new ventures
EcoloBlue, Inc.
EcoloBlue, Inc., focuses on solar, wind, water and biodegradable plastics, with a major emphasis on water. It is dedicated to offering a sustainable product line of state-of-the-art atmospheric water generators that extract humidity from the air itself and then deliver filtered, purified water. The EcoloBlue product line of atmospheric water generators (AWGs) creates sustainable, unlimited pure drinking water from humidity in the air. The only water source required for these machines is the air itself, eliminating reliance on any municipal water system, well or lake.
Founded in 2007 by Wayne Ferreira and Henri-James Tieleman, EcoloBlue now has more than 9,000 customers in the United States and more than 20 distributors worldwide. The company is also working closely with the U.S. National Guard, based at Travis Air Force Base in California, as well as other water municipalities in the state to find an alternative source of water due to the severe drought that California is experiencing. They have also been aggressively promoting its new emergency product called ACE, a self-contained system that has a generator, AWG and bottling line all in one.
For more information, visit www.ecoloblue.com
About the Founders
Wayne Ferreira, a native of South Africa, was a professional tennis player from 1989 to 2004. While on the pro tennis circuit, Ferreira became acutely aware of serious water issues in the countries where he was playing and was especially concerned about the discarding of plastic water bottles by tennis players and fans. He was introduced to the concept of an AWG in 2004 and made it his new mission to bring this concept to the marketplace. In 2007, Ferreira’s mission became realized when he teamed up with Henri-James Tieleman, a former professional tennis coach he met while on the pro tour. Henri-James Tieleman graduated from Bentley University with a bachelor’s of degree in business administration and management, a certificate of special studies in business administration and management from Harvard University and an EMBA from the Olin Business School–Washington University/Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Tieleman’s professional experience is broad, diverse and successful. In addition to being a former professional tennis coach, he has also been involved in founding a designer sportswear company in Milan, Italy, and served as Vice President of European Operations for Internet-based long distance company, Global Exchange Carrier, Inc., before going on to launch EcoloBlue with Wayne Ferreira.