Starting a business at age 66 with Paul Tasner

Paul Tasner, Co-founder and CEO of PulpWorks and more recently, Co-founder of Sort, has more than 40 years of operations experience. He has held leadership positions in ventures ranging from start-up to Fortune 100. For the past decade, his focus has been on sustainability. Paul’s corporate affiliations include The Clorox Company, Clif Bar, Method Products, and Hepagen Vaccines. He has authored numerous papers and presentations on supply chain sustainability and currently lectures on this subject in the MBA Programs at San Francisco State University and Golden Gate University as well as the Packaging Engineering Department at San Jose State University. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Boston University.

In this episode you will learn:

How PulpWorks manufactures packaging for consumer goods using fiber waste

The story of Paul Tasner starting his first business at age 66

The perks of being your own boss as an entrepreneur

The specific challenges PulpWorks faces in securing new customers

How to pursue investors in the competitive city of San Francisco

Critical questions to consider for people nearing retirement that want to start a business

How recycling is an answer but not the answer

Why Paul is envious of the millennial mindset

How rejecting plastic can make a difference

What Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is and how EPR regulations could impact society

Paul’s new tech-based recycling business

Note: This conversation was recorded before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the death of James Floyd.