Air Date: 4-29-2022|Episode 663
This week we welcome Brian Lester and Roger Berry for a discussion on mold remediation and cleaning products. Brian has been doing remediation for nearly 25 years and Roger is an entrepreneur and Founder of SUDOC, he also has a lengthy and fascinating history in world affairs. The Z-man is intrigued by the product they have developed and when the Z-man is takes notice of a cleaning product it’s a good bet there is something there. We’ll LEARN MORE today.
Brian Lester has been in the cleaning and restoration business since 1998 when he started as a carpet cleaner doing water extractions with a portable extraction machine. He has managed 1000s of drying jobs as well as countless mold remediation projects. He is currently the President of Indiana Mold Remediation and work with his brother and best friend providing remediation work to all of central Indiana.
Brian also represents Dot cleaner as a product specialist having taken part in the design and implementation of the dot cleaning product directly into the remediation market. Dilute oxidation technology is new technology developed at Carnegie Mellon University. His friend Terry Collins is the inventor. The technology, which they refer to as the NT7 molecule is an oxidizing catalyst which mimics the action the takes places in the human body. They use this new technology because it reduces the chemical burden of remediation contractors. Because Dot is a dry form product, their waste and shipping burden is markedly lower.
Roger Berry is a passionate and experienced CEO and investor in high-potential technology companies with a focus on sustainability. Two decades plus of experience in private equity, covering fundraising, team incubation, deal due diligence, sustainable technology development and ultimately as CEO for a series of technology companies, has prepared Roger for his current role in building a transformative sustainable chemistry company in Sudoc.
Roger has experience in analyzing and managing turnarounds and start-up ventures. Roger was a Partner with TEM Capital, an early-to-growth stage fund manager focused on clean energy and sustainable resources. On behalf of TEM, Roger served as CEO of two businesses including Clean Electricity Generation (CEG), a company with proprietary clean energy technology. Roger was Head of Group Funds and Investor Relations for Climate Change Capital, a fund manager with over $1.6 billion of assets. From 2000 to 2006, Roger was a Managing Partner and co-founder of Liberty Global Partners, an advisory and placement firm focused on emerging markets private equity. Liberty Global Partners raised significant commitments from institutional investors and led the creation of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association.
Roger had formative experiences in the United States Congress and First Lady Hillary Clinton’s health care task force. He subsequently worked in international development and conflict resolution. Roger draws inspiration from the times he spent with historic figure Nelson Mandela and other leaders of South Africa’s transition to democracy. He first met President Mandela in 1993, before he became President, where he helped coordinate his testimony in front of the congressional International Affairs subcommittee on Africa. He subsequently went to work for the National Democratic Institute, living in Southern Africa and supporting the new leadership to establish key legislative processes. While in South Africa, he was also part of a team that facilitated discussions for the conflicted parties of Northern Ireland with the leadership of South Africa’s government including President Mandela. This event was credited as a helpful step in the process of achieving reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
Motivated by the impact of learning, Roger developed and co-teaches a course on private equity for the International Business Program at Tufts University Fletcher Graduate School. Roger serves on several Boards including the Managing Board of Aptima Ventures, the commercialization arm of Aptima Inc, a company that has done over $300 million of R&D on how technology and data can assess and enhance human performance for NASA, the US military and various agencies of health. Roger is the co-chair of the Harvard Alumni Committee for Cambridge, which is responsible for interviewing all of the city’s applicants to the college.
Roger is an honors graduate of Harvard University (1990) where he advanced to the number two position on the nationally ranked division one tennis team. He lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife Sonia Perez Villanueva, their three children Oscar, Alonso, and Alana, and their young beagle Millie.
