MANUFACTURING
Gina Lujan , cofounder of Hacker Lab ( pictured ) in Sacramento , launched MakeHers to help women with low incomes launch or develop a small business . PHOTO BY MIKE BATTEY , COURTESY OF HACKER LAB
THE RECYCLER
John Bissell Cofounder and co-CEO Origin Materials
“ Nobody ever really builds a chemical company from scratch in today ’ s world ,” says John Bissell of Origin Materials , a company that uses patented techniques to turn wood chips into bioplastics .
During the financial crisis of 2008 , when Origin launched , Bissell says people abandoned climate technology as an investment opportunity . But it took the company about a decade to develop the chemical and materials platform . The technology and financial backing has finally caught up to the vision outlined by Bissell and co-CEO Rich Riley . ( In February , Origin Materials announced a landmark deal to merge with a special purpose acquisition company as a route to a major IPO .) The warnings about a pandemic went unheeded for so long , and then the coronavirus hit , which has caused the world to think seriously about putting money toward companies on a mission to prevent or reverse projected disasters , including environmental ones .
On a mission to replace petroleum , the West Sacramento-based company ’ s first plant is coming online in 2022 , followed by a bigger commercial-scale facility in 2025 . Its first order of business is supplying recyclable , 100 percent plant-based polyethylene terephthalate plastic for food and beverage packaging , apparel , and textiles .
“ We , as a species , need scale in decarbonization fast ,” Bissell says . “ The way you scale fast is dropping into existing product and supply chains .”
Bissell , who grew up in Sacramento and went to UC Davis , expected he would be a chemical engineer . He comes from a family of doctors , but he had an interest in chemistry , math and biology . One night over dinner , his dad suggested Bissell look into material science . Bissell never looked back . “ We ’ re a weird company for Sacramento ,” he says . “ There aren ’ t a lot of companies like us , doing heavy asset construction . It ’ s highly technical .”
THE ACCELERATOR
Gina Lujan Founder MakeHers
A business accelerator might not fit the literal definition of a manufacturing company . But Gina Lujan , cofounder of Hacker Lab in Sacramento , knows something about creating spaces for entrepreneurs . Her latest venture , Make- Hers , focuses on building a pipeline for women . Due to COVID-19 , millions of women — especially women of color and those with lower incomes — had to leave the workforce .
Being a caregiver at home while trying to pay the bills is hard enough , but adding systemic issues to the pot can make the idea of starting a new business seem impossible . “ A lot of times we ’ re starting businesses out of survival ,” Lujan says .
Lujan compares the recent shift to the first half of the 20th century when women had to work in industrial settings because the men went to war . Except this time , many women
46 comstocksmag . com | May 2021