Trade Show Memories

Hello from the GreenBox Intern. It's been a heckuva weekend.

As you loyal readers well know, the GreenBox was a featured product at the International Restaurant and Food Service Show of NY. The show was a tremendous success for ECO Incorporated and the GreenBox. I can’t say the same for myself, however.

The first day of the massive and well-attended trade show was this past Sunday. Now, I should say that I normally don’t work on the Sabbath, preferring to pass the day in quiet contemplation of the divine mysteries. I was persuaded to relax this policy when GreenBox CEO William Walsh told me that if I didn’t show up, I would meet God personally and I could “whine to Him” all I wanted (capitalization mine). Setting aside my religious convictions for the sake of the company, I decided that the inevitable financial success of the GreenBox would allow me to purchase not only a vacation home in Montauk, but also a papal dispensation for selling soap on a Sunday. I decided to take Will’s existential threat to heart and lend a helping hand.

So it was that I endured an early-morning commute on the Day of Rest and arrived at the Javits Center bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. As Marketing Director Ned Kensing bustled about setting up the goods at the GreenBox booth, I went to the registration desk to claim my Exhibitor Pass for the show. Immediately, confusion reigned – my name was not on the list of official exhibitors with Imperial Bag & Paper. A quick phone call to CFO Jennifer Wright cleared everything up – CEO William Walsh had put me on the list as “Seymour Butts”. I was forced to endure the indignity of repeating this moniker to the attractive young woman behind the counter. She did her best not to laugh while issuing me my pass, and I made a mental note to put a tack on Will’s chair the next time I was in the office.

In this humiliating manner I finally obtained access to the sprawling convention floor. For the rest of this account, please keep in mind that I was wearing a GreenBox T-shirt with a laminated card pinned to the front emblazoned with the words “Seymour Butts – Imperial Bag & Paper”.

As I descended the escalator to the convention floor, I was struck by the size and scale of the show – hundreds of booths, thousands of people, and lots of food on offer. Just as I was about to sample a particularly succulent morsel of prime rib, Marketing Director Ned Kensing grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me through the teeming masses over to the Imperial Bag & Paper booth. Little did I know that was the closest I’d come to nourishment for the rest of the day.

We arrived at the booth. Talk about prime real estate – centrally located and impressively appointed, the IB&P booth was without a doubt the centerpiece of the entire show. Ned and Jen held court, demonstrating the GreenBox for an endless succession of convention-goers – industry folks, the media, and everyday consumers who all seemed blown away by the simplicity and functionality of the product.

As usual, I slowly faded in to the background in the face of my older brother’s charm and charisma. As I watched Ned demonstrate the GreenBox for a busty young woman who seemed to have left the top portion of her outfit at home, I was transported back to my youth. You see, Ned was always the center of attention – good-looking, well muscled, and with a disdain for authority which applied to both our parents and to the penal code of New York State. In short, he was a charmer, possessed of a zest for living that would someday trouble countless teachers and mental health professionals. Who knew it would someday make him in to an incredible salesman and the most dynamic presence at the International Restaurant and Food Service Show of NY? More to the point, what was I doing here? How could I possibly compete with this Adonis of the food packaging industry?

Fact is, I couldn’t. I was quickly forgotten as Jen and Ned worked their magic. At one point a higher-up with Imperial Bag & Paper caught my eye and pointed sternly at the “No Loitering” sign on the outside of the booth. Indignant, I flashed my pass and then remembered the name thereon – surely he would realize that no one named “Seymour Butts” was in his employ. Seeing the suspicious glances I was beginning to receive from the “suits” in the booth, I decided I had better hoof it back to the office and stick to blogging – I wasn’t the face of this company, after all (if anything, I'm the soul).

And so I left Jen and Ned to their work – and believe you me, they were working. Over the course of the expo, they tirelessly deomstrated the functionality and the mission of the GreenBox to hundreds and hundreds of people. And they’ll be doing the same this week in Las Vegas at the International Pizza Expo.

As for me, I decided that I wasn’t cut out for trade shows, so I’d be staying behind in NYC to hold down the fort. That also has something to do with the fact that no one invited me to Las Vegas. Either way, I’ll be providing continued coverage of the GreenBox National Tour – a tour that is laying the groundwork for a revolution in the pizza industry. Very soon, this nation will be wondering “How in tarnation did we put up with that standard pizza box for all of these years?” Think about it – if they hadn’t updated cars or elevators for half a century, would we stand for it? I think not.

Stay tuned for updates, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook – I’ll be posting pictures and more from both shows…as soon as Ned decides to answer one of my phone calls.

XO,

The GreenBox Intern

The GreenBox Commerical

I'm pleased to present the latest piece of perfection to issue from the GreenBox brain trust - a 42-second spot that perfectly captures the simple but revolutionary appeal of the GreenBox. Plus, it features an incredibly cute, precocious little darling who is sure to charm your socks off. No, I'm not talking about GreenBox inventor and CEO William Walsh, although he does make a cameo.

Check out the clip below - it's sure to garner more hits than our previous video release, which is well on the way to 1 Million.



By the way, I was originally slated for the role of "enthusiastic young consumer", but Will nixed the idea almost immediately, saying "I refuse to be captured on film next to that imbecile".

Oh well, Gracie le Du knocked it out of the park anyways.

We'd like to thank The Academy...

Penury and anonymity continue to be my lot in life. The GreenBox, on the other hand, is racking up industry accolades left and right.

The Wharton School of Business ("Top 25 Most Promising Start-Ups)...Columbia Business School ("Outrageous Business Competition")...The Green Business Competition...TIME Magazine ("Inventors and Their Inventions")...the list goes on and on. Publications and institutions all over the United States have been hailing the GreenBox as an innovation and a revelation ever since the product burst on to the scene...and the praise just keeps on comin'.

Today, we received a package here at the NYC offices from Restaurant Business Magazine, one of the most venerable periodicals in the industry. The package contained official recognition of the GreenBox as one of the 50 Great Ideas of 2009.

Shockingly, I was not mentioned in either the award itself or in the accompanying letter of congratulations. An oversight, I assume.

Besides, I get enough credit on a daily basis here at the office. Why, just the other day, Jen looked up from her numbers-crunching and said, "Hey Ned, does your brother still work here?" Keep in mind that I was sitting right behind her at the time, and had also brought her tea earlier that morning. Ned did not respond to her query, as he was out blowing upwards of $500 on his daily shopping-spree at G.N.C. (the man takes more supplements than mid-80s Hulk Hogan).

Still apparently not realizing that yours truly was sitting mere feet from her desk, Jen mused aloud, "I wonder how long we can keep milking that dweeb for all he's worth...which, granted, isn't much."

So you see, I don't need awards. Just a few kind words from colleagues who respect me and value my contributions...that's enough to keep me going.

So while it doesn't look like I'll be nominated for Intern of the Year (or even Intern of the Week) anytime soon, I'm proud to be working for a company that's captured the attention of the entire pizza industry.

We encourage you to check out the write-up in Restaurant Business Magazine here, and we thank the folks at RBM for this fine distinction.

Stay tuned to this blog as the GreenBox transitions from one of the Best Ideas of 2009 to the Household Name of 2010. As they say in Ned's favorite Broadway musical, The Heights...it won't be long now.

XO,

The GreenBox Intern

All's Fair in Love and Trade Shows

Hi, all. It’s me, the GreenBox Intern. I’m sure you’re clamoring to know why I haven’t updated this blog in a couple of days. Allow me to explain.

Do you remember my last blog entry, wherein I suggested that you apply the GreenBox to your love life? Well, I took my own advice, and let’s just say Cupid really emptied his quiver over the past week or so. I haven’t had a week of unbridled hedonism like that since Ned and I went to Mykonos (some of the pictures from that trip are technically illegal in the United States, and for good reason).

One particularly impressionable hippie was so taken with my GreenBox pitch that I had some trouble getting her out of my apartment this morning. As I was showing her the door, I gave her a few sample boxes and told her to pass them out to attractive friends. What I didn’t tell her is that they have my phone number written on the inside. I’m telling you, it works.

Romantic conquests aside, I want to give you faithful readers a heads-up on what’s going on here in the NYC offices. We’re gearing up for two exciting industry events, the first being the International Restaurant and Food Service Show of New York. The show kicks off on February 28th at the Javits Center in Manhattan, and the GreenBox will be a featured product at the Imperial Bag & Paper booth (highly coveted industry real-estate, if we do say so ourselves). Here’s the kicker – you can get complimentary passes to the event by contacting Nicolina Zimbardo of IB&P at 1 (800) 794 7273, X3111. You can also email her at nzimbardo@imperialbag.com.

Naively, perhaps, I assumed that my employers would take care of getting me a pass to attend the show. Turns out I had to contact Nicolina myself, like I was just some schlub off the street. I guess I ought to get used to that kind of treatment around here. To add insult to injury, enigmatic inventor and C.E.O. William Walsh told me to be at the Javits Center at 4 A.M. on the morning of the 28th. When I pointed out that the event didn’t start until 10 A.M., he said, “I know. I just want to drive by and see you standing out there by yourself at 4 in the morning. It would amuse me”. Wearily, I agreed to his strange demands – I’ve learned that resistance is futile. And besides, when this product takes off, I want to be in good standing.

I’ll be live-blogging and Tweeting the show as it happens, so be sure to befriend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Keep in mind that I’ll be with Ned at the shows, so things are bound to get interesting. In case you've forgotten, Ned is the Director of Marketing here at GreenBox. He's also the guy who drinks straight vinegar on a daily basis because he swears it helps prevent wrinkles or some nonsense. He is also, I'm forced to admit, my brother.

The second industry event we’re preparing for is the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, NV. This show kicks off on Monday, March 2nd, and the Green Box will be featured at the Roma Foods booth (again, pretty high-class company we keep).

I won’t be attending the Las Vegas show in person. Will made a point of asking me not to attend in spirit, either. However, I will be back here in the NYC offices providing almost-live coverage of the event via pictures and correspondence relayed from Will, Jen, and Ned. I’ll also be picking up Jen’s dry-cleaning and watering her Ficus.

If you can attend either of the shows, please do so – the GreenBox crew would love to meet you. Otherwise, stick close to this blog for the latest updates. Get on board now…after these two events, the entire industry will know that the GreenBox is the Next Big Thing.

One final teaser: stay tuned for an amazing new GreenBox commercial, which is nearing completion and will be posted shortly. You guys are gonna love it.

XO,

The GreenBox Intern