ENCAP Corporate > In The News > ENCAP's technology goes deeper than grass seed in

ENCAP's technology goes deeper than grass seed in town of Scott
Company finds new uses, products for recycled material

Green Bay Press Gazette
February 27, 2008
By Bob Van Enkenvoort

TOWN OF SCOTT — ENCAP identifies challenges and works to meet them.
The company saw a potential use for waste office paper and incorporated it into some of their products.

Reusing waste doesn't stop with paper.

The company is researching technology that separates solids and nutrients from liquid manure and is determining if there is a market for manure solids for cow bedding, composting, retail fertilizer and other uses.

In the years after it was founded in 1999 by company President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Krysiak and FEECO International, ENCAP has developed products such as a Grass Repair Kit, New Lawn Kit and Fast Acting Lime that can be found at Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Kmart and Menard's and other locations.

They also make products for use by landscapers, the department of transportation, the golf industry and the U.S. Forest Service, which has adopted the product for fire restoration.

Many people, according to Chris Calawerts, business development manager, see ENCAP as "that grass seed company."

"That is just a basic element of who we are. We're so much deeper than that," he said.

Innovative thinking — or seeing opportunity where none previously existed — is getting ENCAP noticed.

ENCAP ranked 110 in Inc. Magazine's list of the "500 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in America" in 2007. From 2003 to 2006, the company experienced a growth of 1,490 percent, landing it on the list at No. 110. The list ranks privately held companies according to year-over-year sales growth from 2003 to 2006.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle visited ENCAP on Jan. 24 to honor the company for its entrepreneurial practices, many of which he cited as examples in his Grow Wisconsin program.
ENCAP was featured on a CNBC segment looking at the business.
And, now, ENCAP is one of 63 Wisconsin businesses nominated for the 20th annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards to be presented Thursday at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. The awards recognize Wisconsin companies that demonstrate a commitment to business excellence. Program sponsors are Michael Best & Friedrich, Virchow, Krause & Co. and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

ENCAP is wrapping up product development in what it calls Movement Control Technology, designed to limit the amount of run off of fertilizers in different arenas — including agriculture.

"Runoff of phosphorus and nitrates are what's driving a lot of that manure issue," Krysiak said. "We've got a technology we call Movement Control Technology that is all about being able to address the movements of the nutrients in fertilizers, whether they are organic or inorganic."

In essence, this technology is aimed at holding nutrients from fertilizers in place and reducing the amount of run-off and leaching of the product. It's aimed at both the agriculture industry and the home user.

"Our belief is we have an industry-changing product that will allow this control element to be added," Krysiak said. "If you control the movement of the phosphorous, in many cases you don't need to limit the application.

"This is not just a Wisconsin or a Green Bay issue, it's a global issue," he said.

Recently, ENCAP partnered with Soil Net and FEECO to develop new technologies and processes for handling sugar cane by-products in Colombia, Brazil, and around the world, according to a company release. In the near future, ENCAP facilities will be located in Colombia and other parts of the world.

Krysiak and Calawerts are quick to credit ENCAP's staff for the work and innovation it takes to have a vision and see it through from start to finish.

The company developed four values it seeks in new employees:

People who are driven. "We started the company from scratch with a technology that did not exist," Krysiak said.
People who persevere. "Perseverance, to us, is getting through the getting through," Calawerts said, "because when you are not only starting up a company but in a growth mode there are endless challenges that you have and you need to be able to just know that the only answer is that you have to get it done to move on."
People who are innovative. The company defines innovation as meaningful, valuable and effective. "Innovation is one of those words that is overused a lot. People talk about they invent something new and it's an innovative idea. I think it's more of a creative idea. To us, innovation is just walking through the full commercialization phase," Calawerts said.
People who are honorable. "When we do interviews, we find ways to test whether somebody has the ability to be innovative, to be creative, how driven and persistent are they and through all that the honorable side comes out," Krysiak said.

Decisions are made using all four criteria not only in hiring but in day-to-day operations, he said.

"The honorable one is probably the one we rely on the most. What's the right thing to do? And it's always right. And you always know it," Krysiak said.

Krysiak said he is "constantly amazed at how committed ENCAP's employees are to the success of the company." He adds, "We are truly a family that wants to take care of each other and our customers in a way that shows we genuinely care."