Marty Metro

Marty Metro has a unique, “if at first you don’t succeed” attitude… and a track record to prove it! He risked it all to be an eco-entrepreneur… and failed miserably. He then tried a bigger and better approach, which succeeded!

In 2002, well before the environmental movement took off as we know it, Metro launched Boomerang Boxes, a chain of eco-friendly retail stores to buy and sell USED moving boxes in Los Angeles. He had dreams of a national franchise, but his attempt was premature, undercapitalized and riddled with logistic flaws. After 3 long years without an income, Metro was forced to cease all operations, leaving him and his wife not just an empty bank account, but $300,000 of personal debt! Devastated but not discouraged, Metro took a “day job” as a technology consultant and spent nights and weekends pursuing his dream. His relentless entrepreneurial drive lead him to revise the business plan, raise capital and re-launch a scalable, tech-centric model to buy and sell MILLIONS of used boxes, just one year later.

That revised plan grew to a national logistics firm now working with some of the largest, most well known companies in the country (Bayer, Dole, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Keurig, McCormick Spice, Nestle, Pepsi, Taylor Farms and more). Metro’s rough journey to success has been covered by most major news outlets throughout the years. Entrepreneur Magazine featured Metro and in an article entitled:

“From Business Failure to Multimillion-Dollar 'Green' Niche"

Metro is an inspirational example of balancing financial returns with environmental responsibility. Rather than claim to know “how to succeed,” Metro embraces his mistakes and proudly shares them with audiences.

Metro’s success of applying sophisticated technology a traditionally low-tech industry was just the beginning. Seeing all of the other “waste” commodities that major US manufacturers were mismanaging and undervaluing, Metro and his business partner created UCBZeroWaste. This new asset-light company is a waste reduction firm that manages ALL commodities, ALL vendors, ALL logistics, ALL monthly invoicing and ALL reporting, using its own proprietary software called WATER (Waste Analytics & Tracking for Environmental Reporting). UCBZeroWaste’s program and software are now used by some of the largest, most recognizable brands in the country, including McCormick Spice, known as the #1 Most Sustainable Food Manufacturer.

Metro graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland and earned an MBA in Information Systems from the University of Arizona, before beginning his career as a supply chain consultant with Andersen Consulting. After over a decade of helping large companies increase profits by utilizing enterprise technology, Metro is now a nationally-recognized eco-entrepreneur helping companies increase profits by reducing environmental impact.