Executive Highlight

Mark Shaw

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CEO, UltraTech International, Inc.
Business Founded: 1993
Phone: (904) 923-3300
Email: [email protected]

Address:
11542 Davis Creek Court
Jacksonville, Florida 32082

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How long have you been in your industry?42 years
Why did you choose your industry?I am credited with starting the spill containment industry in 1983. I was 22 years old. There was no spill containment industry. I wanted to build a drum that would never leak and save the world from toxic waste. I started a company, developed my idea into a patent and a product and things fell into place from there. It led to developing over 400 unique environmental products, 65+ patents, over 1,000 distributors, and in 80+ countries. How I got into the advanced technologies industry is a story for another day.
Who are your typical clients?We sell through distributors who are our customers, but the end user of our products covers most industries. anyone who generates hazardous waste, oil, handles chemicals, stormwater, flood control, nuclear waste, and those who want to stay in environmental compliance. The challenge is the users of our products are so broad, varied and global. The Advanced Technologies side of our business is equally as broad and global.
What do you like best about being in this industry?Being able to spend a lifetime creating solutions to help make or keep the environment. Our company motto is Making the world safer, cleaner and more sustainable. Being able to envision and create the industry, products, regulations, dynamics and employ a bunch of happy staffers who make it all happen.
What are common problems you see?It has come a long way. The initial problems were no regulations, no trade shows, no trade magazines, no distributors and companies did not even acknowledge they had hazardous waste. Today, there are distributors and competitors worldwide. Companies embrace taking care of the environment with budgets that include buying products like ours, hiring environmental managers, establishing ESG programs, and even politics has made the environment a "thing".
What advice/tips do you have for clients?Our tips are in the form of training for our distributors in over 80 countries, teaching them about the products applications and the regulations is the best information we can give them. We also use pull-through marketing and a lot of marketing resources to help make our distributors knowledgeable and successful.
When is your busy season?Non-Seasonal
What keeps you up at night?In the early days, as it is for most entrepreneurs, it was "can we make payroll this week and when can I start paying myself?" Lately, I wake up thinking about some significant issue that my subconscious is mulling over and then wakes me up to tell me to stay away and think about this.
How do you market yourself to grow/expand your business?We have a larger marketing staff than many companies our size. We innovate and invent a lot of new products and that helps expand and grow the business. We also market and sell globally, which not all of our competitors are willing to take on. We have adopted EOS as a way to run our business and help us transition from an entrepreneurial company to one that is able to grow and manage the challenges of the next levels.
How involved are you in the community?I am active with my church, coached youth sports for 13 years. I have mentored the past few years at P. Menendez High School for the Entrepreneurial program.
What is your favorite not for profit or charity?We support Guana Preserve, Children of Fallen Patriots, Hunger Fight, Grounds of Grace, Jax Pals (previously).
What advice would you give to someone thinking of getting into this business?Don't do it. You won't make any money, you'll work long hours, you will lose your friends, your wife will divorce you and take the dog, you will get a rash and become drug dependent. Now that's not true, but that is what I tell people who ask about getting into our industry. I have enough competitors. (This is the typical answer, right?)
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?Fishing, some golf, traveling and working.

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