MBN USA

March 17, 2022

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DevMar® gets serious about the environment with ‘BioDefense 24/7’

By Genny Hom-Franzen

Germaphobes! That’s a fitting title for many people, thanks to the pandemic. And the terms “clean” and “sanitize” have taken on new meaning. 

That’s a good thing for companies like DevMar® Products LLC. Just ask the company’s President and CEO Sharon W. Reynolds.

 “Our vision is to be a world leader in the distribution of ecofriendly sustainable products, while creating a safer, healthier environment,” she said. “Our approach to business is guided by the following principles: leadership, inclusivity, transparency, integrity, environmental stewardship and continuous improvement.” 

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, DevMar Products is a leading wholesale distributor of green and environmentally conscious janitorial and sanitary cleaning supplies, disinfectant products and innovative technologies developed to eradicate pathogens such as SARS-COv-2, norovirus and a host of others. The company also distributes maintenance, repair and operations equipment; office supplies; and furniture. 

According to an article in Chemical & Engineering News, the cleaning products industry has seen unprecedented demand for its wares and services over the past two years. Industry insiders say most of the market changes driven by COVID-19 will be here for many years.

On top of that, today’s consumers are much more concerned about the environment, and demand for planet-friendly products has become more than a niche market. New global research conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit Ltd. and commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund, shows a staggering 71% rise in popularity of searches for sustainable goods over the past five years, with continuing growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reynolds said DevMar Products is not a typical janitorial/sanitation or, “jan/san,” company. Soon after she started DevMar Products, she moved quickly to specialization to “differentiate the company from the pack.”

BioDefense 24/7

As more companies look now to hybrid operations in the future as COVID cases decline, she wants to make sure she can help her customers keep their spaces clean, safe and healthy, and coined the phrase “BioDefense 24/7.” To that end, she is working with the Morehouse School of Medicine’s research team to bring innovative technologies that kill mold, mildew and even the virus that causes COVID-19 to market. 

These products are now available for distribution worldwide. 

Reynolds launched DevMar Products — named after her two sons Devin and DeMarco II — in 2007 after a career in the mortgage, banking and real estate industries. She taught herself about the janitorial/sanitation/chemical industries because many companies at that time were looking to improve their sustainability efforts. 

“We had to be serious about how we treated the environment,” she said.

Today, in addition to DevMar Products, the DevMar family of companies include DevMar® Manufacturing LLC and DevMar® Global Healthcare Solutions LLC. 

“DevMar became a nationally recognized company in just two years,” Reynolds said. 

In addition, she finds time to pursue a special passion — her love of fashion and designing. She also owns Bryla J Couture Clothiers LLC, a clothing line for the fashion-conscious woman, named after her four-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter. Modeled as fashion for a purpose, the company donates a portion of the proceeds to charities.

Reynolds said she is pleased to see that many companies are looking to diversify their supply chain and are opening them up for “not only women or women of color but certainly for African American women.”

Her goal in the next five years is to make the DevMar family of companies a billion-dollar enterprise. 

Reynolds said she always tells her granddaughter, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Juggling all her successful companies seems easy for her. She said, with a laugh, “I have teams focused on each business individually. I am the visionary. 

It’s all about organization and prioritization. All businesses get fed and none of them go hungry!” 

To learn more about devmar, visit devmarproducts.com.