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March’s Business Spotlight shines on JAWS® (Just Add Water System) Cleaning Products!
Check out our interview with Owner/CEO, Bruce Yacko, and learn more about their products, company, and community outreach! Thank you Bruce, and the entire team of JAWS for being a true champion fo for our community!
Can you share the story behind the founding of JAWS® and what inspired its creation?
Jaws International, ltd., a division of Canberra Corporation, is committed to protecting the environment with effective, super concentrated cleaning products using safer chemicals. To that end, we created JAWS® (Just Add Water™ system) – a patented, truly ground-breaking cleaning system designed to reduce the environmental impact of packaging used in conventional spray-cleaning products by conserving the resources required to produce and ship them. In fact, we founded our company on the principle: “Stop Shipping Water. It’s the Right Thing to Do®”.
While conserving precious resources and reducing plastic waste in landfills, we are able to offer high-performance, highly economical cleaners. JAWS cleaning products deliver ultra-concentrated cleaning chemistry in patented refill pods for use with reusable bottles and sprayers.
JAWS had its roots in the commercial cleaning industry, where concentrated cleaners and reusable spray bottles were standard. These products are typically kept in janitor closets on-site, serving as the primary location for cleaning staff to refill their spray bottles. The innovation of JAWS lay in its portable refills, enabling janitorial crews to easily carry them on their carts. This simplified the process of refilling spray bottles with water and mixing concentrate on the go.
Recognizing the practicality of this system in diverse settings like hotels, office buildings, coffee shops, restaurants, and industrial environments, we saw an opportunity to bring this convenience directly to consumers. Thus, we developed a consumer-friendly version of the JAWS system, making efficient cleaning accessible for home use as well.
Can you share the story behind the name?
JAWS® is an acronym for Just Add Water System®. It is a short name, easy to remember, and implies strength.
How does your business contribute to the local community in Sylvania & Northwest Ohio?
We are pleased to support many worthy charitable organizations including Mom’s House, Cherry Street Mission Ministries, Evans Scholar Foundation, The First Tee, YoungLife, Youth For Christ, Tunnels to Towers, Wounded Warriors, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, and The United Way. We sponsored a parklette in Downtown Sylvania and have supported various events such as “LocalFest – bands, bites and brews.”
How do you foster a positive work culture within your company, and what do you look for when hiring new employees?
As the Owner and CEO, my job is to remain focused and committed to keep the excitement alive, inspire employees to continue to execute on our global mission, and to provide the funding necessary to “change the way people clean and make the world a better place. We are blessed to have talented, engaged, and capable employees working hard every day to accomplish our goals. Our motto, “a good idea becomes a great idea and a better execution when we work together to challenge each other through collective mindshare.” Through positive reinforcement and a culture of openness and encouragement, we unlock the full potential of our collective intellect.
When hiring new employees, we look for people who are enthusiastic, committed, believe in our missions, and are willing to take the extra step to make it happen.
How does JAWS support and nurture your employees’ growth and well-being within the business?
As integral members of a growing business, JAWS employees are immersed in most facets of the business, actively contributing to strategic direction and decision-making processes. We foster a culture of continuous growth, readily supporting our team members in pursuing training courses and adopting new technologies to enhance their skill sets. Open communication and collaborative efforts are not just encouraged but embraced wholeheartedly within our organization.
Could you describe a particularly memorable experience the JSAW team has had while in operation?
The pandemic! One of the products in our JAWS line is a disinfectant cleaner that we were already selling online when the pandemic hit. Consumers panicked when they were unable to find disinfectant on store shelves, and we were inundated with frantic calls and emails from individuals and businesses spanning the United States and beyond, all seeking access to disinfectants. Fortunately, JAWS® disinfectant is effective against covid19 virus.
While most businesses were temporarily closed, or their employees were working remotely, we swiftly mobilized to support consumer and commercial customers alike. We doubled our workforce, increased operations to 16-hour days, six days a week, to meet the surging demand. Regardless of one's role within the company, the entire team rallied to help produce, service, and fulfill disinfectant orders. It was an extremely intense period of time, like nothing we had ever experienced, yet it was very gratifying to hear the relief and gratitude expressed by scared individuals who previously could not find disinfectant anywhere. Fortunately, JAWS® disinfectant cleaner is packaged as an empty bottle, sprayer and 2 refills, shipped within 48 hours and arrived at consumers’ door within a day or two.
During that time period, the scarcity of bottles and sprayers made it nearly impossible for manufacturers to procure them, hindering their production of ready-to-use disinfectants and spray cleaners, leading to empty store shelves. Refilling and reusing spray bottles with concentrated cleaner was the solution. Our ability to produce more than 100 million cartridges annually allowed us to meet the customers’ needs by providing them concentrated disinfectant in a JAWS® refill pod/cartridge to use in their jaws® bottle. Refill. Reload. Reuse.®
How do you stay innovative and adapt to changing market trends?
I am constantly thinking about and challenging what is versus what could be, and considering how any innovation can improve the lives of consumers, customers, and the planet. I have always been this way. My wife, Gail, still chuckles about me talking about “flying cars” 45 years ago.
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your industry, and how do you address it through your business?
I think a big misconception about our industry, and household cleaning products in general, is a full bottle of cleaner is mostly the cleaning ingredients, when it is mostly water. Traditionally, once consumers emptied a bottle of cleaner, they discarded it and purchased another full bottle. I questioned why we are throwing away perfectly good bottles that end up in landfills, or worse – in our oceans and waterways, when they could be refilled and reused? Why are we shipping water around when everyone has a water source in their home?
I addressed this challenge with the JAWS, the Just Add Water System, a patented cleaning system designed to reduce the environmental impact of packaging used in conventional spray cleaners by conserving the resources required to produce and ship them. JAWS products are formulated to effectively clean the hard surfaces found in today’s homes and businesses.
The JAWS system includes an elegant bottle designed to be refilled and reused. This heavy-duty bottle, and our commercial grade sprayer, help to eliminate the waste and pollution that comes from single-use plastic bottles being discarded into landfills across the globe.
JAWS offers highly concentrated, safer cleaning solutions packaged in compact, child resistant cartridges filled with approximately .33 fluid ounces of super concentrated cleaner that measure only 3 ½ inches long. Each refill saves approximately 83% of plastic versus traditional spray bottles.
We also invested in the EPA’s safer choice certification program to ensure JAWS formulas were safer for people, pets, and the environment without sacrificing performance.
Of course, we couldn’t resist throwing in a couple of fun questions! If your business had a theme song, what would it be and why?
“can’t stop me now” by Rod Stewart. We played this song when we launched the JAWS package to our team members and local press.
What’s the most creative use of your product that you’ve seen from a customer?
JAWS bottle makes a great vase! Just remove the label, fill it with water and roses, and give it to your mate. It’s a beautiful bottle that will not break even if it is knocked over and hits the floor.
JAWS cleaners are available locally at Sautter’s, and Walt Churchills. JAWS can also be purchased online at jawscleans.com or Amazon.
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