Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Knight.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Barbara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The Enviropouch® US brand of today is the result of inspiration for better infection control, created by the life and untimely death of FL co-ed college student, Kimberly Bergalis, who spoke out about HIV in 1990, that she contracted at her dental appointment in 1987. Inspired by her story, by 1993, the Alabama based, co-founders, co-inventors, brothers, dentists, and today’s corporate experts, Drs. David and James Stoddard, had developed their US patented, FDA registered, product, now known as Enviropouch®, originally called Propak, and launched the company. Enviropak sales grew annually, but so grew the dentists’ practices, creating opportunities and choices.
By 2000, the entrepreneurial brothers decided to ask their dental imaging manufacturing rep, a Peachtree City based local, and mutual acquaintance, about any interested buyers? My husband and business partner, John J Knight, and I, immediately were interested in possibly purchasing the company and carrying on their mission!
Though successfully a FDA medical device class II, established, registered, audited, manufacturer with annual growing sales and profits, the large dental (healthcare) industry distributors, (to this day), weren’t supportive to their efforts, due to conflict of interests with the relationships and profitability of disposables sales. It was an underdog, David and Goliath story. And, between John and I, we happened to have the proven, serial entrepreneur, medical device, corporate expertise and the newly emerging voice/data/internet technologies expertise to tackle the challenges.
By early 2001, we purchased the company and committed ourselves to scaling it. Suddenly, however, John’s health issues became serious, life threatening, and then to add to our personal and professional challenges, both the September 11 and anthrax attacks occurred. From this difficult, painful, new beginning, of threatened ownership and marketing viability, emerged the solid US Enviropouch brand of today, every bit impacted, and its story of survival, forever intertwined, with the much bigger US and world picture of same.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, and that’s an understatement. Enviropouch has had a life of its own, overcoming corporate-life threatening events from its transition period of 2001, through 3 corporate location floods, a non-forthcoming IT/website professional, a US textiles industry that has moved overseas in this time, and even a broken needle, on a given day along the way, that could each stop the company in its tracks. So, at the beginning, the middle, and the forever, Enviropouch is an underdog, that “fights the good fights”, towards its mission and vision.
Please tell us about Enviropouch.
Enviropouch® manufactures, sells, distributes, directly, internationally, a unique US patented and registered medical device class II, US brand, a reusable, steam sterilization pouch product in nine standard sizes, three colors, and customizes product for infection control applications, primarily serving US dentistry. We also supply vets, medical. tattoo studios, labs.
Enviropouch® is known for Quality Systems by the US FDA for three audits in its 24-year corporate history, the latest 2015, with “no warnings”; that’s the best audit outcome possible!
Enviropouch® is known foremost for being a top quality infection control product, manufacturer and supplier to US and world dentistry, featured four times in Clinicians Report® (in my humble observation, CR® is the equivalent of a combo Consumers Report, Clark Howard, and BBB, continually revered by dental professionals since 1976, as the go-to reference for excellent, vetted, formally field and/or lab evaluated, dental companies and products).
Enviropouch® is known for quality manufacturing in Georgia, awarded Team Operational Excellence Award, Oct 2016, by Georgia Manufacturing Alliance.
Enviropouch® is recognized for its cool new logo design by LogosAtlanta, by AGDA 2013.
Enviropouch® is acknowledged by its team as a positive, fun, flexible, supportive, professional place to work with high expectations and quality excellence our objective!
Enviropouch® is LOVED by its loyal customer base for its high performance, highly cost effective, sustainable, value add, products and excellent customer service, rated on FB (5-star) and Google’s prior retail, at nearly 5star.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Perhaps I would have encouraged our sons to participate more often and extensively in our business at earlier ages. However, I’m grateful for the fresh perspective, talents, and rich life experiences that Spencer and Emory contribute today, towards our bright future. Like their generation desires most in life, altruism, sustainability, and better quality of life are at our core, as The heart and soul of infection control ™.
Contact Info:
- Address: 308 D-Bob Industrial Dr Ste 3
Peachtree City, GA 30269 - Website: http://www.enviropouch.com/
- Phone: 770-632-1991
- Email: info@enviropouch.com
Image Credit:
The Team Operational Excellence Award (October 2016) photo is Georgia Manufacturing Alliance taken and provided.
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