Six University of Iowa students have combined their diverse areas of expertise to create Refiller Me—a business aiming to reduce plastic waste by offering refill stations for liquid laundry detergent. 

EmmaJean Roling, a third-year environmental science major, developed a refillary in her hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, when she was 17, but quickly realized many people did not venture to downtown Cedar Falls for home necessities like dish soap and laundry detergent. Also, her process of hand-pumping products was time-consuming. 

Upon her arrival at the University of Iowa, Roling sought opportunities to expand her initial idea.

“When I was taking [Foundations of Entrepreneurship], I was reflecting on the business that I had and how I could have made it better,” Roling said. “That's when I thought of the mechanized version in a grocery store, where it's accessible to consumers at a price they can afford, and it gets integrated into their daily life.”

Roling enlisted the help of Dr. Leslie Flynn, a University of Iowa professor specializing in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, to develop a proposal for her business for the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center’s (Iowa JPEC) Climate Change and Health Solutions Challenge. 

“[Dr. Flynn] was like, ‘You know, this idea could be really something. You need to get a team, and you need to get in the [Startup Incubator].’ So that's how [Refiller Me] took off from there,” Roling said. 

Roling recruited third-year business management and history major Lucas Johnson to oversee the business aspects of the team and Ishan Dhanani, a third-year majoring in computer science, to provide a perspective on the technological side of the project. Team members and engineering students Xavier Uhrmacher, Joseph Valley, and Kailey Elliot use their majors in electrical, environmental, and industrial engineering, respectively, to inform their decisions on the design of Refiller Me’s products. 

Refiller Me’s participation in Iowa JPEC’s Startup Incubator provides the business with invaluable resources such as funding opportunities, private office, and a pool of entrepreneurial connections. 

“Being in charge of finance, I'm able to meet with people that have come into the incubator and spoke and are able to give valuable advice through that perspective,” Johnson said. 

The Startup Incubator also offers students an opportunity to expand their entrepreneurial skills through workshops and learn how to build a successful, sustainable business from experienced coaches and mentors within the program. 

“We focus on these growth metrics, which are little steps that we can take every day, every week, to push our company forward,” Roling added. “That has been something that's been helpful. It has kind of turned my mindset around—I don't have to meet all these big, crazy goals every day.” 

In addition to the entrepreneurial benefits, Elliot also noted how creating a business with Iowa JPEC contributes to personal and professional development skills and offers opportunities for students to do more than just coursework. 

“It has definitely taught me to be more than just being a student,” Elliot said. 

Johnson echoed Elliot’s thoughts and encouraged students with an interest in entrepreneurship to take a leap of faith and use the resources Iowa JPEC offers while they’re available. 

“Don't be afraid to take the opportunities and advantages that you're given here,” Johnson said. 

“But don't stretch yourself too thin,” Elliot added. “You're going to make mistakes, and you're going to be freaking out about them all the time. Just figure out where you want your focus to be.”

Refiller Me is currently drawing prototypes for its refill stations and trying different detergents. The team’s excitement for the future has fueled them throughout their trials within the research and development stages. 

“[I’m looking forward to setting] up at a store for a day and [getting] to that next step where we're putting something out there,” Uhrmacher said. 

Similarly, Valley is eager to get a physical product to consumers and begin reducing plastic waste. 

“It's just so cool, like something you did is actually helping others and helping the environment,” Valley said. 

Dhanani also looks forward to getting Refiller Me out in the world, but he is also interested in how the business will change as the team continues to develop. 

“We have pivoted so many times, and we might pivot five more times in the next two months,” Dhanani said. “I'm just excited [because] every time we pivot, we're all thinking a little bit differently. We all gain that experience that we can take on for our last year of college or in the workplace.”