LEADERSHIP
IL: What is Oceanworks doing that’s new and interesting? We’re developing traceability technology to validate the recycled content in a company’s material stream and the origin of that material. We use a blockchain-based system to log all the information about materials into an immutable record. On top of that, we’ve built some visualization tools, so a user can follow the material through the supply chain. IL: What have you read lately that has made an impression? A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies by Matt Simon. It reinforced my sense that we’re already late to the game of getting plastics out of the environment. IL: What advice would you give your 18-year-old self? Find a way to work on things you’re really passionate about, because that creates a fun life. And push yourself to be one of the experts in things that you’re excited about working on. IL: Outside of work, how do you like to spend your time? I spend time with my three kids, who are ve, two, and newborn. We love to go boating and skiing, and go to the beach and the mountains. I live on Cape Cod in the summer and Maui the rest of the year, so I get continuous exposure to the “why” behind what we do at Oceanworks. n Dinner Conversation If Vanessa Coleman could have dinner with anyone, alive today or from history, she’d actually arrange three meals. The first would be with former Vice President Al Gore. “He was fighting the battle against climate change early on,” she says. “He was making movies, trying to run for President, trying to enact policy. Now he’s an investor in the climate space. I’d like to hear his thoughts on what works, what is still needed, and how this might apply to the problems I’m working on.” Dinner companion number two would be environmentalist and author Rachel Carson. And number three would be the social media influencer known as MrBeast. “He has built a huge following by doing big, interesting stunts,” Coleman says. For instance, he has raised millions of dollars for removing plastic waste from the oceans. “I would be intrigued to hear how he built his following and influence in this new type of media,” she says.
Once we developed some ideas, we started talking to potential customers. It shocked me that you could just call people on the phone and ask if they needed this idea you had. People are willing to take the time because they see value in bringing new things to their business. If we talk to enough of them, we can understand how to put together technologies and business opportunities to make something real and new. That has de ned much of my career. IL: Is there something you have changed your mind about since the early days of your career? I used to assume that people in big companies wanted to innovate. I still nd that this is true of leaders. But it turns out that the bulk of most organizations, the rank and le, face incentives to do just the opposite. If you take a risk and it goes wrong, someone has to take the blame. We have to be very aware of that at Oceanworks, because there’s a bias toward using fossil-based plastics in all products. When you introduce something new, you have to realize that the resistance you face often comes down to a desire not to be rst, to let someone else make the mistakes. IL: Do you try to make Oceanworks a safe place to take risks? I do. We talk about the fact that you need to take 10 shots on a goal in order to score. Not everything you try will work, and that’s okay. We need to be reliable on the operations side. But we also need to maintain an innovative mindset. If we deliver containers, store materials, and source the way everybody else has done it, we will never improve the status quo. IL: What characteristics make you an effective leader? I’m a good listener, both within the company and when I talk with customers and markets. I ask questions that elicit new information, hear where people are coming from, assimilate that information, and then show a bias for action. I also think every good entrepreneur needs to be persistent. I like to joke that you have to stick around long enough to get lucky. Persistence and the ability to identify and capitalize on opportunities help me anchor and encourage the team as we grow in what is fundamentally a dif cult space.
September 2023 • Inbound Logistics 15
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