Diversification Can Drive Business

Chris Garcia is in the information destruction business. But when a prominent potential client — the National Basketball Association — called and asked if he could handle the recycling of food scraps at an All-Star Game event, he said he’d figure it out.

And a new division of AZ Docushred LLC was born.

Today, Global Green Integrators is a growing division, helping corporate cafeterias, resorts, hospitals and event planners to divert recyclable materials from our landfills.

At the All-Star VIP Party in February 2009, GGI’s first event, the company prevented 67 percent of the waste from going into a landfill. That fall, GGI was hired for a U.S. Green Building Council event at Chase Field. There, they prevented nearly 80 percent of recyclable material from ending up in a landfill. Recent projects have yielded even more impressive numbers.

But what makes Global Green Integrators unique, Garcia explains, is that it isn’t just a waste hauling company. GGI provides business intelligence for company leaders to make decisions. GGI measures current trash weights and costs and helps companies understand the volume of recyclable materials they are throwing away and the net impact of the recycling programs they implement.

In fact, these kinds of metrics helped the Firesky Resort in Scottsdale become Green Seal™ Silver Certified because leaders could show the numbers behind their waste diversion efforts.

All this, Garcia explains, is because he and his business partner were willing to consider a new opportunity and get outside of their comfort zone.

“Philosophically, if we were to have said ‘no’ and hung up the phone, we would still be in the document destruction business,” he says. “The NBA’s visibility was an important factor — but not the only factor. They came to us to provide a solution to them. We did our due diligence and determined we could help them. And we’re reaping the rewards because now, we’re a big fish in a niche market.”

He suggests businesses remain open and consider each opportunity as it presents itself. “If you’re a small business, you need to look at understanding the client, what they need, what they want, and decide if you can design a solution to meet their needs,” Garcia advises. “Just because it’s outside of your realm, don’t think you can’t help a client.”


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This story, written by Stephanie Conner, is part of the Chamber's monthly Business Driver email. To sign up for any or all of the Chamber's email newsletters, click here.