A Value Proposition for Success in the Local Grease Market
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Jeff Rola of Go Bio is a grease collector in central Oregon who has beaten out much bigger competitors such as Baker to secure 50 percent of the used cooking oil market share in the region. How did he do this? “Because I’m local, I’m there, I show up and I share with the local community,” he said at the Collective Biofuels Conference in Temecula, Calif.
…Selling points that Rola uses when establishing a new account include that he has been in the community for 30 years, and that this local network is more valuable than money.
…To take the business to the next level of obtaining regional or national accounts, Rola said it may require an association—a cooperative. Atul Deshmane, CEO of the Pacific Northwest biodiesel and fuel distribution company Whole Energy, said, “There should be a co-op, you all are developing best practices.” If this were to happen, Rola said the co-op leadership would have to be revolving to prevent corruption.
In the end, Rola emphasized that those who are looking to acquire local grease market share from the big players have to position themselves as value creators for their communities. “They quote price, you quote value,” he said. “They have capacity, you have community.” READ MORE
