Warning: PHP Request Startup: Invalid date.timezone value 'New_York/America', using 'UTC' instead in Unknown on line 0

Warning: PHP Request Startup: Session ini settings cannot be changed after headers have already been sent in Unknown on line 0
{"id":877,"date":"2008-03-27T10:38:45","date_gmt":"2008-03-27T10:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ourbigclan.com\/?p=877"},"modified":"2008-03-27T10:38:45","modified_gmt":"2008-03-27T10:38:45","slug":"amazing-alumni-jay-mullis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/amazing-alumni-jay-mullis\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazing Alumni – Jay Mullis"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

When a grandparent passes down a signature recipe, it’s usually
\na family favorite like eggplant parmesan or apple pie.<\/p>\n

In the case of 30-year-old Terry MBA student Jay Mullis (BBA
\n’00, MBA ’07), the culinary masterpiece he inherited from his
\ngrandfather is not meant for human consumption — but it’s
\nhaving a life-altering effect on Mullis’ burgeoning business
\ncareer. This sweet, moist, and doughy delight that Mullis’
\ngrandfather used to prepare from scratch is, literally, roach bait.
\nStarting with his grandfather’s environmentally friendly, pet-safe
\nformula, Mullis tweaked the ingredients, devised a business plan,
\napplied for a patent, and already has more than $200,000 in orders
\nnationwide for his new household pesticide, Green Dragon Roach
\nKill.<\/p>\n

Fortune Small Business was so impressed with Mullis’ new
\nproduct — and with the niche it can fill in today’s
\nmarketplace — that it awarded Mullis’ product first prize in
\nFSB’s fifth annual business plan competition. This tasty, but
\ndeadly, roach killer — which a distinguished panel of judges chose
\nover a natural food additive designed to reduce the absorption of
\ncarbs and a low-sugar, dark-chocolate-coated treat — came
\nfrom humble origins.<\/p>\n

“My grandfather grew up in rural [Cadwell] Georgia and he worked
\nwith the DOT for several years,” says Mullis. “After he retired
\nfrom the state, he teamed up with one of his old classmates who had
\nbecome a pharmacist. They came up with the roach bait, but the
\npharmacist wasn’t interested in using it. My grandfather was
\npretty much a simple man, and he just used it to supplement his
\nretirement income.”<\/p>\n

When his grandfather passed away in 1996, Mullis inherited the
\nnon-toxic formula; the active ingredient is boric acid, a
\nwell-known natural remedy that kills ants, silverfish, and roaches
\nby dehydrating them, yet is no more harmful than table salt to
\nhumans and pets. Mullis thought about building a business around
\nthe product back then, but decided to wait.<\/p>\n

“My parents said I would need to complete college and get some
\nexperience under my belt…it turned out to be really good advice,”
\nsays Mullis, who went to work for IBM after getting his
\nundergraduate degree from Terry in management information systems.
\nBut after seven years with the industry giant, gaining expertise
\nwith computer networking and account management, Mullis decided to
\nreturn to school in order to break through the glass ceiling.<\/p>\n

“I thought that would be the perfect time to get my MBA,” he
\nsays. “You could say that school empowered me with the self
\nawareness that I’m an entrepreneurial spirit.”<\/p>\n

The Fortune Small Business award caps an incredible year for
\nMullis Enterprises, which proved its mettle in the 2007 Moot Corp
\nnational business plan competition. Mullis says former Terry
\nCollege professor Charles Hofer was instrumental in helping his
\nteam develop its winning business plan.<\/p>\n

“Dr. Hofer just kept refining — putting red ink on the
\npaper — until you get it to what it needs to be,” says
\nMullis.<\/p>\n

Hofer believed Green Dragon would succeed in the marketplace,
\nbut Mullis’ vision has always been broader in scope.<\/p>\n

“[Dr. Hofer his colleagues] believed this could be a great
\nlifestyle business,” says Mullis. “But nobody really believed it
\ncould become a national or international business.”<\/p>\n

Mullis sees that kind of potential in Green Dragon, and FSB’s
\njudging panel was certainly impressed.<\/p>\n

“As a judge, I was so excited to see Jay win the top prize,”
\nsays noted entrepreneur and author Verne Harnish, who is a
\ncontributing editor to Fortune Small Business. “[Mullis is] fixing
\na huge environmental problem with a green solution, and he really
\nhad his business model\/proposition nailed. [He] showed, with actual
\npurchase orders, why the existing distribution channels would want
\nto change suppliers — this is key!!!”<\/p>\n

Mullis is wisely targeting pest-control companies; convincing
\nthem to add Green Dragon to their product line has untold sales
\nadvantages over trying to sell a stand-alone retail product on
\nhardware and drug store shelves.<\/p>\n

“And because of the unique distribution method and packaging
\nthat we’re looking at, we can also do more houses in one day,”
\nsays Mullis, who created a patent-pending, straw-shaped plastic
\ncontainer for distributing the bait. “So right there, if you take a
\npest control company that is earning $10 million dollars, you’ve
\nincreased their bottom line $750,000.”<\/p>\n

The last step for Green Dragon Roach Kill is for the EPA to
\ngrant approval. Mullis hired a consulting firm to file the
\nnecessary paperwork and he expects to get the green light early
\nnext year. FSB judging panelist Kylie A.D. Sachs, a partner at
\nAscend Venture Group, is optimistic about Mullis’ prospects.<\/p>\n

“Everyone hates roaches — they’re gross — and no
\none wants to spray chemicals all over their house,” says Sachs.
\n“These are two, super-hot issues…. If he gets approval, it’s a
\nkiller.”<\/p>\n

© 2000 – 2008 The University of Georgia, Terry College of
\nBusiness.
\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.terry.uga.edu\/spotlight\/alumni\/jay_mullis.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"