Green Holiday Guide: Interviews with Green Businesses

Interview with Dennis Salazar

Dennis Salazar is the President and Co-Founder of Salazar Packaging, Inc. along with his Wife, Lenora Salazar.

RM: Your company is Salazar Packing, but aren't you also known by another name?

DS: Yes, we are best known for our Globe Guard Product line, so many people know us by that name.

RM: What inspired you to make the Globe Guard product line?

DS: As a career packaging person I saw our industry being the primary focus and in most opinions, culprit of our environmental woes. As an industry we deserve much of the criticism and Salazar Packing, Inc. saw an opportunity to correct and repair that image by making eco friendly packaging products available and affordable to anyone who wants them.

RM: What are your company's goals?

DS: We like to think we are bringing the green and packaging communities together through product development, market knowledge, and education of both communities. We spend a lot of time overcoming misconceptions and dispelling myths about green expectations versus packing capabilities.

RM: How have things changed since you started your business?

DS: The economy has forced green packaging products to be price competitive and that is a very good thing. Manufacturers and suppliers who felt they could insist on a "green premium" have come to understand that though most people want to use green products, few are able or willing to pay an up charge for that effort.

RM: What's next?

DS: Innovation is the key. We try to keep our fingers on the proverbial pulse of the green community so we can determine where they are headed and get there as quickly as possible with our products and solutions. A great example is the resurgence of glass packaging for use on organic products. Glass is the preferred primary packaging but it creates unique shipping problems compared to the plastic containers it usually replaces.

RM: If there is one message you want people to take from your business, what would it be?

DS: That we sincerely care and are eager to help other people and companies who are as enthusiastic of protecting the environment as we are.

Thank you Dennis!

You can contact Salazar Packaging, Inc. at www.GlobeGuardProducts.com or www.SalazarPackaging.com. They service many types of companies from Fortune 500 companies as well as small start-up, home based companies. They are members of Green America and the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance. They have recently been nominated for Green America's 2009 Green Leadership Award.

Dennis was born and raised in Chicago and now lives in Plainfield IL. with his wife, kids and dog Gateway, just two miles from his warehouse.