Green Current Solutions: A Unique Niche Fueled by Passion and Purpose
Story and Photos by Jonathan Turner
Loan Product: Small Business Loan
Loan Product: Small Business Loan
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At the heart of Green Current Solutions is a mission rooted in sustainability, environmental stewardship and transformative innovation.
Founded by Tammy Becker, alongside her husband Chad Pregracke, Green Current Solutions (GCS) is on the cutting edge of converting discarded plastics into something valuable and reusable. Like Bridge Investment, Tammy is on a quest to do good. Her passion for advocacy has been a long journey, intensified by her personal and professional partnership with Pregracke, who founded Living Lands & Waters (LL&W). After two decades of living on a barge and helping clean up America’s rivers with LL&W, Becker was stunned by the millions of pounds of plastics found polluting waterways. “It has gotten better,” Becker says, noting the Mississippi River from St. Louis to St. Paul has gotten much cleaner, in no small part due to LL&W. Littering “is not socially acceptable anymore,” she adds. Boat docks and barrels in rivers are often the result of flooding, tornados or other natural disasters, she says, rather than intentional dumping. “There’s a lot better city recycling programs and things like that. It still does happen, but not as much as it used to,” she says. “The unfortunate thing is, now we’re not getting all these big dumps, but in exchange , we're picking up millions of 20-ounce plastic bottles.” While the two still tackle river pollution (mainly by removing trash), Tammy’s new title is CEO of Green Current Solutions, a Certified Women-Owned and Managed Business, where she and Chad work to address plastic waste. While PET plastic (used for pop bottles, for example) was easily recyclable, large, bulky, rigid plastic posed significant challenges, according to the GCS website. Becker notes that for years, LL&W was forced to send materials to the landfill, which was not only bad for the environment but also costly. “We find those things by the thousands in the river,” she laments. “Because the barge is always moving, the person who might take it is two states away. It just didn’t make sense.” Having to dump the bulky plastics in landfills never sat well with her. “There’s got to be something better,” Becker says, noting LL&W removes garbage from 25 rivers in 21 states. By creating GCS, she found that solution – saving trees and reducing plastic waste at the same time. GCS repurposes the bulky plastics pulled from rivers into 100% recycled plastic pallets. They offer an eco-friendly alternative to traditional wood pallets, which require cutting down slow-growing hardwood trees. Becker’s love for rivers is matched by her fondness for forests, especially hardwood trees. When she learned that 43% of all slow-growing hardwoods (that take 50-80 years to mature) were being felled for single-use wood pallets, GCS created the key solution. The most widely used pallet is a soft, white-wood pallet, only getting used three to five times before breaking, Becker says. Often times, those pallets are disposed of or turned into mulch. GCS aligns perfectly with the LL&W mission. Having a successful history (since 2007) of planting more than two million trees through LL&W’s MillionTrees project, Becker has been instrumental in helping plant or donate two million oaks, hickories, and pecan trees nationwide. “It’s just not sustainable, it’s such a heartbreaking thing,” she says of cutting down hardwood trees for pallets. “I also coordinated that program for Living Lands for eight years, where almost all we did was give away oak trees.” By replacing wood with 100% recycled plastic pallets made by GCS, customers will not only help reduce the amount of plastic in our oceans, rivers, landfills, and incinerators, but they will also prevent millions of trees from being cut down. “When you trade wood pallets for plastics, you save so many trees from being cut down. Eight wood pallets typically come from one tree,” Becker says. “If a company is buying 100,000 plastic pallets, it saves 12,500 trees from being cut down.” It also reduces the amount of energy used in plastic production, as creating the recycled plastic pallets releases one-fifth of the greenhouse gases compared to using petroleum-derived plastic. “It’s such an energy-intensive process to grab the oil and refine it,” she says. “We’re trying to create jobs in a distressed census tract; we’re trying to help build this community and add to the tax base. We’re creating jobs that is helping save plastics from entering our rivers, creating more of a domestic need for recycled plastics. The United States shipped all its plastics to China until 2018.” - Tammy Becker, CEO, Green Current Solutions |
Tammy Becker, CEO of Green Current Solutions smiles in front of her facility located in East Moline, IL.
Photo of an actual river clean up by Living Lands & Waters, demonstrating the amount of plastics taken away from the rivers, and then reformulated into plastic pallets by Green Current Solutions. Photo courtesy of Green Current Solutions.
HDPE Pallet made by Green Current Solutions. Photo courtesy of Green Current Solutions.
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HDPE (high-density polyethylene) is the type of plastic used by GCS, whereas PET plastic is too soft and flexible to make pallets, Becker says. “High-density polyethylene is ideal because it’s more rigid, it’s strong, it’s chemical resistant. Its mechanical properties make for a better pallet.”
The connection between the two organizations is symbiotic: LL&W supplies GCS with discarded plastics, turning an environmental burden into a revenue stream that flows back to support LL&W’s continued river cleanups. Most municipal recycling centers can process plastics like laundry jugs, bottles, and most household items. GCS addresses the challenge that LL&W constantly faced by handling the larger plastics that centers can’t take – such as barrels, buckets, and milk crates. There are other companies that produce similar plastic pallets, but GCS is the only one that re-uses river cleanup plastics.
Growing a new business Since its inception in 1998, the nonprofit LL&W has removed over 13.4 million pounds of trash from America’s rivers. “We like to tell our customers that buying our pallets helps support the mission of Living Lands & Waters to keep America’s rivers clean,” Becker says.
GCS launched in 2019, but the pandemic in 2020 slowed the start of the business. In 2021, GCS bought and renovated the former McLaughlin Body building at 401 12th Ave., East Moline, Ill. They have a 71,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a nearby 32,000-square-foot warehouse for their shredding and grinding operations (the first steps in pallet production). The warehouse also stores the large plastic items LL&W pulls out of waterways. GCS started production in August 2023.
Most companies are moving away from wood pallets, except for shipping goods very far, where they can’t get those pallets back, Becker says. Certain industries are more likely to use plastic pallets, such as pharmaceuticals, since wood pallets are porous and can absorb anything. “They can harbor bugs and insects,” she says. “A plastic pallet makes sense in those applications since it’s never a concern. They’re non-porous; they’re more easily sanitized.”
GCS says there are many reasons why plastic pallets are also more cost-effective than wood, including:
The unique GCS niche Becker takes pride in the fact that GCS also is the world’s only Women’s Business Enterprise National Council woman-owned pallet manufacturer. “That’s another thing that differentiates us from our competitors,” she says. “These days, a lot of big companies are trying to invest in a diverse supplier base.” Tammy’s husband Chad helps her by promoting GCS since he “knows a lot of people, who know people,” his wife says. Among Pregracke’s many honors, he was named the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year nationwide. “He helps us get in the door at a lot of different companies.” Becker says she is in a win-win situation, reflecting the true circular logo of recycling.
GCS has two full-time employees, with plans to grow its workforce. The huge injection-molding machines are automated to work on their own, including robotic arms. “Both machines can be running, pumping out pallets all day, and there’s one person on the floor,” she says. “It’s able to keep our prices down.” GCS contracts with trucking firms to ship the pallets, furthering their efforts to support indirect jobs, as most of its customers are outside its Quad Cities home base. “Everybody we talk to are big, multinational companies, so they have facilities all over the place,” Becker says.
Looking toward a brighter future GCS’s impact extends far beyond environmental benefits. The company is based in a distressed census tract and actively creates green jobs, while contributing to the local and global economy. GCS has customers and interest from around the world, and its largest client is a Minnesota-based food, agricultural, and industrial product conglomerate.
Bridge Investment Community Development Corporation (Bridge Investment) played a crucial role in helping GCS get off the ground. In 2023, as Green Current navigated the transition in financing, Bridge Investment stepped in with a much-needed small business loan. Starting the business during the global pandemic was hard, especially with delays getting equipment, Becker says. Municipal recycling centers had closed down since no one was buying plastics before then, she says. GCS also acquires recycled plastics from other suppliers.
“The loan came at a critical time, allowing us to bridge the gap between one loan and the next,” Becker says. With favorable terms, the Bridge Investment loan helped GCS with working capital to help cover expenses as they worked to become operational. “There was this transition
the transition in financing, Bridge Investment stepped in with a much-needed small business loan. Starting the business during the global pandemic was hard, especially with delays getting equipment, Becker says. Municipal recycling centers had closed down since no one was buying plastics before then, she says. GCS also acquires recycled plastics from other suppliers.
“The loan came at a critical time, allowing us to bridge the gap between one loan and the next,” Becker says. With favorable terms, the Bridge Investment loan helped GCS with working capital to help cover expenses as they worked to become operational. “There was this transition period when we really needed a loan like that,” she says. GCS is a certified women-owned small business, a designation that opens doors to grants, additional small business loans, and tax incentives that help them stay on track.
“We know that some of these major industries are going to want more sustainable options to replace those single-use wood pallets,” Becker says. “People are much more aware of these issues now and want more sustainable options.” As she and Chad move into this next stage of life, GCS continues to grow, creating opportunities for the next generation. Learn more about Green Current Solutions by visiting www.greencurrentsolutions.com.
The connection between the two organizations is symbiotic: LL&W supplies GCS with discarded plastics, turning an environmental burden into a revenue stream that flows back to support LL&W’s continued river cleanups. Most municipal recycling centers can process plastics like laundry jugs, bottles, and most household items. GCS addresses the challenge that LL&W constantly faced by handling the larger plastics that centers can’t take – such as barrels, buckets, and milk crates. There are other companies that produce similar plastic pallets, but GCS is the only one that re-uses river cleanup plastics.
Growing a new business Since its inception in 1998, the nonprofit LL&W has removed over 13.4 million pounds of trash from America’s rivers. “We like to tell our customers that buying our pallets helps support the mission of Living Lands & Waters to keep America’s rivers clean,” Becker says.
GCS launched in 2019, but the pandemic in 2020 slowed the start of the business. In 2021, GCS bought and renovated the former McLaughlin Body building at 401 12th Ave., East Moline, Ill. They have a 71,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a nearby 32,000-square-foot warehouse for their shredding and grinding operations (the first steps in pallet production). The warehouse also stores the large plastic items LL&W pulls out of waterways. GCS started production in August 2023.
Most companies are moving away from wood pallets, except for shipping goods very far, where they can’t get those pallets back, Becker says. Certain industries are more likely to use plastic pallets, such as pharmaceuticals, since wood pallets are porous and can absorb anything. “They can harbor bugs and insects,” she says. “A plastic pallet makes sense in those applications since it’s never a concern. They’re non-porous; they’re more easily sanitized.”
GCS says there are many reasons why plastic pallets are also more cost-effective than wood, including:
- No disposal costs because GCS will buy back and recycle plastic pallets when they reach their end of life.
- Because you can use a plastic pallet at least 10 times more than a wood pallet, plastic pallets are less expensive than wood, per use.
- Wood pallets are messy and dangerous. The true cost of a wood pallet needs to also include the price of having a worker out due to injury from a protruding nail or wood shard. There is also time spent in cleaning up broken wood pieces off floors. Further, parts of wood pallets often get stuck in conveyor and automation systems, causing packaging and manufacturing systems to go down.
The unique GCS niche Becker takes pride in the fact that GCS also is the world’s only Women’s Business Enterprise National Council woman-owned pallet manufacturer. “That’s another thing that differentiates us from our competitors,” she says. “These days, a lot of big companies are trying to invest in a diverse supplier base.” Tammy’s husband Chad helps her by promoting GCS since he “knows a lot of people, who know people,” his wife says. Among Pregracke’s many honors, he was named the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year nationwide. “He helps us get in the door at a lot of different companies.” Becker says she is in a win-win situation, reflecting the true circular logo of recycling.
GCS has two full-time employees, with plans to grow its workforce. The huge injection-molding machines are automated to work on their own, including robotic arms. “Both machines can be running, pumping out pallets all day, and there’s one person on the floor,” she says. “It’s able to keep our prices down.” GCS contracts with trucking firms to ship the pallets, furthering their efforts to support indirect jobs, as most of its customers are outside its Quad Cities home base. “Everybody we talk to are big, multinational companies, so they have facilities all over the place,” Becker says.
Looking toward a brighter future GCS’s impact extends far beyond environmental benefits. The company is based in a distressed census tract and actively creates green jobs, while contributing to the local and global economy. GCS has customers and interest from around the world, and its largest client is a Minnesota-based food, agricultural, and industrial product conglomerate.
Bridge Investment Community Development Corporation (Bridge Investment) played a crucial role in helping GCS get off the ground. In 2023, as Green Current navigated the transition in financing, Bridge Investment stepped in with a much-needed small business loan. Starting the business during the global pandemic was hard, especially with delays getting equipment, Becker says. Municipal recycling centers had closed down since no one was buying plastics before then, she says. GCS also acquires recycled plastics from other suppliers.
“The loan came at a critical time, allowing us to bridge the gap between one loan and the next,” Becker says. With favorable terms, the Bridge Investment loan helped GCS with working capital to help cover expenses as they worked to become operational. “There was this transition
the transition in financing, Bridge Investment stepped in with a much-needed small business loan. Starting the business during the global pandemic was hard, especially with delays getting equipment, Becker says. Municipal recycling centers had closed down since no one was buying plastics before then, she says. GCS also acquires recycled plastics from other suppliers.
“The loan came at a critical time, allowing us to bridge the gap between one loan and the next,” Becker says. With favorable terms, the Bridge Investment loan helped GCS with working capital to help cover expenses as they worked to become operational. “There was this transition period when we really needed a loan like that,” she says. GCS is a certified women-owned small business, a designation that opens doors to grants, additional small business loans, and tax incentives that help them stay on track.
“We know that some of these major industries are going to want more sustainable options to replace those single-use wood pallets,” Becker says. “People are much more aware of these issues now and want more sustainable options.” As she and Chad move into this next stage of life, GCS continues to grow, creating opportunities for the next generation. Learn more about Green Current Solutions by visiting www.greencurrentsolutions.com.
