Chuck Floyd

Chuck Floyd, owns Green Line Bio-Hygiene Products LLC, a company that sells environmentally friendly, or “green,” hand hygiene products. Chuck served in the U.S. Navy, in intelligence and communications, until 1980.

Before starting his business, Chuck worked for about 15 years with government subcontractors. His primary focus was a product called “MicroTherm,” a microprocessor that controls boiler heating systems for buildings to substantially reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2004, Chuck made the decision to start his own company based on two factors: increased federal sector emphasis on contracting with Veteran-owned companies, and access to new bio-based hygiene innovations.

First, Chuck met with representatives of the USDA at a conference in DC and learned about the new Federal Preferred Bio-based Procurement Program (in which Chuck is now registered). Then he started researching “green” products and eventually settled on hand hygiene products because they are a primary need and can be used in any industry. Chuck said, “Once I had the products, I just went to trade shows: homeland security, pet trade shows, ophthalmologist shows…I think I went to about 30 shows. I wanted to get feedback about how people would respond to the products.”

Chuck said the biggest obstacle to starting a government contracting company was fine-tuning his marketing approach to specific federal agencies. “The government is so big, I had to figure out where to start,” Chuck explained. He ultimately focused on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for their strong scientific research orientation and their proactive outreach to Veteran-owned businesses.

Chuck credits his big break to an order he got from ARS. They were so satisfied with Chuck’s product and customer service, they invited him to become a bio-based supplier in their “Intramall,” the online procurement site for NIH and ARS offices. Now, Chuck is aggressively marketing to NIH prime contractors and the Department of Defense, and he recently exhibited products on Capitol Hill as part of the 9th annual Renewable Energy and Efficiency Forum.

Chuck has a solid plan to grow his company based on increased government agency compliance with the new bio-hygiene requirements, expanding sales to prime contractors for pandemic flu preparation and targeting sales to the military at their bio-based tradeshow in September.

Chuck joined The Veterans Corporation because, in his words, “It is the premier organization focused on Veteran entrepreneurship.” Chuck’s single best piece of advice to other Veterans who wants to start a business is, “Do your homework!” He counsels entrepreneurs to “understand the rules and regulations. And be vigilant about fine tuning your marketing strategy to meet customer needs. Everyone is different, they have different attitudes. Always be focused on the client.”

Check out Green Line Bio-Hygiene Products LLC at www.bio-hygiene.com.