Kurt Wagaman's guest appearances

Kurt Wagaman

The Produce Moms Podcast

Nick Carter

Kara Goldin

Dana Gunders

Tonya Antle

Mike O'Brien

Beth Miller

Corteva Agriscience

Jennifer Wiese

LIsa Helfman

Chris Sutton

Tony Stewart

Marc Oshima

James Lake

Frank Muir

Joy Bauer

OwlTail

Tim Busby

“When you have a passion and you can apply that type of energy to something you know is making the world a better place, it really is rewarding.”    Kurt Wagaman (30:36-30:47)   If the U.S. Navy and most hospitals have access to chemical free cleaning devices, why can’t I?   That probably isn’t a question you’ve ever asked yourself, but thankfully, it’s one Tim Busby, co-founder and managing partner of PurLite and Kurt Wagaman, general manager of PurLite asked themselves. PurLite was founded a few years ago and provides sanitization with UV-C light, which is very prevalent in medical settings, hospitals, and in the military.    “What if we could develop a product that would be something that could live in every home in America?” - Tim Busby (5:10-5:20)   Tim Busby is a true entrepreneur, always looking to fill a white space in the market, think differently and come up with new products. He had a relationship with an inventor that was looking at creating a take home device so that, for example, moms can take this level of cleaning home with them from the hospital after giving birth, rather than having to resort to chemicals.    Not only has this become a game-changing solution for moms and families everywhere, now with COVID-19, utilizing such high quality sanitization solutions such as UV-C light is essential unless you want to keep exposing your household to harmful chemicals. PurLite’s tagline is “sunshine in a box” because at the end of the day, that’s what UV-C light is!    So how does this work exactly?    When you think about it, the sun does a lot of sanitizing for us. By harnessing the power of UV-C rays (which are reflective), you’re utilizing sanitization that is chemical free, available in safe applications that limit the reuse of packing items. You can quite literally clean your household items like headphones, cellphones, remote controls, credit cards, cloth face masks, pacifiers, and more with light instead of Clorox or other well-known, chemical laden cleaning brands out there.   This medical grade technology can sanitize at a level higher than 99%. In a lab setting, PurLite tests between 99.9% and 99.99% sanitized, depending on the pathogen.   You may be asking yourself if UV-C light kills all bacterias and viruses? UV-C light does effectively get rid of E. coli, H1N1, Avian, Swine and other common coronaviruses based on the amount of time it’s exposed to the light. There’s no need to change light bulbs constantly or install any difficult equipment to use PurLite, either. One of their units is about the size of a toaster or tissue box and it takes seconds to sanitize your items.   “When you say medical grade, you’re putting yourself in a pretty high priority list.” - Tim Busby (8:06-8:12)   Tim and Kurt have been focused on providing this need well before the coronavirus pandemic because they saw the ability UV-C has to maximize a home’s cleaning regimen and improve the sustainability of our world. A true entrepreneur, Tim is always looking for opportunities to improve lives and create products that provide valuable solutions, which is why he’s so passionate about educating the market that UV-C light even exists.   It’s been Kurt’s and the rest of the PurLite team’s priority to make sure their devices are readily available when many supply chains have been disrupted. Let’s be honest: have you had at least one experience where finding cleaning items like Clorox wipes was difficult during this pandemic? Not only that, PurLite’s device is extremely affordable compared to the UV-C that’s used in hospitals and costs tens of thousands of dollars.    Yes, PurLite is an investment, but it’s an investment in the health, safety and sanitization of your entire family. Plus, it’s sustainable!   How to get involved  Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.     If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

“When you have a passion and you can apply that type of energy to something you know is making the world a better place, it really is rewarding.” Kurt Wagaman (30:36-30:47) If the U.S. Navy and most hospitals have access to chemical free cleaning devices, why can’t I? That probably isn’t a question you’ve ever asked yourself, but thankfully, it’s one Tim Busby, co-founder and managing partner of PurLite and Kurt Wagaman, general manager of PurLite asked themselves. PurLite was founded a few years ago and provides sanitization with UV-C light, which is very prevalent in medical settings, hospitals, and in the military.  “What if we could develop a product that would be something that could live in every home in America?” - Tim Busby (5:10-5:20) Tim Busby is a true entrepreneur, always looking to fill a white space in the market, think differently and come up with new products. He had a relationship with an inventor that was looking at creating a take home device so that, for example, moms can take this level of cleaning home with them from the hospital after giving birth, rather than having to resort to chemicals.  Not only has this become a game-changing solution for moms and families everywhere, now with COVID-19, utilizing such high quality sanitization solutions such as UV-C light is essential unless you want to keep exposing your household to harmful chemicals. PurLite’s tagline is “sunshine in a box” because at the end of the day, that’s what UV-C light is!  So how does this work exactly?  When you think about it, the sun does a lot of sanitizing for us. By harnessing the power of UV-C rays (which are reflective), you’re utilizing sanitization that is chemical free, available in safe applications that limit the reuse of packing items. You can quite literally clean your household items like headphones, cellphones, remote controls, credit cards, cloth face masks, pacifiers, and more with light instead of Clorox or other well-known, chemical laden cleaning brands out there. This medical grade technology can sanitize at a level higher than 99%. In a lab setting, PurLite tests between 99.9% and 99.99% sanitized, depending on the pathogen. You may be asking yourself if UV-C light kills all bacterias and viruses? UV-C light does effectively get rid of E. coli, H1N1, Avian, Swine and other common coronaviruses based on the amount of time it’s exposed to the light. There’s no need to change light bulbs constantly or install any difficult equipment to use PurLite, either. One of their units is about the size of a toaster or tissue box and it takes seconds to sanitize your items. “When you say medical grade, you’re putting yourself in a pretty high priority list.” - Tim Busby (8:06-8:12) Tim and Kurt have been focused on providing this need well before the coronavirus pandemic because they saw the ability UV-C has to maximize a home’s cleaning regimen and improve the sustainability of our world. A true entrepreneur, Tim is always looking for opportunities to improve lives and create products that provide valuable solutions, which is why he’s so passionate about educating the market that UV-C light even exists. It’s been Kurt’s and the rest of the PurLite team’s priority to make sure their devices are readily available when many supply chains have been disrupted. Let’s be honest: have you had at least one experience where finding cleaning items like Clorox wipes was difficult during this pandemic? Not only that, PurLite’s device is extremely affordable compared to the UV-C that’s used in hospitals and costs tens of thousands of dollars.  Yes, PurLite is an investment, but it’s an investment in the health, safety and sanitization of your entire family. Plus, it’s sustainable! How to get involved <ul> <li>Join The Produce Moms Group on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and continue the discussion every week! </li> <li>Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more <a>here</a>. </li> </ul> If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

EP115: Sustainable Medical Grade Sanitization With Best in Class UV-C Light Experts Tim Busby, Cofounder and Managing Partner and Kurt Wagaman, General Manager of PurLite

“When you marry aquaculture and hydroponics, you get aquaponics.”Kurt Wagaman (5:04 - 5:09)  Kurt Wagaman is the GM at Superior Fresh, an industry-leading aquaponics facility specializing in leafy greens, Atlantic salmon, and Steelheads. Their facility is situated on a 720-acre native restoration property nestled in the Coulee Region of Wisconsin. Superior Fresh’s flagship facility is the largest of its kind, filled with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. What is Aquaponics? Aquaponics can be broken down into two separate technologies Hydroponics, which is growing leafy greens in a greenhouse, and aquaculture, the practice of raising fish in a facility. When you marry the two, you get aquaponics. Aquaponics lets companies like Superior Fresh get certified as organic and achieve rapid and sustainable growth.  Superior Fresh’s Incredible (and Sustainable) Output Superior Fresh can produce 8 million pounds of leafy greens annually and 1.6 million pounds of fresh fish. They use a fraction of the land and water when compared to the same output from regular land and water farming.  Superior Fresh is the first landlocked Atlantic salmon farm in the United States using recirculating aquaculture technologies. Their state-of-the-art systems allow them to bring in certified disease-free eggs and have complete control of the life-cycle from hatch to harvest. A Commitment to Sustainability Superior Fresh isn’t backed by your regular venture capitalists. They’re funded by philanthropists who want to create an example of using aquaponics to grow large amounts of healthy foods in a way that is sustainable and beneficial to the local area.  Superior Fresh has led restoration efforts to the point where they’ve restored hundreds of acres of land and water to where they were a hundred years ago. “Our commitment to sustainability carries as much gravity as one can possibly imagine from a startup.”  - Kurt Wagaman (12:48 - 12:59) Superior Fresh is focused on nutrient recycling. The vast majority of the water they use is recycled and plays a role in farming for both their fish and leafy greens. Superior Fresh supports local organizations, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts as well as local high schools. They participate in focus study groups for the University of Wisconsin’s marketing programs.  “Superior Fresh is a solution to some of the threats and problems that agriculture is facing.” - Lori Taylor (9:24 - 9:33) Two of the biggest threats facing agriculture are sustainability and the ability to feed an ever-growing global population. Superior Fresh addresses both of those problems by providing healthy nutritious (and delicious) food in a way that benefits the planet, and the local communities they operate in.  If you want to experience first-hand what Superior Fresh is offering, pick up some of their products at a local retailer near you. How to get involved  Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.  Learn more about Superior Fresh.  If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

“When you marry aquaculture and hydroponics, you get aquaponics.”Kurt Wagaman (5:04 - 5:09) Kurt Wagaman is the GM at Superior Fresh, an industry-leading aquaponics facility specializing in leafy greens, Atlantic salmon, and Steelheads. Their facility is situated on a 720-acre native restoration property nestled in the Coulee Region of Wisconsin. Superior Fresh’s flagship facility is the largest of its kind, filled with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. What is Aquaponics? Aquaponics can be broken down into two separate technologies Hydroponics, which is growing leafy greens in a greenhouse, and aquaculture, the practice of raising fish in a facility. When you marry the two, you get aquaponics. Aquaponics lets companies like Superior Fresh get certified as organic and achieve rapid and sustainable growth.  Superior Fresh’s Incredible (and Sustainable) Output Superior Fresh can produce 8 million pounds of leafy greens annually and 1.6 million pounds of fresh fish. They use a fraction of the land and water when compared to the same output from regular land and water farming.  Superior Fresh is the first landlocked Atlantic salmon farm in the United States using recirculating aquaculture technologies. Their state-of-the-art systems allow them to bring in certified disease-free eggs and have complete control of the life-cycle from hatch to harvest. A Commitment to Sustainability Superior Fresh isn’t backed by your regular venture capitalists. They’re funded by philanthropists who want to create an example of using aquaponics to grow large amounts of healthy foods in a way that is sustainable and beneficial to the local area.  Superior Fresh has led restoration efforts to the point where they’ve restored hundreds of acres of land and water to where they were a hundred years ago. “Our commitment to sustainability carries as much gravity as one can possibly imagine from a startup.”  - Kurt Wagaman (12:48 - 12:59) Superior Fresh is focused on nutrient recycling. The vast majority of the water they use is recycled and plays a role in farming for both their fish and leafy greens. Superior Fresh supports local organizations, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts as well as local high schools. They participate in focus study groups for the University of Wisconsin’s marketing programs.  “Superior Fresh is a solution to some of the threats and problems that agriculture is facing.” - Lori Taylor (9:24 - 9:33) Two of the biggest threats facing agriculture are sustainability and the ability to feed an ever-growing global population. Superior Fresh addresses both of those problems by providing healthy nutritious (and delicious) food in a way that benefits the planet, and the local communities they operate in.  If you want to experience first-hand what Superior Fresh is offering, pick up some of their products at a local retailer near you. How to get involved <ul> <li>Join The Produce Moms Group on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and continue the discussion every week! </li> <li>Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more <a>here</a>. </li> <li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.superiorfresh.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Superior Fresh</a>.</li> </ul> If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

EP73: Solving the Biggest Problems Facing Agriculture Using Aquaponics with Kurt Wagaman of Superior Fresh