Check Out Chris Ramirez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Ramirez.

Hi Chris, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Being raised in a 10-person, 3 bedroom, low income, government-subsidized household, packed with life, love, adversity, and challenges, I have always been one for a good underdog story.

I grew up as the oldest of many, raised by a single mother who did her best to lead, grow, and provide. From a small town 40 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri, life felt simple.

Go to school. Build forts in the woods and bike ramps in the driveway. Cheer on the Chiefs (who struggled mightily during my childhood). Church was as full on Sunday mornings as the football stadium on Friday nights… Like I said… simple.

But I always believed in bigger. In more. I believed that, outside of the city limits of my 8,000 person town, was a world full of opportunities and problems to solve.

I grew up wanting to be an NFL Athlete — then a Doctor — then a Psychologist… Little did I know that my unusual path would land me in the world of Waste, as CEO of a Medical-Waste Technology Company, acting as David versus the many Goliaths that exist in this space.

From Kansas City to Los Angeles to Chicago and back to my current home of Huntington Beach, I have always sprinted towards the problem with, an at-times blind, faith that a solution to succeed exists, so long as one keeps a persistent tenacity and commitment to finding it.

The truth that I came to learn is that some solutions are found… others are built.

And on a cold, Chicago Polar Vortex surrounded February Tuesday in 2019, I received a LinkedIn message that would change my life and would set me on a course to build a solution more meaningful and impactful than I could have ever imagined…

As I sat in my office in Northbrook, Illinois, our family’s belongings boxed up in a Pod awaiting the cross-country move to our new life, I received a message that read:

“Chris – my name is Mike, and I am the Investment Fund Manager for a group in Orange County. We have recently invested in a piece of technology that is going to change how clinics and healthcare practices treat and manage their Medical Waste. We are in search of the right person to take this to market. Interested in having a conversation?”

Three days later, less than a week from closing on our new house in Arlington Heights, CA, my wife Amanda, my nearly two year old son, and I decided to call one of the most aggressive audibles imaginable… Pull out of escrow, quit my Corporate Director-level job, stay in Orange County, and take the risk to join a three person, pre-revenue team with little cash, no customers, and a big dream.

The pursuit of that dream, the chase for opportunity, and the naive belief that no problem is too big to be solved led to where I sit today.

I have a beautiful, fun, and supportive wife. We raise two incredible children. I live in an amazing community where I stay involved by coaching kids baseball and flag football. I am fulfilled, proud, and healthy, and I could not be more grateful for the path that led me to this blessed life.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything from smooth, and the challenges have been countless…

Launching a company is never easy.

Launching a company with unknown and untested technology is hard.

Launching a company with unadopted technology in Healthcare rarely works.

And launching an Infectious Waste Technology company in Healthcare a year prior to a Global Pandemic is almost a certain failure.

At OnSite, we embrace the mascot and spirit animal of the Honey Badger. We are tenacious, persistent, fearless, and refuse to go away. And that mindset and culture empowered our small but mighty team through just about every type of adversity imaginable.

There were times in the beginning when we couldn’t BEG our way to a sale. We once went an entire month without bringing on one new customer who wasn’t a friend, an investor, or literal family. If we had one sales (we’re talking a $100/mo. purchase) in a week, we would celebrate as though we won the Superbowl.

But those celebrations were important. They kept us alive. They kept us believing. And with time, the sales came more frequently. The product improved. Customers started sharing our story with other non-customers.

And fast-forward nearly 7 years, and we rarely go one hour without bringing on a new client.

We still have our challenges, many of which would feel insurmountable for most — Global Manufacturing obstacles, cash constraints, IT system crashes, etc. — but with that Honey Badger spirit and a relentless belief in possibility, no challenge is too insurmountable.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As CEO of OnSite Waste Technologies, I am proud to lead a highly-talented team on a mission to remove Healthcare’s waste in all of its forms — wasted services, wasted spend, wasted time.

We accomplish this using technology and with a belief that AI, sustainable sterilization, and other forms of innovation can be a catalyst to break status quos.

In an industry that has recognized very little change for decades, our team is happy to be an early adopter of progressive alternatives to the traditional methods of Medical-Waste Management.

OnSite is most known as the inventor of the TE-5000, a smart, connected device that allows clinics to sterilize their Sharps Waste (syringes / needles) at their facility, disposing of the waste in the regular trash. No storage of infectious waste. No more coordinating pickups. And we are proud to equip over 1,000 practices nationwide and in four different countries with this innovative technology.

OnSite serves the non-hospital Medical Waste generator, whether the Healthcare operator runs one independent practice or a national account with hundreds of locations across many states. OnSite delivers a wide range of products and services to its clients, spanning from the TE-5000 Sharps Sterilization System mentioned above, to On-Demand Mail-Back Kits, to Managed Collection and Transport Services for Hazardous, Pharmaceutical, BioMedical and other specialty waste types.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The Waste Industry has historically been slow to adopt change or advancements, especially as it pertains to technology. That said, I think change is inevitable in today’s climate. Progress towards sustainability, operational efficiency, consolidation, and elevated service is expected across the board by all customers and buyers, and for that reason, the industry leaders will need to respond.

Data-driven insights, national scale capabilities, and alternative technologies will continue to arise and expand.

Additionally, consolidation will continue as large industry incumbents vertically integrate their business model. Medical Waste companies who acquired Document Shredding and Hazardous Waste companies are now being acquired by general waste conglomerates such as Waste Management. Changes like this create both good and bad outcomes for the market and the industry, and the balance of that spread will be more evident in the coming years.

Change is inevitable and its existence is the only thing in life that doesn’t change. Companies maintaining a strong North Star and a willingness to assess, adapt, and execute should always prove successful. I couldn’t be prouder of the strong team in place at OnSite. Good humans. Sharp Minds. Relentless work ethics. All united towards a mission to deliver the best for Healthcare. That is the exact formula for success in this ever-changing world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onsitewaste.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onsitewaste
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onsitewaste
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/wBjASzyMGV4