A New Pursuit For Social Entrepreneurship: Profits

Friday, June 27, 2014

John Schoch, CEO of Profile Products — a $70 million company that manufactures and distributes products for soil and water management in 90 countries — decided four years ago to direct his company’s expertise to a global crisis: clean water.

For decades, Profile Products has mined clay by the Mississippi River to create porous ceramic particles on golf courses and sports fields. An acquaintance of Schoch, involved in the clean water industry, wondered to the CEO if Profile’s technology could be adapted to serve his work in the developing world.

Exposed to the staggering statistics of deaths from water-borne diseases internationally, Schoch said that he saw market potential if his company could design a simple yet innovative product. About 780 million people worldwide lack access to clean water, and more than 3.4 million people die each year as a result, according to the World Health Organization.

Source: Forbes (link opens in a new window)

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Base of the Pyramid, business development