Reuben Zacharakis-Jutz '08
feed resource recovery, Boston, MA
During the January of 2008, Reuben Zacharakis-Jutz spent fifth block in Boston, MA, working with a start-up company, feed resource recovery. Feed had secured $400,000 to build and install an anaerobic digester for a large grocery chain in the Northeast. The digester is designed to convert grocery store food waste into energy, which is cycled back into the store in the form of electricity and organic fertilizer. Zacharakis-Jutz interned during the second phase of testing and was active in testing the unit and assisting feed in creating a business plan.
Zacharakis-Jutz details his experience, "The academic case study that I wrote on the start-up process of feed was by far the most challenging assignment I accomplished during my internship in Boston. The case study is on the process Shane Eten (the founder of feed resource recovery) went through to develop the idea and obtain the first round of funding."
Eten noted that during Zacharakis-Jutz's internship, "he gained a grasp of what our small company is trying to achieve and developed an understanding of what our vision is. In particular, he successfully completed several research projects we need to market our company to potential investors and future customers."