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In our summer series, Backyard Farmers, we’re talking trash — banana peels, coffee grounds, yard clippings, all that icky stuff most of us throw away without thinking. Organic waste makes around half of what cities send to their landfills. But that could change, as cities begin to embrace large scale composting programs. Before that can happen, CPR’s Megan Verlee reports the industry has to overcome some big hurdles first. More »

To the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Maxfield said, “For our company, it begins and ends with the soil, as it does in life. One of the tenants of the great agrarian society that Jefferson envisioned was rooted in the belief that the cultivation of the soil provides direct contact with nature. It is in this re-connection where we see hope for the future. It is here where we are reacquainted with the notion that we are part of the natural system and not removed from it; where we seek to learn from nature, rather than find ways to extract from it. This reconnection provides an understanding that in nature, there is no waste. ” Read the full speech here.

To Accion Colorado, he said, “The story of these entrepreneurs is that of the Founding Fathers of the United States. They were a group of passionate entrepreneurs whose vision defined a country, and a spirit of innovation that lives on today. And though what these founders created has grown into an incredible enterprise, capable of securing arguably more debt than necessary, they would have been hard-pressed to find a conventional lender willing to take the risk to get them off the ground. However, this story and that of the founders represent the intangibles that go beyond the balance sheet and financials, the HUMAN SPIRIT. It is this value that Accion truly embraces.” Read the full speech here.

The idea was revolutionary, their passion contagious, and their willingness to achieve their goal, despite insurmountable odds was unshakeable. The founders of this enterprise diligently wrote a business plan with such foresight and attention to detail, that their success defied logic and the market conditions of the time.

The market they sought to enter was one that was overwhelmingly unfavorable. Their main competition had an advantage at every level. They were better capitalized, had complete dominance in markets locally and abroad, and their workforce was better trained and equipped with superior technology.

The founders were a diverse group, representative indeed of the enterprise they would give birth to in the months and years that followed. Some were merchants, others speculators. Some were politicians, and others simple farmers. To say that they had experience running the enterprise they sought to create would be an understatement of great magnitude.

Did they have 2 years financial statements? Absolutely not, they were a start-up with dreams to rival their passion, but no financial history for loan committees to trace performance.

Did they have collateral? No, they rented their property from a tyrannical landlord that additionally created a tax structure that would cripple any modern day corporation.

The story of these entrepreneurs is that of the Founding Fathers of the United States. They were a group of passionate entrepreneurs whose vision defined a country, and a spirit of innovation that lives on today. And though what these founders created has grown into an incredible enterprise, capable of securing arguably more debt than necessary, they would have been hard-pressed to find a conventional lender willing to take the risk to get them off the ground. However, this story and that of the founders represent the intangibles that go beyond the balance sheet and financials, the HUMAN SPIRIT. It is this value that Accion truly embraces.

I reference this, as our company faced similar circumstances, and Accion was our light of liberty. Our company is Waste Farmers, and we too are fighting a revolution of sorts. We are fighting against a short-sided “revolution” set in motion by the Industrial age, which gave birth to notion that pollution and environmental degradation are inevitable by-products of human progress.

Like the founding fathers, we did not have 2 years financial statements. The small amount of collateral and savings we owned were invested in the business. The market forces facing our company were formidable, though not insurmountable. However, we are forever inspired by the story of our founding fathers and the great entrepreneurs that have shaped this county and their legacy of optimism and passion bleeds through our veins in a way that no balance sheet can capture. A passion that was almost extinguished from the unrelenting “No’s” we heard from lenders at larger banks, or leasing companies. “No” was a word repeated with such frequency that it almost lost its meaning.

Lisa Adams, and Accion were a beacon of hope. They offered us a chance to prove our credit beyond what was in our bank account or on our financial statements. They saw value in our passion and determination to succeed, and in so doing, helped to fuel it further. They helped us finance a piece of equipment that has allowed us to grow from 1 to a team of 4 passionate members, and achieve month over month revenue growth of 38% since the loan in January. Their willingness to work with us and belief that we could succeed, further instilled our desire to pay them back, not as a creditor, rather, out of gratitude for taking a chance and for giving us an opportunity to pursue that American Dream, defined by those visionary Forefathers so many years ago. Further, it strengthens our desire to give back to this wonderful group should we be fortunate enough to succeed, so that Accion can work with other entrepreneurs and dreamers, and keep that spirit alive.

Thank you to Lisa Adams and the rest of the Denver team. Waste Farmers would still be a dream were it not for your willingness to look beyond conventional standards. We are forever grateful, and you can trust that we will give back when the time is right so that others can have the same opportunity.

For our company, it begins and ends with the soil, as it does in life. One of the tenants of the great agrarian society that Jefferson envisioned was rooted in the belief that the cultivation of the soil provides direct contact with nature. It is in this re-connection where we see hope for the future. It is here where we are reacquainted with the notion that we are part of the natural system and not removed from it; where we seek to learn from nature, rather than find ways to extract from it. This reconnection provides an understanding that in nature, there is no waste.

Where we stray from Jefferson’s Agrarian Ideal, is in the separation of urban and rural lifestyles. It is this intentional separation, that has created the design of a city that seeks to conquer, pave over, or eradicate nature at all costs. The reintegration of the urban and rural environment is critical for building a sustainable future. The inhabitants of the city and those of the so-called “rural environment”, all share the common occupation of “farmer”. When the waste of one system becomes the food for another, we all share a role in the cultivation of a restorative economy. It starts in this room, with the waste produced today. As stewards of the soil, we sow the seeds of a future where the impact of human development and industry restores the world around, and reject the idea that pollution and environmental degradation are inevitable by-products of human progress.

Thank you to each of our clients for working with us. Thank you to the community for your unending support, and thank you to the Chamber for all they do to cultivate local business and for this honor. We leave with this quote from Daniel Webster, “Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.”

Waste Farmers is grateful for the funding that Accion provided to help the business grow, and for all that they do to support small businesses and entrepreneurs in Colorado, Accion, and New Mexico. To learn more about the amazing work that Accion is doing, please visit their website www.accionco.org.

The Chamber’s 2010 Business Awards luncheon, sponsored by Colorado Business Bank, was held at the Hyatt Regency Colorado Convention Center. Waste Farmers was one of three finalists for the award. The Business Awards highlight six categories of businesses, as well as the David E. Bailey Small Business Advocate of the Year Award. The categories include Small Business of the Year, Emerging Business of the Year, Minority-owned Business of the Year, Small and Large Non-profit Organization of the Year and Green Business of the Year.

More than 1,000 nominations were reviewed by a volunteer committee and accounting sponsor Clifton Gunderson. Three finalists were chosen in each category. All finalists were present and the winners were not aware that they had been chosen until their name was called during the event.

“All of our winners share a commitment to business, their community and to Colorado,” said Kelly Brough, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Read Maxfield’s acceptance speech here.

Kathryn Reichert, March 24, 2010 | Read the story here.

A Highland elementary school is discovering that one person’s trash also can be another’s fertilizer.

In an innovative partnership, parent Yael Nyholm struck a deal with a commercial composting company to pick up compost from Academia Ana Maria Sandoval Elementary for free in exchange for getting her neighbors to pay for their own composting pick up.

Waste Farmers, a commercial composting company, was able to get business in an area they hadn’t previously served. So far, 16 households have signed up. While Waste Farmers makes its rounds, it makes an extra stop for free at the school.

Read more here.