In this Convo of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Kate Reimann, Founder and CEO of Rogue Wave Toys and Rogue Wave Materials. Rogue Wave Toys are made of compostable plastic based on biopolymers and plant based materials. She is making waves as an entrepreneur and sustainability champion, bringing eight years of industry experience, and a lifetime of advocacy for the planet to her decisions both in business and the way she lives her life.

She and Ted discuss the inspiration for Rogue Wave, which all started with her kids and their beach toys that were swept out into the ocean by a wave. It hit her when she scrambled to get them all back onshore, enjoying this interface between land and sea, and using products that were detrimental to its health. She decided then that she had to make a better product, and wanted to make conventional, oil-based plastics obsolete.

She shares the challenges she faced in engineering and manufacturing, almost throwing in the towel at times. While searching for a truly compostable, petroleum-free material for her beach toy products, Kate realized her mission had to be bigger than beach toys, and to create the biggest positive impact on the global plastics economy, she needed to make this material available to the world.

Kate's ultimate goal is to change the way these products are made and bought. Her innovative, patented, compostable beach toys, made from biopolymers and designed to compost, reflect both her commitment to environmental stewardship and to shifting the materials economy and consumer expectation.

In this Convo of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Dr. Joel Peterson, Vice Chancellor and Executive Operations Officer for the San Diego Community College District, overseeing one of California's largest community college systems. Prior to his career in higher education, he served in various roles in the private sector with major corporations where he was responsible for operations, including finance, technology, capital projects, global strategy, and marketing. Early in his career he served as an officer in the United States Navy. During his Navy career, he was director, Capital and Construction Programs and Physical Plant for a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Pacific Fleet. He is also the author of an Amazon Best Selling novel, Dreams of My Mothers.

He and Ted talk about his upbringing in Korea, then being adopted by a family from Minnesota, overcoming the odds, to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics/foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in business administration from Virginia Tech, and both a master’s and doctorate in education/higher education from Claremont Graduate University.

With extensive experience in higher education administration, Joel has previously held significant roles, including Director of Facilities, Operations, and Construction at Glendale Community College District, and Assistant Vice President for Capital Projects and Facilities at Harvey Mudd College. Additional expertise includes leadership positions at notable companies such as Level 3 Communications and BellSouth Corporation, focusing on strategy, corporate development, and operations.

He and Ted discuss his role as Vice Chancellor and Executive Operations Officer, overseeing facilities and construction for one of California’s largest community college districts. He is also responsible for the SDCCD Police Department and completion of the district’s $1.6 billion bond construction program. He shares the make up and demographics of the District, looking to the future to determine its facilities needs. Joel plays a key role in guiding the development of necessary campus housing, and the training programs needed for the next generation and beyond.

In this Convo of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Dr. Jennifer Bousselot, Assistant Professor at Colorado State University (CSU) in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Jennifer is exploring new and innovative ways to improve the productivity and aesthetics of modern urban spaces by harnessing the twin powers of the sun and plantlife. She specializes and is a leading expert in green roof research on native species evaluations, plant drought tolerance, integration with solar panels, and rooftop agrivoltaics.

Jennifer shares a bit about her background, growing up on a 360-acre farm in Iowa, and was the youngest of 8 kids. She and her twin sister worked on the farm, and carried their deep farming roots into their careers. She earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Iowa State University, and after a stint as a horticulture agent for the CSU Extension office in Douglas County, she followed her passion and pursued a doctorate of science in horticulture at CSU.

Jennifer shares details on her green roofs project for her doctoral thesis, highlighting how she came upon rooftop agrovoltaics as a happy accident, finding there was a great synergy between the plants and solar panels; the plants grew better, and the solar performed better because of the plants' cooling effect.

With a roster of graduate students and researchers, her team is pushing the boundaries of horticultural science with numerous pieces of published research and scientific discovery every year. She goes into the history of green roofs, and discusses her research on rooftop agrivoltaics and its benefits, including enhanced food production and security, improving clean energy pathways, and exploring sustainability integrations.