A Dream Driven to Reality

In 2012, David Walker Esq. was working as a successful business attorney in the Atlanta area, but one day, he decided to pinpoint for himself his ultimate life goal. After a period of personal evaluation and analysis, Mr. Walker came to the conclusion that his ultimate dream is to one day own an NFL Superbowl championship trophy. However, as someone who can no longer play or coach in the NFL, Mr. Walker decided to set his sights on owning his own NFL team. With an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Mr. Walker began to explore opportunities in various industries which he felt could help him scale himself and his capital to the point of one day purchasing an NFL team.

After reaching out to one of his clients that sells equipment to beverage companies, Mr. Walker found himself intrigued with the mechanics and principles of the bottled water industry. Soon with an offer to develop a brand and distribute 100,000 cases of water, Mr. Walker collaborated with a salesman who specialized in beverage sales. In 2014, StarWalker Industries opened its door and began manufacturing and selling a brand of purified and spring water known as Integrity. Then in 2017, StarWalker Industries released its second brand of bottled water, Positivity Alkaline Water. With a 9.5 PH alkaline level, this premium brand of bottled water is geared towards those trying to achieve higher alkaline diets.

While StarWalker Industries continues to grow their two brands of bottled water, they have also pursued creative endeavors to build their own manufacturing plants and help streamline the manufacturing process. Mr. Walker noted that his model behind StarWalker Industries centers on reducing the amount of shipping involved in the bottled water process by establishing small, local, and efficient manufacturing sites in the cities where their products are sold. Compared to the industry standard of large manufacturing sites producing products and distributing around the country, Mr. Walker’s model mirrors that of the craft beer industry focusing on local economies and work forces while reducing shipping cost and transportation emissions.

A supplementary focus of StarWalker Industries is their availability and dedication towards recycling. Whereas plastic water bottles could be recycled into a subsequent generation of water bottles after use, traditional recycling plants will instead manufacture the plastic bottles into either furniture or clothing. By opening their own local recycling facilities, StarWalker water bottles are received and recycled into their water bottle manufacturing process known as closed loop recycling. It was through this process of trying to secure funding for his manufacturing and recycling plant that Mr. Walker first came into contact with Jennifer Pasley and the Georgia MBDA Centers.

Mr. Walker noted that Jennifer immediately began setting up meetings for Mr. Walker with fundraising specialist, marketing agencies, and realtors. Mr. Walker spoke that it was through this partnership that he was really able to develop a game plan for how he would secure the resources necessary to make his plants a reality.

“I think the Georgia MBDA Centers is a fantastic organization for any sort of company, especially if they are getting into manufacturing. The resources are all sort of lining up. For me, I have nothing but wonderful things to say, and I look forward to working with them further in the future.” David Walker

By the end of March 2021 StarWalker Industries will be launching on an equity-based, crowd funding platform to build StarWalker’s first recycling and manufacturing plant in Atlanta. They are also currently in discussion with the Cities of Atlanta and Flint Michigan to further develop their manufacturing potential. To learn more about StarWalker Industries, please visit their website.

Mr. Walker is also one of the Georgia MBDA Centers’ clients who was recently accepted into the Ernst and Young Accelerator Program. This online program assists entrepreneurs in launching their own products and learning more from industry professionals.