as a hero who lived the example of perseverance, “Benjamin Franklin was one of the earliest entrepreneurs. He persevered from working for a drunk printer to one of the most influential people in our history. He taught that most people are limited by their own mind.” Neil identified his own fear of getting stuck. ”We must continue to move forward. Stagnation is a higher risk than failure. You only get disease from standing water, not running water. We’ve got to adapt and grow.”
Neil is right, and part of moving forward is keeping the company's strategy as simple as possible. Entrepreneurs can become crippled by cumbersome, multi-teir strategic plans generated either by a Fortune 100 consultant or at 3 day workshops taught by a self proclaimed “thought leader”. These plans often weigh as much as a Los Angeles telephone book and their action plan relies on a linear series of events that are more difficult to follow than a map to the Lost Ark. They traumatize Entrepreneurs and their leadership teams into a state of confusion and low moral; in other words the company stagnates.
Neil believes entrepreneurs build society and he intends to affirm that axiom. ”We’re heading to $150 to $200 million, hopefully through an acquisition spree that will put us at the forefront of industry consolidation on recycling.” Neil, like the example of his early American hero, will avoid stagnation and mental limitations by keeping his strategy simple and powerful so that his company adapts and remains in “running water.”
Brent Sapp is CEO and Co-Founder of Inc. Navigator, as well as the Founder of the Economy Heroes movement (@EconomyHeroes). Inc. Navigator serves as Newport's strategic technology provider. You can contact Brent by email at brent@incnav.com or learn more about him on the Economy Heroes website.
