When Gonzaga senior Josh Neblett walked into his “Creating New Ventures” class during the first semester of his senior year, he felt fairly confident about the direction of his future. A finance major, he had an impressive internship on his resume and many doors in the financial world were beginning to open for him. Neblett was excited about the entrepreneurship class taught by adjunct professor Tom Simpson, but up until that point, he had no idea how life-changing one business course could be.

Simpson, the managing partner for Northwest Venture Associates, used many real-world examples and ideas throughout the course. One of the ideas he discussed was an online retail company specializing in the sale and certification of “green” household products. “Going Green” was becoming more and more popular with American consumers, and currently there was no comprehensive venue for the certification and distribution of green products. When the time came for students to develop a business plan for the annual business plan competition, Neblett asked Simpson if he could use his idea as a starting point. With the help of 3 other seniors, including his long-time girlfriend, Sarah Wollnick, Neblett led the charge in putting together a business plan for “GreenCupboards” that would go on to win the Hogan Entrepreneurial Business Plan Competition that spring. After this initial success Neblett approached Simpson about the possibility of taking this plan to the next level and making GreenCupboards a reality. Simpson signed on, and Neblett dropped his secure plan to work in the financial sector to chase an entrepreneurial dream. In June of 2008 GreenCupboards was incorporated, and Josh Neblett, at 22 years old, was CEO of the company. Sarah Wollnick was named the Vice President of Marketing.

(LEFT: Sarah Wollnick, VP of Marketing, RIGHT: Josh Neblett, CEO)
Visit http://www.greencupboards.com/ to find out more.

GreenCupboards set its sight on becoming the online provider of “all things green”. While the green market has become a hot spot for American consumers, Wollnick points out that there are great discrepancies in the standards for what “being green” truly means. GreenCupboards, she adds, is founded on the idea guaranteeing every manufacturer of products distributed meets a very high standard of ecological friendliness. GreenCupboards certifies manufacturers through independent research, including a comprehensive questionnaire completed by each company. Additionally, most products are shipped directly to the customer, thereby reducing energy expenditures and shipping costs to deliver goods to purchasers. Operations are conducted solely online. Consumers are encouraged to reduce their carbon footprints by purchasing small to medium pack sizes. Finally, employees bike or carpool to work and bring their own laptops. They also recycle as much as possible, and the company maintains an enclosed compost bin.

As if these two young entrepreneurs did not have enough on their reusable plates, both committed to pursuing their MBAs at Gonzaga shortly after the company launched. Why take on this extra challenge? Wollnick says she realized that with the tumultuous nature of the economy, she wanted to be prepared and to have the best credentials possible for the future. She added, “After four years at Gonzaga as an undergraduate student, I knew the quality of the professors and the overall excellence of the institution,” Wollnick said. “I also knew that as crazy as things were with the start of up of GreenCupboards, life was not likely to slow down in the future…” Neblett echoed these sentiments, adding that his MBA classes have provided a sort of think tank to test his ideas for GreenCupboards, and that the feedback and ideas that he has gleaned from them have been invaluable to the company. Both agreed that their classroom experiences have been greatly enhanced by the real-world realities they experience on a daily basis at GreenCupboards.

Over a year has passed since the inception of GreenCupboards, and the future of the company appears bright. Of course, it has faced inevitable obstacles including working through the logistics of online retail and adapting to the ever-changing market environment. As Neblett points out, “The only thing you can be certain of when starting up a business is that you will NOT be doing what is in your original business plan.” The employees and interns, all of whom are under 25, are constantly reevaluating the company’s decisions and refining its direction.

Nonetheless, GreenCupboards has seen financial growth at a rate of 20-30% each month, and has exceeded its projections for the last five months in a row. The company has now sold merchandise to customers in every state, with New York being its largest market. Neblett, a self-proclaimed “numbers guy”, admits he derives immense satisfaction from hitting these goals. An additional accolade-in July, Neblett was named one of Spokane Catalyst Magazine’s “Top 20 Under 40” business people. But as Wollnick points out, there is also an intangible reward every time the company redefines itself and refines its vision. Currently, that vision includes aggressively pursuing relationships with small to mid-size companies who are interested in reducing their corporate ecological footprint. Long-term, GreenCupboards seeks to be the “go-to spot” for the green product market for both businesses and individual consumers. Additionally, they are seeking to be the place that people turn to not only to purchase green products, but also to educate themselves on living an eco-friendly lifestyle. Recently the company launched a blog series that includes daily updates on tips for living green, interviews with vendors, and product reviews.

The future of Josh Neblett and Sarah Wollnick appears bright as well. Wollnick will receive her MBA this November with a concentration in ethics, and Neblett will receive his MBA next spring with a concentration in entrepreneurship. The two were engaged this summer and plan to marry next July.

We wish them a life that is happily ever green.