Eric Byanski

Phone: 260-482-7888 
Fax: 260-482-6888
Web: www.MyEnviroInk.com

Enviro Ink was founded in 2004 on the principles of ensuring customers the most advanced and environmentally responsible and affordable recycling solutions for ink and toner cartridges. MyEnviroInk.com is your online store for discount remanufactured ink and laser toner cartridges. They carry all major brand names, including HP (Hewlett Packard), Canon, Lexmark, Brother, Dell, Epson, and others. All of their products are remanufactured under strict quality control standards in an ISO-9001 certified factory and come with a 1-year 100% guarantee.

Seth Bennett and Eric Byanski, Co-Owners of EnviroInk attended college together. They both attended the School of Public Environment Affairs at IU. Bennett explained, “SPEA is business minded but public entity minded too. So you learn both sides, you learn business aspects and then government business aspects, also incorporated in that whole business education, is a lot of stuff about environmental issues.” In 2009, as the economy went into a tail spin Bennett, who was in accounting at the time, realized he might loose his position. Bennett said, “Eric and I started talking and I guess we always had a somewhat entrepreneurial spirit. We started looking at businesses and knowing that the going green movement was something that people were really starting to look at, we thought perhaps we could get into some sort of business like recycling or something along those lines.” Bennett continued, “And Eric’s dad is one of the owners of PPI, they do remanufactured gas pumps, and so we knew a little bit of the remanufacturing side of things from that. We knew about the green side of things from school and a friend of ours had worked for a competitor of ours while we were in college. We were looking for businesses to start up or real low cost businesses for sale when in 2009 EnviroInk came up for sale.”

In 2004 Tony Williams, the previous owner, opened EnviroInk up in Leo Crossing. The business remained in that location until Bennett and Byanski purchased the business in July of 2009. Bennett said, “We realized after a month that if we stayed at that location we would be out of business in about 6 months. So we knew we had to do something and what we did was in November of 2009 move into Dennisign with them. Dennisign was then located in the industrial park Wayne Haven and so no one came back there, it was off the beaten path too far. At that time we focused on the business to business market with a little bit of retail. We were there for a year and then this building on Broadway opened up. It was convenient that Dennisign owned this building as well which opened up the retail side for us.”

“This building is a lot nicer than anywhere we have been,” Bennett stated. “Three different businesses around here have stopped in. People see us and the building itself is then used in an advertising sense. We have been here for a little over a month now and the amount of foot traffic we have here is more than what we got when we left Leo Crossing and tenfold what we were getting at the Wayne Haven location.”
EnviroInk started as a refill shop refilling ink cartridges. They had little connections with the whole other side of the industry which is remanufacturing. I asked Bennett how the two are different. “A refill is basically you buy your cartridge, and then once it is empty you bring it in and we clean it and refill it. Bennett explained the problem, “Refilling toners is almost impossible you can’t really do it. When the industry first started people actually did that. They drilled a hole, popped the top off, filled it with toner, glued it back up and handed it to people. People found out that that didn’t really work. It might have worked to start with but eventually the toner falls apart and the cartridge. All the rollers and moving parts, those need to be replaced too. That is where the remanufacturing side of the industry comes in. The companies that we deal with completely take apart and inspect the cartridge and if something is not functioning, they either replace it if they can or they recycle it. They then fill it with toner, pre-test it and that is when we purchase it.”

EnviroInk doesn’t actually do the remanufacturing. They are a retail source for the companies that do the remanufacturing. “We are a reseller, said Bennett. “Our main selling point is that it is environmentally friendly, either eliminating waste by recycling with us and/or by using remanufactured ink and cartridges. At the same time our costs are 30 to 70% lower than what you would pay at a big boxed store for a genuine one. That is where our nitch is."

Bennett and Byanski would like to expand EnviroInk to several locations. Bennett said, "People have this image built up about remanufactured cartridges. So if we have a store in the Dupont area and one out Southwest of Fort Wayne, people might say ‘Heh, there must be something good about the remanufactured cartridges if there are three locations."

In addressing the negative mind set some people have of remanufactured cartridges, Bennett stated, “Ink and Toner cartridges from EnviroInk are all guaranteed. So if you have not used a remanufactured Ink or Toner cartridge it can’t cost you anything to try. And it may save you a lot of money. We also offer free business delivery, so there also isn’t the hassle of driving to the store. If people want a cartridge we are usually there the same day. So it isn’t just good prices we are there to take care of your issues. It’s personal to us."

EnviroInk is also expanding their online market. "It is a huge market place," said Bennett. "You can sell to anyone in the country, actually the world. With a physical location you are kind of limited to that area and community. So it will be one of our number one priorities, to expand online."

"Another thing we would like to do is expand our product line," said Bennett. “Not just remanufactured cartridges, we would really like to get into office machines. We would probably just deal in small printers for in a home or a small office. Also we would like to expand into paper and office supplies. Office supplies and ink go hand in hand and often when you are out of one you are out of the other."

EnviroInk has been a member of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce since 2009. When I asked Bennett what the biggest benefit he has received from membership he stated, "The biggest thing is the networking. We went to the Annual dinner in 2009 and we went to the golf outing both years. Also, the referrals that come through other Chamber members. We would love to have a big advertising budget, but we don’t have it at this time, so word of mouth is our biggest and most efficient advertising. Most of the people knew who we were before we came down here. For instance John Pape over at Ruhl’s Furniture, we know him well, he helped which was nice."

Bennett finished by saying, "When you call EnviroInk, you are talking to the owners; Seth or Erik. When you talk to a big box store or a retailer you can’t get that. We know your face and you know ours and I hold that in great respect. I want to make sure you get the highest quality and everything is going well. That is another thing we pride ourselves on making sure you are happy."

If you come in during the month of December and bring in one cartridge, toner or anything. You will receive a $5 gift certificate for your next visit. You also get your name entered into a drawing for a $50 certificate that will be drawn at the end of the month.

So look for the bright green door and awning on Broadway, and go green with EnviroInk.