AltUse.com
Positioned for an inevitable AltUse future
The Human race. Due to the rapid increase in population and conspicuous consumption at a time of ever-shrinking natural resources, finding alternative uses for everyday products will be a way of life in just a few short years. Our goal is to become the lens through which the world views itself in this alternative use future. We expect the AltUse brand name to be a noun a la Kleenex, or a verb such as Google.
Our vision is to be a community of many millions providing:
- The planet's largest repository of alternative uses.
- A destination where consumers discover and share valuable reuse and recycle strategies.
- The gold standard for rating and measuring alternative uses as to effectiveness, financial savings, as well as carbon footprint and landfill reduction.
- The world's foremost commercial marketplace to buy and sell product created with repurposed material.
- A clearing house enabling companies and individuals to market discarded bulk items to third parties for repurposing.
- The go-to arena for information exchange between product manufacturers and their customers when it comes to the extension of product lifecycle.
- The primary venue for the promotion of alternative uses for commercial products
To hasten the growth in alternative use, we are reaching out to consumers to help reshape their view of product utility, and we are challenging business as to the wisdom of marketing products for just one specific purpose. We hope to be a catalyst for major change in the manufacturing of consumer goods and how they're used.
MARKET OPPORTUNITY
A perfect storm
At the same time that family budgets are tightening, concern over environmental conditions is growing exponentially. Constant reports in the media of rising sea levels, melting ice caps, and out of control carbon levels, as well as the front-and-center positioning of these issues by the Obama Administration, has forced eco-awareness to go mainstream in this country and worldwide. Often, the response is a feeling of frustration in the face of such overwhelming odds. AltUse.com empowers the average citizen to find new and clever ways to save money as well as to feel like he or she is making a difference in the battle against climate change.
On the edge of an emerging trend toward simplicity
Through the re-examination of what really matters in their lives, people worldwide are realizing that less is truly more and that conspicuous consumption is out of favor. This is resulting in an emphasis on quality rather than quantity, and nostalgia for the ways of the past. Going back to the basics (ie: locally grown food movement) includes a longing for the home-made (ie: the marked increase in craft supply sales). AltUse.com fits perfectly into this do-it-yourself mentality at the same time it enables consumers to rid themselves of unnecessary clutter by extending the utility of the products they already own.
Management:
Co-Founders
As former executives of Nestle, the co-founders of AltUse.com have emerged from the heart of corporate America's consumer food industry to create a new, environmentally friendly business model for a rapidly changing planet.
Benjamin Goldfarb (President, Technology), has a unique ability to link technology to real world needs. He is always ahead of the curve, spotting trends and charging forward as he did at Nestle, where he was dubbed the company's 'Father of the Internet.' As a long-time Interactive Marketing professional, he launched over 100 product web sites, including those for PowerBar, Butterfinger, CoffeeMate, and Crunch.
Goldfarb was an early pioneer in green living. In the early 1980's, he completed an environmental studies major at Pitzer College in Pomona, his thesis focusing on the feasibility of using corporate credits for waste treatment. His first business was installing solar heaters for swimming pools, virtually unheard of at the time.
Ben is resourceful in all areas of his life. As a single Dad, he's had to be a constant problem solver. He travels by alternative transit whenever possible, not an easy feat in LA, and opts for bicycle trips when he vacations.
Michael Wheeler (President, Products) believes that all consumer goods should be designed with alternative uses in order to extend lifecycle. As a Brand and Internet Marketing Manager for category leading brands at Nestle Foodservices, Wheeler discovered a passion for finding an alternative to a system where sales growth would cease when the market for a particular item's sole use was saturated.
Mike came upon his AltUse credentials early. As a child growing up in Michigan, he spent summers on his uncle\'s farm in Mississippi where money was scarce and nothing ever went unused. Remedies were favored in lieu of medicine, castor oil seen as a cure-all for everything from a sore throat to a headache.
In addition to his extensive background in marketing, Wheeler is also an attorney. He served as an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County Juvenile Court, representing the indigent accused.
For more information about AltUse visit: http://www.altuse.com.
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