BioForward is reaching out to members to highlight their organizations through a new member profile feature to tell more of their stories. MERI agreed to be interviewed as a part of our efforts to heighten the awareness of our region.
About your organization
MERI (Madison Environmental Resourcing Inc.) is a licensed and insured medical, hazardous, and non-hazardous waste disposal, transport, and treatment company in Wisconsin. In addition, we serve customers nationwide with a medical waste mail-back program. We ensure your regulated waste streams follow all local, state, and federal guidelines regarding proper transportation and destruction. We can design innovative solutions to streamline your waste process. All your biohazard waste is swiftly collected for disposal and documented from cradle to grave.
What do you find valuable about being a member of BioForward Wisconsin?
BioForward Wisconsin’s networking opportunities are very valuable to our organization. While we have been around for 35 years, there are still a lot of organizations out there that do not know we exist. We participate in many networking events and opportunities to generate leads and educate the biohealth community about our services.
Our team also likes BioForward’s regular communications and being updated on what is going on in the industry and what is going on with member organizations. We receive the newsletters and emails and it’s nice to see when new members join or if something new and exciting is going on with a member who is a current customer of ours. Currently, 39 of MERI’s customers are BioForward members.
What are the key areas of or achievements by your organization that are impacting the state of Wisconsin and the overall biohealth industry?
MERI was created in 1985 by what we now know as UW Health University Hospital, UnityPoint Health Meriter Hospital, and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. The three main Madison hospitals formed a non-profit alliance to cost-effectively collect and treat their infectious and medical waste.
Over the years, we’ve expanded to other states and serve a variety of organizations. We have a full range of transport and treatment services, including devitalizing biotech waste to collecting infectious waste and sharps through our nationwide mail-back program.
Our mission continues to evolve as we provide innovative, environmentally safe, and cost-effective medical, hazardous, and non-hazardous waste disposal services. MERI delivers professional and customized services to meet your disposal needs.
As a local Wisconsin organization, we are proud of what we can do to help businesses large and small within the state. We are able to personalize our services based on our customers’ needs. Because not all waste is the same, we take the time to figure out the best solution for each customer, so they can spend more of their valuable funds on things like research and grants.
We are also a sponsor of Forward BIOLABS, a fully equipped, maintained, and supported co-working science lab that helps startups grow. When these organizations graduate from Forward BIOLABS, they are already familiar with MERI as an established waste disposal vendor they trust to now service their own facility.
What about the future of research, medical, technological innovation excites you the most?
The biohealth industry in Wisconsin is as strong as it’s ever been and the fact that it is right in our backyard really excites us. The industry is continuing to grow, and we plan to grow with it and become the “area’s lab waste vendor.” We believe the biohealth industry provides the greatest opportunity for our organization.
We are happy to see that the state’s biohealth companies have a mission to stay green and sustainable. To assist in that mission, we offer reusable sharps containers and electronic, paperless manifests.
Why Wisconsin? What does Wisconsin (and/or Madison/Milwaukee) offer for your company and/or your/its families?
MERI is the product of the three large, well-established hospitals that were already located in Madison WI. Our creators, particularly the UW Health University Hospital and the University of Wisconsin have already successfully set the stage for biotech research in the state. We are proud to be a Wisconsin company that was born from this success. As the locals, we are happy to welcome the biotechs that choose to come here. The size of our company allows us to build strong relationships with our customers. Everyone here at MERI sees Wisconsin as an up-and-coming biotech hub in the nation and we are glad we were established here and ready to step in and become an integral part of the continued growth.
What would you recommend about or say to others about Wisconsin’s biohealth industry and research institutions?
The biohealth companies and vendors are fortunate to have an organization like BioForward that advocates for the industry. They are there to help the companies succeed and continue to make the area a great place for companies to come and establish. If your organization is looking at Wisconsin or you land in Wisconsin, you are going to have the resources you need to become successful.
What is one thing others may not know about your organization?
We have a nationwide medical waste mail-back program which is great for those businesses that generate smaller amounts of sharps, infectious waste, or trace chemo. USPS and DOT certified, these Sharps and Medical Waste Disposal Mailback Containers feature everything you need for compliant disposal, including the rigid biohazard container, shipping materials, return postage, and document noting proper destruction of your waste. When your container is full, simply drop the pre-paid postage box at any U.S. Post Office.
Advance Your Career. Change Lives. Wisconsin’s biohealth industry is booming, making it a great place to live, work, and play! Learn more about job opportunities and find your future at biohealth companies on the Wisconsin Biohealth Career Opportunities site.