Allergan founder Gavin Herbert’s latest business, Regenesis, came out with a new product called Source- Stop this month to treat contaminants in soil and groundwater.
This comes after the company’s launch of PlumeStop 10 years ago, which has since been used in more than 1,000 project sites to date, according to Chief Executive Scott Wilson.
Both products used together are more effective and cost less than a third of traditional pump-and-treat methods, he said.
“We can treat the entire thing below the ground between our SourceStop and PlumeStop, eliminating any potential risk to human health or the environment,” Wilson told the Business Journal.
Regenesis uses activated carbon to treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”
Unlike other contaminants, PFAS do not degrade naturally and can accumulate in the body leading to cancer and other health issues.
SourceStop is similar to PlumeStop, filtering PFAS from groundwater, but aims to stop contamination at the source of a spill.
Wilson said Regenesis was born in the back of Corona del Mar gardening businesses Roger’s Gardens, which is owned by the Herbert family.
Herbert and his son Gavin Herbert Jr. had an idea for oxygen-releasing fertilizer for indoor plants in the early ’90s.
The two started Regenesis when they realized the potential for pollution remediation.
“We’ve done nothing but grow ever since,” Wilson said.
Regenesis “hasn’t had to do any fundraising” because it’s been profitable since the second year it was in business, according to Wilson.
