The venture based in Bogota, Colombia of entrepreneur Humberto Rodriguez is focused on by the Grupo SALA case. Rodriguez saw the opportunity in the environmental-options space when the Colombian government decided to privatize public services. Rodriguez began his venture in 1997 in a 62-square meter office with an investment of $100,000 by an U.S.-based investor. By June 2015, the time of the case, Grupo SALA managed in three places-solid waste, dangerous residues, and water and sewer-and had grown at an average speed of 21.3% over the 2002-2014 span. The group drew on three foundations-entrepreneurship, technology innovation and regulatory management, and successful environmental management-and, with 3,270 workers working in eighteen businesses, recorded Colombian pesos 256 billion in sales in 2014 (US$128 million at 2014 conversion rate of 1 Colombian Peso = US$0.0005).
After a quick introduction, the instance takes the reader through the following six sections: (1) Rodriguez's personal background and approach to risk-taking and entrepreneurship; (2) a window into Grupo SALA's companies, organizational structure, and ownership; (3) the group's opportunities transforming Colombian attitudes and conduct toward waste, the introduction of containerization, the incineration of hazardous waste, water treatment, and the eventual end game around sustainability and improved lives, spaces, and the environment; (4) Rodriguez's and Grupo SALA's approach to management; (5) the staging of a first "shark tank" to support thoughts to fuel Grupo SALA's future increase; and (6) Rodriguez's questions for his group regarding the road ahead.
PUBLICATION DATE: July 01, 2016 PRODUCT #: BAB237-HCB-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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