0:00:00.160,0:00:05.160
How to build an innovative tech brand in
0:00:02.639,0:00:09.040
one of the least glamorous industries
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imaginable. Stay tuned to find
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out. Hello friends, you are watching a
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fresh episode of the Green New Perspective podcast. Your go-to place
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when you want to learn about innovative
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technologies and discover marketing
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strategies that are fueling growth in
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the space. My guest in today's episode
0:00:29.119,0:00:34.960
is William Gagnon from Excel Dryer, the
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company behind famous XLERATOR hand
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dryers. But we're not going to talk
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about hand dryers or not solely about
0:00:39.760,0:00:43.280
hand dryers in this episode. We are
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going to talk about how they stayed
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resilient through tariffs, through
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global supply chain chaos, post-COVID
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misinformation, all while cutting carbon
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footprint by 94%. You heard me well,
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94%. and educating your market about
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better hand hygiene and smarter building
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design. If you care about manufacturing,
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sustainability, or maybe you just love a
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great reinvention story, you'll want to
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stick around to this one. Hey, Bill,
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welcome to the Green New Perspective
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podcast. Thanks for having me. So, let's
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start with this quick intro. So, Excel
0:01:37.600,0:01:42.479
Dryer has been a leader in hand hygiene
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for decades now. So, for our listeners
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who might not know the brand, can you
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give us a brief overview of the
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company's story and what sets you apart
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and then a bit about you? How has your
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role evolved since stepping into
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leadership? Sure. So, Excel Dryer is a
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manufacturer of Americanmade hand
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dryers. It was founded in 1963. Uh it's
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been a quality brand in the industry for
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a long time. My father purchased it in
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1997 and is a familyun business. So
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Dennis, my father, Nancy, my mother, and
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myself. We worked together to invent the
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XLERATOR hand dryer, which is our
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number one product and brand of product.
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And it was the first high-speed energy
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efficient handryer model created, which
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we taglined as finally a fast hand
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dryer. People know the old hand dryers,
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you push the button, they barely blow
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any hair, they don't dry your hands, and
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you have to use your clothes to finish.
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My father wanted to improve on that. He
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has a lot of manufacturing uh background
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working for Milton Bradley and Hasbro
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the toy company and had built
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manufacturing plants for them
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internationally and he wanted to always
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dreamed of owning his own business
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wanted to be a manufacturing business.
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His vision was to make a quality
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Americanmade product that was dependable
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and people like to use. So when he was
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looking to buy a business, Excel Dryer
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was available for purchase and that's
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how he got into the business. And when
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he did, he realized the product that
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they were making people didn't like to
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use and needed to build a better
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mousetrap as it was quoted in one of his
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early articles. And we found a team of
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inventors from MIT in the Boston area
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that had an idea of moving air fast and
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it could help dry hands. Then 3 years
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later after working with them
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XLERATOR was created. It really
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changed the industry. There are much
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more many more companies who are
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manufacturing high-speed energy
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efficient handdryer models. Now so it
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significantly grew the industry grew it
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internationally and and really changed
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the direction of the handdryer industry.
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Now, XLERATOR is the number one brand
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sold certainly in in North America and
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we are installed in all sorts of
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commercial fil facilities from Walmart
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and Target to McDonald's and Burger King
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or Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and
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places like that. And so, and we're also
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an international company and ship our
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dryers all over the world. So, that's
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what we're doing today. And we've got
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several handdryer models, but that's all
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we do. We just do quality Americanmade
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handdryers. Hey, you mentioned that Excel
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has been familyowned for two
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generations, right? So, what's it like
0:04:25.919,0:04:30.960
leading a company with deep roots, but a
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strong focus on future and growth and
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innovation? Yeah. So, for me, it's it's
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been a a very fun ride with XLERATOR.
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We didn't know what we had when we
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invented it. We weren't sure if it would
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be successful. Uh it's certainly been
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more successful than we ever thought it
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might be in the beginning. So, I've
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really learned along the way from being
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in the factory to building dryers when I
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was younger to being the head sales
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person and selling to all the big
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accounts early on and then heading up
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the marketing team and getting into R&D.
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So, I've really been all over the
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company. So, for me, it's been great.
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And now we have an expanded team. We've
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continued to expand our facilities. We
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continue to hire as we grow and we're
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creating more jobs. and we have a great
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team built for the next generation to
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work with me and bring our new
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innovative products that are about to be
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coming to the market forward. So, you've
0:05:25.120,0:05:29.160
been growing up with the product
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literally.
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Yes, absolutely.
0:05:32.320,0:05:39.840
You mentioned that the the Excel dryer
0:05:35.759,0:05:42.400
is manufactured in the US. So, why has
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that remained a priority for for you?
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because many companies are out
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outsourcing overseas. We know that. Yes.
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So that's really was what started with
0:05:48.400,0:05:53.360
Dennis my father and that was that was
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his s uh simple vision of make a quality
0:05:53.360,0:05:58.560
product Americanmade product that is
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dependable and people like to use and
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that was his formula and with Excel Dryer
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it was made in in East Longmeadow
0:06:04.479,0:06:10.400
Massachusetts here and we have since
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looked to change our vendors to to be
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all domestic and to try and get to be uh
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100% Americanmade and again that was his
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vision I support it and have continued
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to help bring that to fruition. And we
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now have all of our vendors, our
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domestic vendors in the United States.
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And we even go layers deeper and and the
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materials they source are sourced from
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the United States and domestically. And
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so we're the only hand dryer left that
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still is Americanmade. And yeah, the
0:06:37.919,0:06:42.240
easy route was to ship it overseas, have
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it made in China for cheaper so you
0:06:42.240,0:06:45.840
could be more competitive. That's what
0:06:44.000,0:06:48.800
World Dryer did, who was the previous
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number one. Uh, and when they did, they
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had the issues you would expect. Their
0:06:51.039,0:06:55.919
quality dropped. They had issues with
0:06:53.759,0:06:57.919
supply chain and getting dryers and
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parts at times. So, we really wanted to
0:06:57.919,0:07:03.199
be in control uh of of our manufacturing
0:07:01.039,0:07:04.960
of our product and and make sure we had
0:07:03.199,0:07:06.800
the quality control and the components
0:07:04.960,0:07:09.120
and the parts that were going into the
0:07:06.800,0:07:10.400
dryer were all dependable and vetted.
0:07:09.120,0:07:12.880
And, you know, that's why we have less
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than a 1% failure rate on our product.
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And yes, you know, it takes more effort
0:07:15.199,0:07:20.160
and you have to want to do it. So the
0:07:17.599,0:07:22.960
easier road is to go overseas, but that
0:07:20.160,0:07:25.199
was never on our road map and and being
0:07:22.960,0:07:26.960
made in America is just in our DNA. So
0:07:25.199,0:07:28.560
what kind of difference has domestic
0:07:26.960,0:07:30.400
production made for Excel when it comes
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to staying resilient because that's one
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of the main topics these days
0:07:32.240,0:07:37.599
considering global supply chain
0:07:34.319,0:07:40.639
challenges, taxes and everything. Sure.
0:07:37.599,0:07:43.360
So in today's let's just call it uh
0:07:40.639,0:07:45.919
interesting environment going on with
0:07:43.360,0:07:48.880
tariffs we are tariff resilient because
0:07:45.919,0:07:52.080
of our domestic supply chain. So, we uh
0:07:48.880,0:07:54.639
have over 4,000 distributors globally,
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most of which are are just thousands of
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distributors in the United States, and
0:07:56.879,0:08:01.840
there are some large distributors of
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just hand dryers that we work with, but
0:08:01.840,0:08:07.199
they sell all brands. And, you know, as
0:08:04.240,0:08:09.440
an example, they just sent out a a
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bulletin to all their customers listing
0:08:09.440,0:08:14.800
all of the handryer brands and what
0:08:12.080,0:08:17.599
their percent increase on price was. and
0:08:14.800,0:08:20.400
Excel Dryer's name was not on it because
0:08:17.599,0:08:22.560
we did we don't have a price increase
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and to the fact that because we're good
0:08:22.560,0:08:26.639
partners, they're going to be sending
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out a bulletin just to remind everybody
0:08:26.639,0:08:31.199
that Excel will not be having a price
0:08:29.199,0:08:33.360
increase because it's made in USA and
0:08:31.199,0:08:35.440
that they didn't forget to list us on
0:08:33.360,0:08:37.599
that list. It's no, it's because we
0:08:35.440,0:08:39.279
won't be having a price increase. So,
0:08:37.599,0:08:42.159
it's putting us in a competitive
0:08:39.279,0:08:45.360
advantage right now against our top
0:08:42.159,0:08:47.360
competitors who are made overseas in
0:08:45.360,0:08:49.200
China and Malaysia and and other
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countries. And your team, as far as I
0:08:49.200,0:08:53.360
know, is active both in e-commerce and
0:08:51.279,0:08:55.200
then traditional distribution. So,
0:08:53.360,0:08:56.959
what's the strategy behind using both
0:08:55.200,0:08:59.040
channels and how do you make them work
0:08:56.959,0:09:00.640
together? Well, if you want to sell any
0:08:59.040,0:09:03.279
product, you better be able to sell it
0:09:00.640,0:09:06.720
online. And it is uh it's a driving
0:09:03.279,0:09:09.839
force. We work closely with partners to
0:09:06.720,0:09:12.320
help give us the best visibility online.
0:09:09.839,0:09:14.959
We, you know, do a lot of integrated
0:09:12.320,0:09:17.519
digital marketing from Google Adwords
0:09:14.959,0:09:20.399
and pay-per-click to the third party
0:09:17.519,0:09:23.040
selling sites like Amazon and eBay and
0:09:20.399,0:09:25.600
and Walmart's platforms, things like
0:09:23.040,0:09:27.279
that. So, we really worked hard from the
0:09:25.600,0:09:29.600
beginning. We worked hard to make sure
0:09:27.279,0:09:31.200
our dryers had a strong presence and
0:09:29.600,0:09:33.839
were available no matter where you
0:09:31.200,0:09:35.760
looked online. But really in the
0:09:33.839,0:09:38.440
beginning it was driven more by the
0:09:35.760,0:09:40.959
brickandmortar stores and our
0:09:38.440,0:09:43.600
manufacturer representatives kind of
0:09:40.959,0:09:45.600
going out and positioning the product in
0:09:43.600,0:09:48.800
front of customers. And in the beginning
0:09:45.600,0:09:51.440
buying online wasn't trusted as much as
0:09:48.800,0:09:53.200
it is today. But now everyone does and
0:09:51.440,0:09:55.760
we see you know there's a large shift
0:09:53.200,0:09:57.519
and and we do do significant business
0:09:55.760,0:09:59.600
online. And the other thing I would
0:09:57.519,0:10:02.160
mention is the selling online through
0:09:59.600,0:10:04.720
third party sites has helped us
0:10:02.160,0:10:07.040
internationally where we might not have
0:10:04.720,0:10:09.279
representation in a country but we can
0:10:07.040,0:10:11.839
easily set up on a third party selling
0:10:09.279,0:10:13.360
site to make it available to people. So
0:10:11.839,0:10:16.320
uh that's something that we we've been
0:10:13.360,0:10:18.240
working on more recently to open up more
0:10:16.320,0:10:21.120
international markets. Yeah, I imagine
0:10:18.240,0:10:24.079
that marketing hand dryers isn't always
0:10:21.120,0:10:26.560
a flashy tasks, let's say, but education
0:10:24.079,0:10:28.720
might be a big focus on for your team
0:10:26.560,0:10:30.959
there. So, how do you raise awareness in
0:10:28.720,0:10:32.800
a category that might be overlooked
0:10:30.959,0:10:34.880
sometimes? Yeah, it's true. We are a
0:10:32.800,0:10:36.640
niche product line, but the other
0:10:34.880,0:10:40.399
interesting thing is every commercial
0:10:36.640,0:10:43.200
building has bathrooms and we sell to
0:10:40.399,0:10:45.839
every single industry. So we actually
0:10:43.200,0:10:47.920
have to do a lot of unique marketing and
0:10:45.839,0:10:50.640
expansive marketing whether it's a
0:10:47.920,0:10:52.880
restaurant, an airport, a school. So we
0:10:50.640,0:10:56.399
really deal with everybody across the
0:10:52.880,0:10:58.640
board. So quite expansive and and uh not
0:10:56.399,0:11:00.760
just a plain simple task that you might
0:10:58.640,0:11:03.279
think. And for us it is all about
0:11:00.760,0:11:05.839
education. So we really have two pillars
0:11:03.279,0:11:07.760
of business. It's the new construction
0:11:05.839,0:11:09.760
and building of new buildings and
0:11:07.760,0:11:11.920
getting specified. And that's done
0:11:09.760,0:11:14.800
through the AEC community and the
0:11:11.920,0:11:17.440
architects, engineers and construction
0:11:14.800,0:11:19.440
people that that design and build the
0:11:17.440,0:11:21.200
buildings. So we have to educate them,
0:11:19.440,0:11:23.440
make them aware of our product to be put
0:11:21.200,0:11:25.839
into specifications. On the other end,
0:11:23.440,0:11:27.920
it's retrofit into existing buildings
0:11:25.839,0:11:31.279
where we're working with facility
0:11:27.920,0:11:34.000
managers and and operators and owners to
0:11:31.279,0:11:35.680
educate them on if you're using paper,
0:11:34.000,0:11:38.320
here's all the benefits of why you'd
0:11:35.680,0:11:40.160
want to switch to a handryer for saving
0:11:38.320,0:11:42.720
money, saving time, saving the
0:11:40.160,0:11:45.200
environment, but also cleaner restroom.
0:11:42.720,0:11:47.200
So, it's educating them, but in a
0:11:45.200,0:11:49.760
slightly different way. So yes, you
0:11:47.200,0:11:52.079
know, we have to constantly find as many
0:11:49.760,0:11:53.760
channels as we can to get in front of
0:11:52.079,0:11:55.760
our message in front of people and to
0:11:53.760,0:11:58.399
educate on both sides. Yeah. And I feel
0:11:55.760,0:12:01.120
like we can talk about hand dryers a bit
0:11:58.399,0:12:03.360
and not to mention pandemic. Feel like
0:12:01.120,0:12:05.360
hygiene expectations have shifted
0:12:03.360,0:12:07.519
dramatically since then. So from your
0:12:05.360,0:12:10.399
perspective, what changes have you seen
0:12:07.519,0:12:13.279
in how facilities approach hand drying?
0:12:10.399,0:12:15.680
Yeah. So the pandemic was certainly a
0:12:13.279,0:12:17.519
difficult time for us as the one area
0:12:15.680,0:12:19.839
where the paper towel industry which is
0:12:17.519,0:12:22.959
really our number one competitor would
0:12:19.839,0:12:26.079
always fund studies that say dryers blow
0:12:22.959,0:12:28.800
germs. The you know these are not true.
0:12:26.079,0:12:31.600
We have third party studies that state
0:12:28.800,0:12:34.320
that you know hand dryers are as safe
0:12:31.600,0:12:36.880
and hygienic as paper towels. So you
0:12:34.320,0:12:38.920
absolutely can use hand dryers safely to
0:12:36.880,0:12:42.639
dry your hands. It's recommended by the
0:12:38.920,0:12:44.959
CDC and the World Health Organization.
0:12:42.639,0:12:47.200
The most important part which everyone
0:12:44.959,0:12:49.440
globally agrees on is that whatever you
0:12:47.200,0:12:52.399
use, make sure your hands get dry. So
0:12:49.440,0:12:55.040
wet hands are not good because they are
0:12:52.399,0:12:57.200
a thousand times more susceptible to
0:12:55.040,0:12:59.440
either receive germs or transmit germs
0:12:57.200,0:13:01.680
when they're wet. So just make sure you
0:12:59.440,0:13:07.480
dry your hands. That's part of proper
0:13:01.680,0:13:11.680
hand hygiene. So we had to do education
0:13:07.480,0:13:13.839
uh in you know times 10 to educate
0:13:11.680,0:13:16.880
everyone that it was still okay. Our
0:13:13.839,0:13:18.959
dryers offer HEPA filtration in them. So
0:13:16.880,0:13:21.360
what people learned is that moving air
0:13:18.959,0:13:24.160
is very important after the pandemic.
0:13:21.360,0:13:26.880
You want to the air stagnant air is bad.
0:13:24.160,0:13:29.040
Moving air is good. You know replacing
0:13:26.880,0:13:31.519
the air in the room and air exchange
0:13:29.040,0:13:33.040
rates are a huge focus now. And if
0:13:31.519,0:13:34.720
you're moving air through a HEPA filter,
0:13:33.040,0:13:36.480
that's going to help take whatever is in
0:13:34.720,0:13:40.240
the air out of the air. So, we're see an
0:13:36.480,0:13:42.079
uptick on the HEPA filter versions of our
0:13:40.240,0:13:44.240
dryers. And that's something that paper
0:13:42.079,0:13:47.360
towels can't do and will never be able
0:13:44.240,0:13:51.040
to do is help improve the air quality in
0:13:47.360,0:13:52.959
the restroom. A used paper towel is a
0:13:51.040,0:13:54.639
breeding ground for bacteria. So when
0:13:52.959,0:13:56.480
you use it, throw it in the trash or it
0:13:54.639,0:13:58.800
ends up on the floor. All that's doing
0:13:56.480,0:14:01.279
is adding bacteria to the environment,
0:13:58.800,0:14:03.600
giving it a place to thrive and live or
0:14:01.279,0:14:04.680
viruses. You know, a heated hand dryer
0:14:03.600,0:14:08.480
with
0:14:04.680,0:14:10.560
HEPA filtration is a very safe way to dry
0:14:08.480,0:14:12.959
your hands and eliminates a lot of those
0:14:10.560,0:14:15.120
issues. during it was difficult, but now
0:14:12.959,0:14:17.199
that we know and we've learned, I I
0:14:15.120,0:14:19.839
think it will end up being a springboard
0:14:17.199,0:14:22.240
for the hand drying industry for
0:14:19.839,0:14:24.079
everyone that it it is the better drying
0:14:22.240,0:14:26.639
solution. And with all of our new
0:14:24.079,0:14:28.560
integrated products like the hand dryer
0:14:26.639,0:14:30.800
on the sink deck next to the faucet. So
0:14:28.560,0:14:33.199
you have the soap faucet hand dryer. You
0:14:30.800,0:14:35.839
get to wash, rinse and dry all in one
0:14:33.199,0:14:38.160
place. Keep the water in the basin, have
0:14:35.839,0:14:40.639
your personal space without moving
0:14:38.160,0:14:42.320
around or that is becoming I think the
0:14:40.639,0:14:44.240
future of commercial restrooms. And
0:14:42.320,0:14:46.639
you're seeing those products put into
0:14:44.240,0:14:49.360
the newer buildings now. So I I feel
0:14:46.639,0:14:52.000
that during it was difficult again but
0:14:49.360,0:14:54.399
now that everyone's forced to educate
0:14:52.000,0:14:56.519
themselves and learn they're seeing that
0:14:54.399,0:14:58.959
our solution is the better
0:14:56.519,0:15:01.120
solution.
0:15:27.839,0:15:32.880
So, you recently released this global
0:15:30.480,0:15:34.959
survey on public perceptions around
0:15:32.880,0:15:37.760
restrooms. Were there any result that
0:15:34.959,0:15:39.839
surprised you? Well, we didn't know what
0:15:37.760,0:15:41.920
the results were going to be. And this
0:15:39.839,0:15:43.920
is something I really wanted to do
0:15:41.920,0:15:46.000
because I wanted to know myself and
0:15:43.920,0:15:48.240
understand what is the world thinking
0:15:46.000,0:15:49.600
now. And we had been through it all and
0:15:48.240,0:15:51.600
through the ringer. And I said, "Well,
0:15:49.600,0:15:54.000
where did we end up? Let's get a survey
0:15:51.600,0:15:57.519
and and let's get some data." And I was
0:15:54.000,0:16:00.160
pleasantly surprised about how uniform
0:15:57.519,0:16:03.040
the answers were and the conclusions
0:16:00.160,0:16:06.480
because we did five countries and we did
0:16:03.040,0:16:09.279
four personas where we we did architects
0:16:06.480,0:16:11.839
and engineers, architects and designers,
0:16:09.279,0:16:13.680
then we did facility managers, we did
0:16:11.839,0:16:16.279
restaurant owners, and then just the
0:16:13.680,0:16:18.959
everyday consumer. Very different
0:16:16.279,0:16:21.519
perspectives depending on what category
0:16:18.959,0:16:25.920
you were in. and and it was from people
0:16:21.519,0:16:28.959
from Turkey, Germany, the UK, and the
0:16:25.920,0:16:31.199
US. So, different regions of the world
0:16:28.959,0:16:33.680
and countries, I would think the results
0:16:31.199,0:16:35.759
would differ. But what we found was
0:16:33.680,0:16:37.600
there were three things that no matter
0:16:35.759,0:16:40.320
who you were and where you lived were
0:16:37.600,0:16:42.800
the same. Number one was the number one
0:16:40.320,0:16:45.199
concern of everyone everywhere of
0:16:42.800,0:16:47.920
commercial restrooms after the pandemic
0:16:45.199,0:16:51.120
is cleanliness and hygiene. They all
0:16:47.920,0:16:54.000
agreed 100% all categories from all
0:16:51.120,0:16:56.720
countries that a dirty restroom reflects
0:16:54.000,0:16:59.079
poorly on the establishment and they
0:16:56.720,0:17:02.079
will think differently of it if they
0:16:59.079,0:17:05.039
experience a dirty restroom. And to the
0:17:02.079,0:17:08.000
point with restaurants that 80% of
0:17:05.039,0:17:11.679
people and again from all countries and
0:17:08.000,0:17:14.480
all groups, 80% said they might not or
0:17:11.679,0:17:16.000
would not return to a restaurant if they
0:17:14.480,0:17:17.520
experienced a dirty restroom because
0:17:16.000,0:17:19.360
they'd worry about what else are they
0:17:17.520,0:17:21.839
not cleaning and keeping up like the
0:17:19.360,0:17:24.559
kitchen. And then of course I had to ask
0:17:21.839,0:17:27.039
the question, well, what makes a dirty
0:17:24.559,0:17:31.039
restroom? And that's where it was
0:17:27.039,0:17:33.760
enlightening and a across the board. The
0:17:31.039,0:17:36.799
number one contributing factor in all
0:17:33.760,0:17:39.440
categories to a dirty restroom was paper
0:17:36.799,0:17:42.160
towels on the floor and overflowing in
0:17:39.440,0:17:44.320
the waste baskets was what people said
0:17:42.160,0:17:47.200
made them feel like the restroom was
0:17:44.320,0:17:49.919
dirty. Mhm. So that was very eye opening
0:17:47.200,0:17:52.160
and it just shows that post pandemic you
0:17:49.919,0:17:55.120
better be thinking about the design of
0:17:52.160,0:17:58.400
your restroom. Making sure it's designed
0:17:55.120,0:18:00.320
to look and feel clean and have the
0:17:58.400,0:18:03.120
right amount of space so you're not on
0:18:00.320,0:18:04.799
top of people. It is an important room
0:18:03.120,0:18:06.720
in any building to make sure you're
0:18:04.799,0:18:09.600
keeping clean
0:18:06.720,0:18:12.480
um for whoever might be whether it's an
0:18:09.600,0:18:14.320
employee, a visitor, diner or you know
0:18:12.480,0:18:17.600
depending on the facility. everyone's
0:18:14.320,0:18:20.240
noticing. So, it's uh it's important to
0:18:17.600,0:18:22.240
have a positive restroom experience no
0:18:20.240,0:18:24.240
matter what facility you have. And from
0:18:22.240,0:18:26.480
the design side, since you mentioned you
0:18:24.240,0:18:27.919
survey designers as well, because I know
0:18:26.480,0:18:29.600
I'm asking this because I know that
0:18:27.919,0:18:32.320
you're connecting with architects and
0:18:29.600,0:18:35.039
designers early on, like long before the
0:18:32.320,0:18:37.200
restroom is ever built. So, why is that
0:18:35.039,0:18:39.280
involvement important and how did they
0:18:37.200,0:18:41.760
reacted when when you asked them in the
0:18:39.280,0:18:44.960
survey? Yeah. So, we are a specified
0:18:41.760,0:18:47.360
product and we have always been in touch
0:18:44.960,0:18:50.000
with and educating architects and
0:18:47.360,0:18:52.320
designers and presenting at their firms
0:18:50.000,0:18:54.480
at the industry trade shows and staying
0:18:52.320,0:18:56.400
in front of them to educate them. It's
0:18:54.480,0:19:00.559
just part of our business model. But I
0:18:56.400,0:19:02.559
would say a change has been preandemic.
0:19:00.559,0:19:05.520
You look at a building and there's a
0:19:02.559,0:19:08.080
budget and the bathrooms would be on the
0:19:05.520,0:19:10.240
bottom of the list and what money do we
0:19:08.080,0:19:12.640
have left over, you know, do the best
0:19:10.240,0:19:16.000
you can with it in the bathroom. I would
0:19:12.640,0:19:18.960
say post pandemic it is now toward the
0:19:16.000,0:19:20.799
top of the list. It's a focal point and
0:19:18.960,0:19:22.960
more there's more investment in it
0:19:20.799,0:19:25.919
because they realize that it it's
0:19:22.960,0:19:28.320
important to that facility and the
0:19:25.919,0:19:30.640
people who are using it need it. It's
0:19:28.320,0:19:33.039
important for them to have a positive
0:19:30.640,0:19:35.360
experience where they feel it's clean
0:19:33.039,0:19:37.919
and they're safe. So, we're seeing a lot
0:19:35.360,0:19:40.480
more attention put into the design and
0:19:37.919,0:19:42.440
more money being spent and it becoming a
0:19:40.480,0:19:44.559
higher priority. We've mentioned
0:19:42.440,0:19:46.320
sustainability a couple of times during
0:19:44.559,0:19:49.280
this conversation. So, let's talk about
0:19:46.320,0:19:51.520
sustainability. Excel has made ESG a
0:19:49.280,0:19:53.440
long-term focus, not just a checklist.
0:19:51.520,0:19:55.840
So, what does that commitment look like
0:19:53.440,0:19:58.320
in practice? Yeah. So, some historical
0:19:55.840,0:20:00.480
things and we were on the green movement
0:19:58.320,0:20:03.679
from the beginning. Our our high
0:20:00.480,0:20:05.799
efficiency XLERATOR model meant it
0:20:03.679,0:20:09.360
used 80% less
0:20:05.799,0:20:12.480
energy to dry hands three times faster.
0:20:09.360,0:20:15.200
So, not only was it faster, it used 80%
0:20:12.480,0:20:18.640
less energy. Huge difference. And dryers
0:20:15.200,0:20:21.039
have always been known to be a a greener
0:20:18.640,0:20:23.600
solution to paper, but not to this
0:20:21.039,0:20:25.600
level. But we were the first company to
0:20:23.600,0:20:28.159
join the United States Green Building
0:20:25.600,0:20:30.640
Council. Uh we were the first drier
0:20:28.159,0:20:33.080
company to perform a complete life cycle
0:20:30.640,0:20:36.240
assessment on our product
0:20:33.080,0:20:39.120
versus virgin paper and even 100%
0:20:36.240,0:20:42.200
recycled paper, which back then people
0:20:39.120,0:20:45.360
thought that was the most
0:20:42.200,0:20:48.000
environmentally friendly uh solution for
0:20:45.360,0:20:49.440
drying hands was 100% recycled paper.
0:20:48.000,0:20:51.600
Excuse me.
0:20:49.440,0:20:54.720
Uh but you know that couldn't be further
0:20:51.600,0:20:56.840
from the truth and we did the life cycle
0:20:54.720,0:21:00.640
assessment with a third
0:20:56.840,0:21:04.280
party and they found that it was up to
0:21:00.640,0:21:07.919
an 84% reduction in carbon
0:21:04.280,0:21:10.400
footprint versus even 100% recycled
0:21:07.919,0:21:12.520
paper. And the aha moment for a lot of
0:21:10.400,0:21:15.840
people was they just think recycled
0:21:12.520,0:21:18.880
paper can just keep getting recycled and
0:21:15.840,0:21:21.280
it just it's a 360 loop.
0:21:18.880,0:21:23.600
you can only use that paper towel once
0:21:21.280,0:21:25.840
and once it's in the trash it goes to
0:21:23.600,0:21:28.720
the landfill. It does not get recycled
0:21:25.840,0:21:32.080
again. So that was a misconception that
0:21:28.720,0:21:34.559
that again through education even green
0:21:32.080,0:21:36.559
leaders at the time were so surprised by
0:21:34.559,0:21:39.039
the results they couldn't believe it.
0:21:36.559,0:21:44.039
And so again, post pandemic, we did that
0:21:39.039,0:21:46.799
in 2009. It's 2024 at the time. Last
0:21:44.039,0:21:48.880
year, when we did the survey, I also
0:21:46.799,0:21:51.679
did, well, let's do another life cycle
0:21:48.880,0:21:53.720
assessment to see if the paper industry
0:21:51.679,0:21:56.320
has gotten better since
0:21:53.720,0:21:58.720
2009. And what are the results today?
0:21:56.320,0:22:01.120
And we have more products now. So, let's
0:21:58.720,0:22:03.120
see what how those products compare. And
0:22:01.120,0:22:05.360
to our surprise, the paper industry
0:22:03.120,0:22:07.240
hasn't gotten better. It's gotten worse.
0:22:05.360,0:22:09.000
And it's now up to a
0:22:07.240,0:22:12.400
94%
0:22:09.000,0:22:16.000
reduction of carbon footprint versus
0:22:12.400,0:22:19.919
even 100% recycled paper towels. And now
0:22:16.000,0:22:23.320
we have that data that took almost a
0:22:19.919,0:22:26.679
full year it through 2024
0:22:23.320,0:22:28.679
to harvest all this data and do the
0:22:26.679,0:22:32.080
research. a
0:22:28.679,0:22:35.679
75page document that you can dive as far
0:22:32.080,0:22:38.080
in to all the environmental factors of
0:22:35.679,0:22:40.880
the two solutions, but ultimately the
0:22:38.080,0:22:43.840
summary chart is, you know, two giant
0:22:40.880,0:22:46.799
bars for paper still and the small
0:22:43.840,0:22:49.039
sliver for hand dryers. So, we are by
0:22:46.799,0:22:51.280
far the greener choice and more
0:22:49.039,0:22:53.760
environmentally friendly choice for hand
0:22:51.280,0:22:55.919
drying. And can you tell us a bit more
0:22:53.760,0:22:58.480
about your sustainability goals and how
0:22:55.919,0:23:00.400
they show up in your approach to we
0:22:58.480,0:23:02.960
mentioned here product design,
0:23:00.400,0:23:05.280
operations and sourcing? Yeah, so it's
0:23:02.960,0:23:08.480
it's we like to practice what we preach
0:23:05.280,0:23:10.480
and so our products are a green product.
0:23:08.480,0:23:12.640
I give you an example of so we ask
0:23:10.480,0:23:14.640
architects, designers, facility owners
0:23:12.640,0:23:16.480
to put in hand dryers because it's the
0:23:14.640,0:23:18.640
better choice. We just expanded our
0:23:16.480,0:23:22.400
headquarter facilities, built a brand
0:23:18.640,0:23:24.320
new office expansion, and we focused on
0:23:22.400,0:23:26.400
our previous expansion was focused on
0:23:24.320,0:23:29.120
being lead certified because lead was
0:23:26.400,0:23:32.240
the the driving standard and guideline
0:23:29.120,0:23:34.640
at the time for sustainable design. And
0:23:32.240,0:23:36.320
we achieved lead gold. And for this
0:23:34.640,0:23:38.760
expansion,
0:23:36.320,0:23:41.840
uh the newer certification is well
0:23:38.760,0:23:44.400
certification, which is focused more so
0:23:41.840,0:23:46.320
on not just what products go into the
0:23:44.400,0:23:48.559
building and how you build it, but it's
0:23:46.320,0:23:50.720
living the people living in the building
0:23:48.559,0:23:53.360
after it's built and their health and
0:23:50.720,0:23:55.679
wellness is what the well certification
0:23:53.360,0:23:58.320
is focused on. So I wanted to build the
0:23:55.679,0:24:00.240
new office that was the most beautiful,
0:23:58.320,0:24:02.559
sustainable, and healthiest office
0:24:00.240,0:24:04.640
possible because that's what we ask
0:24:02.559,0:24:06.880
others to do. So, the new office I'm
0:24:04.640,0:24:10.159
sitting in, it's already won several
0:24:06.880,0:24:13.600
awards for its design. Every I selected
0:24:10.159,0:24:16.880
with the architect, every finish and and
0:24:13.600,0:24:19.039
product, it all has a story on on how
0:24:16.880,0:24:20.720
it's sustainable or healthy in some way.
0:24:19.039,0:24:22.960
From the lighting to the carpeting to
0:24:20.720,0:24:25.520
the wall coverings, you our HVAC system
0:24:22.960,0:24:28.240
has LifeAir system in it, which kills
0:24:25.520,0:24:30.480
all VOCC's in a single pass. It's a gold
0:24:28.240,0:24:33.520
standard. So, we have natural light,
0:24:30.480,0:24:36.400
clean air, self-tuning lights to help
0:24:33.520,0:24:38.960
with the circadian rhythm of humans and
0:24:36.400,0:24:41.520
all sorts of cool innovation within our
0:24:38.960,0:24:43.440
own space. And of course, we feature our
0:24:41.520,0:24:46.320
own products in the bathroom. And this
0:24:43.440,0:24:48.799
is now all available in a in a CU course
0:24:46.320,0:24:51.279
to teach architects and designers how to
0:24:48.799,0:24:54.159
design a healthy interior. So, we turned
0:24:51.279,0:24:56.080
it into an education platform as well.
0:24:54.159,0:24:57.760
So, we did it ourselves and now you can
0:24:56.080,0:24:59.840
learn about it. And then of course it
0:24:57.760,0:25:02.320
weaves in our own products and how
0:24:59.840,0:25:04.880
initiative of uh we again we walk the
0:25:02.320,0:25:07.200
walk and talk the talk and when it comes
0:25:04.880,0:25:09.919
to how we make our product we're always
0:25:07.200,0:25:12.320
focused on continuous improvement and
0:25:09.919,0:25:15.840
finding materials that go into our
0:25:12.320,0:25:18.880
product to be more sustainable or to
0:25:15.840,0:25:22.240
reduce the use of materials in general.
0:25:18.880,0:25:24.159
How can we do more with less? So, we're
0:25:22.240,0:25:26.080
always trying to improve the product and
0:25:24.159,0:25:28.320
we're focused on the space that we work
0:25:26.080,0:25:31.120
in as well as what our product does for
0:25:28.320,0:25:34.320
others. And how do initiatives like that
0:25:31.120,0:25:36.720
shape how customers or partners view
0:25:34.320,0:25:38.559
your company? Yeah, I feel that people
0:25:36.720,0:25:41.600
understand that we're really an industry
0:25:38.559,0:25:43.760
leader in this niche industry and when
0:25:41.600,0:25:45.919
we say something about our product, we
0:25:43.760,0:25:48.799
can back it up with third-party testing
0:25:45.919,0:25:51.279
and we're transparent. So, we'll give
0:25:48.799,0:25:54.559
you the study that was done. We're the
0:25:51.279,0:25:57.440
first and only hand dryers that have
0:25:54.559,0:26:00.919
EPDS, environmental product declaration
0:25:57.440,0:26:03.760
certifications and HPDs, health product
0:26:00.919,0:26:07.120
declaration certifications. So, you
0:26:03.760,0:26:09.279
know, we are we had to open up, you
0:26:07.120,0:26:11.919
know, our books, if you will, and give
0:26:09.279,0:26:14.960
access to all of our vendors. So, the
0:26:11.919,0:26:17.440
people who did the HPD certification
0:26:14.960,0:26:19.279
knew exactly where all the raw materials
0:26:17.440,0:26:21.760
were coming from. there were no no
0:26:19.279,0:26:23.919
VOCC's and it's all listed in the
0:26:21.760,0:26:25.840
documentation that we make available to
0:26:23.919,0:26:28.159
anyone. So again, we're not hiding
0:26:25.840,0:26:30.080
anything. We're very transparent and and
0:26:28.159,0:26:32.159
I think that to a lot of people that
0:26:30.080,0:26:34.320
shows quality and the leadership and
0:26:32.159,0:26:36.080
that when it comes to hand dryers, we
0:26:34.320,0:26:38.159
feel we are the best choice. And with
0:26:36.080,0:26:40.400
the new building codes and ESG
0:26:38.159,0:26:42.400
requirements and buyer expectations
0:26:40.400,0:26:44.320
evolving, how are you thinking about
0:26:42.400,0:26:46.640
what's next in the built environment?
0:26:44.320,0:26:49.279
Yeah. So, our products are right in line
0:26:46.640,0:26:51.440
with all of those new goals being set.
0:26:49.279,0:26:53.760
And what we try to do is lead through
0:26:51.440,0:26:55.600
innovation. So, we have new products
0:26:53.760,0:26:58.400
being designed that we will bring to the
0:26:55.600,0:27:00.960
market that will improve on what our
0:26:58.400,0:27:03.200
XLERATOR and dryer models do today.
0:27:00.960,0:27:05.600
And it's a lot of new technology that
0:27:03.200,0:27:07.760
we'll be putting into it and enhanced
0:27:05.600,0:27:09.520
design. There's a lot. So, we're always
0:27:07.760,0:27:11.360
working on something. When is the new
0:27:09.520,0:27:13.840
product going to come out? Well, we're
0:27:11.360,0:27:15.679
hoping that we can have there's several
0:27:13.840,0:27:18.240
projects in the works, but certainly
0:27:15.679,0:27:20.480
next year we'll we will have some new
0:27:18.240,0:27:22.480
products on the market. Not sure when.
0:27:20.480,0:27:24.880
Um, but we're diligently working at it
0:27:22.480,0:27:26.960
and excited about it. Yeah, pretty fast.
0:27:24.880,0:27:28.400
Well, to wrap up, I have to ask you,
0:27:26.960,0:27:30.799
what are you most excited about the
0:27:28.400,0:27:34.000
future of the hygiene industry? And
0:27:30.799,0:27:35.919
where is Excel Dryer headed in the next
0:27:34.000,0:27:37.279
few years? We mentioned new products. Is
0:27:35.919,0:27:39.360
there something else you would like to
0:27:37.279,0:27:41.520
share? Yes. So, we're really focused on
0:27:39.360,0:27:43.600
becoming a true global leader and
0:27:41.520,0:27:47.120
expanding our international business is
0:27:43.600,0:27:50.000
a focus, but the new products that we're
0:27:47.120,0:27:52.320
designing and and and making right now
0:27:50.000,0:27:54.720
and about to bring to market is the most
0:27:52.320,0:27:56.880
exciting part. I think that we have the
0:27:54.720,0:27:59.440
ability to change the direction of the
0:27:56.880,0:28:01.760
industry again and bring innovation to
0:27:59.440,0:28:04.399
the industry and as we expand with more
0:28:01.760,0:28:07.120
global partners, we'll be able to get
0:28:04.399,0:28:09.039
that product internationally distributed
0:28:07.120,0:28:11.440
because we're much larger now than we
0:28:09.039,0:28:13.600
were with the first XLERATOR. So,
0:28:11.440,0:28:16.880
we're just we're in a great position to
0:28:13.600,0:28:20.559
grow and and to really drive our our new
0:28:16.880,0:28:22.480
products to become the global standard.
0:28:20.559,0:28:24.480
Well, Bill, thank you for being my guest
0:28:22.480,0:28:26.000
here at the Green New Perspective podcast.
0:28:24.480,0:28:28.240
And what can I say? Keep up the good
0:28:26.000,0:28:32.520
work. Well, thank you. I appreciate it
0:28:28.240,0:28:32.520
and I appreciate you having me.
