Serial Entrepreneurs Collaborate with City of Tacoma to Usher in a Sustainable Future for Washington’s Waterways

From the Hudson River in New York City to the Foss Waterway in Tacoma, man-made
toxins called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) threaten both marine and human life.
Though the U.S. and many other countries have banned the manufacturing of PCBs for
more than 30 years, these chemicals remain the most widespread contaminant in the
world. Today, 94 percent of U.S. rivers and streams sampled by the EPA still test positive
for PCBs — and traditional remediation methods like dredging only provide a temporary
solution to the problem and are cost-prohibitive, time-consuming, and pose significant
health threats to humans, wildlife, and the environment.

Serial tech entrepreneurs Ian Doromal and Sergie “Serg” Albino co-founded ecoSPEARS to remove these harmful toxins forever using a breakthrough approach that is both cost-effective and sustainable. “Serg is a former NASA team member with a track record in engineering and manufacturing, and I’ve always had a knack for bringing the right people together to solve important problems,” Ian shared. “Launching ecoSPEARS was an opportunity to completely eliminate a major environmental issue using science and technology.”

The technology, developed by NASA and licensed to Ian and Serg in 2017, acts like a
“sponge” in contaminated sediment, drawing out PCBs and other toxins, then neutralizing them. The ecoSPEARS team partners with industry and government entities to lead environmental remediation projects across the U.S. and as far as Guam and Sweden. Now,
the Florida-based company is focused on cleaning up Washington’s waterways and has
selected Tacoma as their “West Coast HQ.”

As newcomers to the Pacific Northwest startup scene, the ecoSPEARS team leveraged
collaborations with local incubators and the City of Tacoma to grow their Washington
network and secure key contracts with companies like Kaiser Aluminum. “It’s hard to do
business in places where you don’t have representation,” Ian said, “So introductions to
industry stakeholders have been incredibly valuable.”

“The City of Tacoma began to develop a relationship with ecoSPEARS in January 2019,”
said Elly Walkowiak, Assistant Director of the City of Tacoma, Community and Economic
Development Department. “We strengthened our connection with this East Coast-based
company over time, undaunted by the pandemic. The synergy we share in our commitment
to innovation, healing the environment and providing new growth opportunities is
remarkable. We welcome ecoSPEARS to Tacoma wholeheartedly and look forward to
creating a brighter future for our community in concert with their restorative global impact.”

“Everyone here is really focused on fostering a community of innovation and environmental
stewardship,” Ian added. “We see Tacoma as the hub that allows us to conduct projects all
along the West Coast.”

To learn more about ecoSPEARS, visit ecospears.com and follow them on LinkedIn,
Twitter and Instagram. Follow Startup253 to keep up with stories from the local startup
ecosystem.

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