Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | April 26, 2021 | wbjournal.com Associated Builders, Inc. 4 Industrial Dr. South Hadley, MA 01075 413.536.0021 Industrial manufacturing and distribution facilities, auto dealerships, medical offices, pre-engineered buildings, commercial buildouts, additions and renovations. Building Business. Building Excellence. COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL BUILDING SERVICES Site selection | Design | Engineering | Construction | Renovations Balise Mazda, Springfield MA Bloomfield, CT Under Construction F O C U S M A N U F A C T U R I N G E X C E L L E N C E A W A R D S A t 23, David Zamarin is a serial entrepreneur with a plan to transform an industry. Zamarin, founder and CEO of Framingham-based DetraPel Inc., has been an entrepreneur for most of his life. Zamarin started selling popsicles in his neighborhood at about 5 years old and later went on to sell watch- es and headphones at flea markets. When he got into a prestigious Phila- delphia magnet high school, he started thinking about college admissions and looking for a way to distinguish himself. "We were all in athletics," he said. "We were all academically gied. We were all in the same kinds of clubs. I said 'I'm no different than anybody else. How am I going to stand out?'" Unsurprisingly, the answer he found was a youth entrepreneurship program. Brainstorming ideas, Zamarin thought DetraPel is swimming beyond 'Shark Tank' BY LIVIA GERSHON Special to the Worcester Business Journal about how worried he was about messing up his brand new sneakers. He imagined an invisible coating to protect them. e idea would stick in his mind, but, as a high school freshman, it wasn't something he had the technical knowl- edge to move forward with. Meanwhile, Zamarin began studying chemistry and business, with an eye to his protective coating concept. He found existing fabric protection sprays used potentially toxic fluorochemicals. So his goal became developing a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative. With money from a shoe-cleaning business, Zamarin paid for research and then began actually manufacturing his product. He fulfilled his original plan to make a good impression on college admissions officers, getting a full schol- arship to Babson College in Wellesley. DetraPel reached the next level of suc- cess when it got a slot on the TV show "Shark Tank" in 2018, while Zamarin was still a student at Babson. He demon- strated how spraying a shirt with the product could protect it from spills. e company won a deal with sharks Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. Although that investment ultimately didn't work out, the show was a turning point. "What ended up happening was we got a lot of publicity and our episode was really successful," Zamarin said. Soon, automotive companies and carpet and rug makers were inquiring about using the product. at turned out to be a more significant market than direct sales to consumers. Even in the face of the pandemic, the company has grown dramatically. In fact, seeing the consumer demand for cleaning products, it began putting out a line of disinfectants in addition to its core product. Over the past year, DetraPel has doubled in headcount, to about 15 employees including in-house chemists. It's tripled its footprint to 40,000 square feet of usable space and quadrupled its manufacturing capacity. Zamarin said he's proud the company does almost everything on site. Because its main product requires custom equip- ment and a very specific manufacturing process, keeping it in house is a matter of maintaining high quality. W Rising Star D e t r a P e l , I n c . . Location: Framingham Industry subsector: Development and manufacturing of chemicals for industrial and consumer applications Founded: 2013 Top executive: Founder & CEO David Zamarin Primary product: Non-toxic, PFAS- free liquid repellents and protectors for porous surfaces such as fabrics, as well as coatings for non-porous hard surfaces Fast competition: "We are still debating who won the high-speed go kart race from two years ago ... and who cheated!"

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