The AgroRenew Story
How one idea led us on the path to achieving a more sustainable plastic
Our Purpose
AgroRenew is a company of transformation. Through the challenge of creating revolutionary products, we expand the limits of possibility and become ever-better versions of ourselves.
What Makes Us Different
The values we live by
- Care
- Mistakes
- Openness
- Challenge
- Transformation
We value Care.
We care about ourselves. We care about people outside ourselves. We care about our work. And we care about the potential of our work to transform the lives of our team, our families, our community, and the environment. It all matters.
We value Mistakes.
Safety and Quality are the highest priority in our production areas and throughout the company. That means we have to be honest about mistakes. Every mistake is an opportunity to improve how we work and how we think. When mistakes happen, we treat them as the foundation on which innovation is built. We encourage a culture of exploration, experimentation, and deep learning from every mistake, so we can ensure every mistake is useful.
We value Openness.
We are open. That means we’re honest, transparent, and accountable. It also means we’re open to new possibilities; we’re open to new points of view; we’re open to challenging others and being challenged ourselves. By being open, we build a high-trust environment where people care, mistakes are permissible, challenges are overcome, and transformation is inevitable.
We value Challenge.
Challenge is where you meet yourself. We embrace curiosity, adaptability, and a growth mindset as essential drivers of personal and professional development. We seek and embrace challenges as the primary vehicle for growth, improvement, and fulfilling our potential.
We value Transformation.
Transformation keeps things interesting. We want to have a transformative impact–on ourselves, our families, our community, and the environment. We want lives to be different because we existed. We believe every person can be an agent of transformation, and we support every member of the team stepping into that role.
The Standards We Hold
We are people who...
...make this a place we want to be.
...feel proud of our work
...believe that what we do matters.
...bring the best of ourselves to everything we do.
...always find a way.
...stand behind our results.
...use challenge as the raw material for progress.
...focus on how far we've come.
...celebrate!
"Our journey from concept to realization has been a remarkable testament to the power of innovation and collaboration. With our cutting-edge processing plant, we aim to not only redefine the plastics industry but also contribute significantly to the local economy."
Brian and Katie Southern
AgroRenew Co-Founders
"Our journey from concept to realization has been a remarkable testament to the power of innovation and collaboration. With our cutting-edge processing plant, we aim to not only redefine the plastics industry but also contribute significantly to the local economy."
Brian and Katie Southern
AgroRenew
Co-Founders
Leadership at AgroRenew
Teamwork = Dream Work
Brian K. Southern
Chief Executive Officer
Katie L. Southern
Chief Science Officer
Kyle Rodionov
Chief Financial Officer
Jessica Ell
Chief Transformation Officer
A path of growth & innovation
Slide right for a trip down memory lane.
Pre-Ideation
Brian K. Southern (then Business Advisor for Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center) begins offering office hours for entrepreneurs at The Pantheon Business Incubator in Vincennes, Indiana.
Ideation
Brian begins having conversations with community members at The Pantheon's coffee bar. Ideas begin circulating when local farmers discuss food waste problem in Knox County, Indiana.
Experimentation
Brian and his wife Katie Southern, a food scientist, begin testing watermelon composition in labs by crushing, pulverizing, drying, and grounding. They discovered melon rinds contain carbohydrate traits required for resin production.
The Green Light
Alongside community leaders and resources at The Pantheon, Brian and Katie made the decision to move forward with the idea to develop technology that would turn food waste into a resin polymer that could be used in bioplastic production.
Public Announcement
The Pantheon hosts a press conference attended by regional media outlets, city and county officials, co-working members, and the local agriculture community. The crowd broke out in applause several times throughout the announcement!
Read Press Release >>
Groundbreaking
This groundbreaking event marks the beginning of a new chapter in our commitment to environmental stewardship and innovation.