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Read more from our EO Mentors!
May 2 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Jon Owyang
President
Market-Based
Solutions, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA
Jon K. Owyang is the founder and President of Los
Angeles-based Market-Based Solutions (MBS). The continuing mission of MBS is
to foster the development of new, lower cost methods of reducing air
pollution. MBS provides environmental consulting services, and specializes
in evaluating and implementing market-based compliance alternatives. MBS,
established in 1993, was ranked as one of the United States' fastest-growing
private companies in the 2002 Inc 500.
A native of Northern California and summa cum laude graduate of the
University of California at Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in Chemical
Engineering, Owyang began his career as a project engineer with Exxon
Company USA. After leaving Exxon, Owyang joined the Union Bank headquarters
office in Los Angeles. During his 12-year tenure with Union Bank, he served
in a broad range of capacities including senior vice president of the Energy
Capital Services Group, and senior vice president and managing director of
Corporate Finance.
Owyang is a member of Board of Directors for JA of Southern California and
is the WEO Chair for the Los Angeles Chapter of EO.
The following discussion was hosted by Jon Owyang, Market-Based Solutions, Inc., on Friday, May 2, 2003. Don't miss our next discussion.
| bob | Thank you all for joining us today! Mr. Owyang will be with us shortly. You may begin asking questions any time. |
| jon_owyang | Hi! My name is Jon Owyang. I’m the President and founder of Market-Based Solutions. I worked in large corporations for many years before starting this company. |
| jon_owyang | I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about my company, or my transition from an employee to a founder/business owner. I’d be most interested in answering questions you may have about starting your own business, or how your education, work, and life experience can help prepare you to be a successful entrepreneur. |
| jon_owyang | If we get a chance, as a JA Boardmember, I’d love to hear how JA has helped to foster your entrepreneurial spirit. As a EO Boardmember, I’d also be interested to hear your suggestions on how we might provide additional help to budding entrepreneurs. |
| jon_owyang | So let’s get started. |
| scja | <Q>Do you only service the California area? |
| jon_owyang | <A>Since Calif, specifically So Cal, has the worst air pollution, we focus here. We are always looking at other areas like Texas and the East |
| EVHS | <Q>When did you start this business? |
| jon_owyang | <A>1993 |
| mrdaysclass | <Q>In regards to your intro message, I'm in JA, and was wondering if you had JA as a kid? |
| jon_owyang | <A>JA was not offered where I grew up. I wish it was. |
| billsboys | <Q>Where did you go to high school? |
| jon_owyang | <A>Hayward, CA |
| jon_owyang | Sorry I keep dropping off. My system is crashing. |
| maggie | <Q>Your bio shows you have a varied background. How did you develop and interest in environmental concerns? |
| jon_owyang | <A>My background is both engineering and finance. I have combined this background to let the free market determine the best way to reduce air pollution. |
| Calkids | <Q>What do you do in a typical day? |
| jon_owyang | <A>I work a lot with regional air regulatory agencies. I also work on developing air pollution reduction projects. |
| mrdaysclass | <Q>Are you currently involved in JA? Volunteer-wise, etc..? |
| jon_owyang | <A>Yes. Our LA board recently spent a full day at a school teaching grades 3-5. |
| RBECON | <Q>How did you come up with the capital to start your business? |
| jon_owyang | <A>I structured my contracts with my clients such that my big expenses were paid up front as a retainer. I had my own funds for normal operating expenses. |
| econcaclass | <Q>Mr. Owyang, where did you get the name for your company? |
| jon_owyang | <A>The type of regulations that we work with are called "market-based" regulations. |
| mrdaysclass | <Q>When teaching, could you apply a lot of your MBS knowledge to the classroom experience? |
| jon_owyang | <A>I try to show how I use the basic skills that you are currently learning in school are applied everyday in running my business. For instance I use basic algebra when I calculate the emission reductions from our projects. |
| Calkids | <Q>Who are your "customers?" |
| jon_owyang | <A>Just about every major company in So Calif. For instance, companies with more than 250 employees are required to reduce the air pollution caused by their employees driving to work. We help our clients provide those reductions. |
| scja | <Q>Cool
 What type of schooling did you need for this type
of work? |
| jon_owyang | <A>I have an engineering degree, specifically Chemical Engineering. I think this background helped with the math and logic skills that I use daily. This also helped me with my transition to finance. |
| EVHS | <Q>When you started this business, did you get any lucky breaks, or was it mostly hard work and determination? |
| jon_owyang | <A>It was mostly hard work. While I worked long hours as an employee, I was working constantly when I started my business. |
| maggie | <Q>what's your biggest accomplishment so far? |
| jon_owyang | <A>We have been instrumental in developing many of the regulations that allow us to get credit for the air pollution we reduce. It is this credit that we sell to our clients. |
| EVHS | <Q>Neat. What is a typical day like for you? What situations do you handle best? |
| jon_owyang | <A>Working over an extended period of time trying to persuade others to adopt our concepts. |
| maggie | <Q>Who were your mentors? |
| jon_owyang | <A>In business, none, but my work ethic clearly came from my dad. I always did projects with him when I was growing up. The joy of doing a job well has always driven me forward. |
| maggie | <Q>What one piece of advice would you give to students as they start looking beyond high school to the future? |
| jon_owyang | <A>It's important to develop the skills that will give you the most opportunities in the future. It's also important to remember that relationships are just as important as knowledge; so always treat people the way that you would want to be treated. Work hard, but remember to keep balance in your life. |
| RBECON | <Q>As they relate to the environment, what is your take on SUV's? |
| jon_owyang | <A>Even current model SUVs are much cleaner than a 10 year old car. Our biggest polluters are the oldest cars on the road. Having said that, I am looking forward to the development of hybrid and fuel cell vehicles of all sizes. |
| Calkids | <Q>You say you worked for other large corporations before now.
Which ones, and do you like the work you do now better?
|
| jon_owyang | <A>I worked for Exxon and a few banks. All of this work was rewarding. Each career step helped develop the skills I needed to be a successful entrepreneur -- technical, negotiating, presentation, managing, finance, computer, etc... But I now love being my own boss and being in control of my own destiny. |
| stevens | <Q>Has the recent economy hurt your business in any
way? 
|
| jon_owyang | <A>Some. As the economy slows, companies produce less pollution, so there is a smaller demand for my products. |
| mrdaysclass | <Q>Do you have a lot of competition in this industry? |
| jon_owyang | <A>No. We kind of created this industry. |
| stevens | <Q>How old were you when you started this business? |
| jon_owyang | <A>Old - 37 |
| billsboys | <Q>Are businesses becoming more receptive to environmental concerns these days? |
| jon_owyang | <A>Yes. It is clearly a big cost of doing business. The most important question is whether our regulations are focussed on the right sources of pollution. Today, most of our pollution is caused by consumers like us, not business. It becomes our responsibility to buy and demand lower polluting products -- motor vehicles, consumer products like hairspray and deoderant, lawn and garden equip, etc. |
| JAbus | <Q>The work you do is great
How is the smog in CA today?
|
| jon_owyang | <A>Much better than when I moved here in 1978. When I first moved here we had severe smog alert almost daily. We haven't had one in probably 10 years. Today is OK. A bit of a gray overcast day, which hides the smog |
| billsboys | <Q>What made you decide to start a business of this kind? |
| jon_owyang | <A>I saw an opportunity that could combine my professional skills with doing something good for society. |
| maggie | <Q>How can we help motivate the manufacturers to build more efficient vehicles? |
| jon_owyang | <A>All businesses are market driven. The best thing we can do as consumers is to buy the more efficient vehicles as they are released to the market. That's why Honda and Toyota are moving so quickly with developing larger hybrids. |
| JAbus | <Q>You say you moved to CA in 1978. Where are you from originally? |
| jon_owyang | <A>I moved to SoCal in 78. I was in No Cal before that. |
| jon_owyang | What has JA done for you? |
| maggie | JA Company Program let me get a small taste of the business world in a safe environment. |
| RBECON: | JA has taught us to value free enterprise. These days, respecting our freedoms, as well as those of others is very important. JA teaches that we have the freedom to do what we want with our life, business-wise and beyond. |
| EVHS: | JA is great! |
| stevens: | JA helps teach me how to start and run a business. |
| econcaclass | <Q>What sort of things do you do with the
EO?
 |
| jon_owyang | <A>We have educational events with experts on topics from sales and marketing to employee management. We have small forums (8-10 members) where we can discuss confidential issues that we face on a daily basis. |
| JA_Webmaster | Thank you all for participating, and a very big thank you to Mr. Jon Owyang! Check back here soon for a transcript of this very informative discussion! You may now log off. |