David and Goliath

Adam Lowry, Co-Founder, Method Products

It’s not every day that an entrepreneurial company comes along and takes on competition like Procter & Gamble, Clorox and Unilever, but that’s exactly what Method Products is doing. Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, co-founders of Method Products, a manufacturer of cleaning products, are revolutionizing their industry.
Fed up with cleaning products that were extremely unsafe and sting your nostrils when used, the two founders set out to change the way people view cleaning products.
Eric Ryan, Co-Founder, Method Products

Now in its 10th year of business, Method has been growing rapidly and expanding globally. Using safe materials in its products, right down to the bottle, has given consumers a glimpse of what’s to come from this forward-thinking company.
The company focuses on sustainability by being healthy, green and following responsible practices. Ryan and Lowry recognized that the household cleaning industry was a dirty business and were determined to clean it up. They realized the household cleaning category missed two major cultural shifts: life-styling of the home and a move toward sustainability and health and wellness. They asked why current manufacturers decided to use poison to make a home healthier.
Leveraging those two cultural shifts, the company challenged the world of home care and in seven years grew the business from nothing to $100 million. The company hit No. 7 on the Inc. 500 list, was named most innovative company by Fast Company in 2008 and Ryan and Lowry were named PETA’s Men of the Year in 2006.
While the company was flying high, even an innovative company like Method faced trouble during the recession. Customers shifted away from premium brands like Method, the company faced stiffer competition from Clorox and SC Johnson, and it faced its first product line failure.
The company made some quick changes to get back on track. It got rid of less profitable product lines, shifted its leadership team, reduced head count and got back to innovating. Today, the company is hitting record market share levels in all of its categories and Method continues to be thought leaders and trendsetters in the industry.
HOW TO REACH: Method Products, (415) 931-1497 or www.methodhome.com