The Team
Lance Collins / The Visionary
Lance Collins, beverage industry innovator and brand architect known for making the right product for the moment – and making it accessible to the masses. Lance has created a series of disruptive beverage companies – three have reached a billion dollars in retail sales and the others are well on their way.
In early 2021, Lance set out to create a more sustainable, plant-based plastic option for the plastics industry to aid consumers purchasing needs, while also contributing to a better and cleaner environment. He did so after developing a unique supply chain in Asia to make ZENWTR® bottles from 100% OCEAN-BOUND PLASTIC in 2019 & launching it in the USA with the company’s mission of rescuing bottles from entering the oceans & helping to preserve the oceans, reefs & marine life.
He’s assembled a dynamic team working with industry experts to achieve his mission of green, bio-based plastic packaging.
Fred Pinczuk / The Expert
Fred Pinczuk, beverage industry expert, has worked with light weight, hot fill systems, juice and oxygen sensitive products, PET systems integration, installation and commissioning. Extrusion blow molding, silk screening, and experience with all major forms of high-speed labeling. Traveled extensively through Western Europe, and Middle East. Production experience running operations.
His primary focus is on the bottling and the packaging industry, from raw material sourcing to finished bottled products ready for distribution. From equipment review and recommendation to system layout and implementation. He specializes in new product line start up and provides cost effective technical solutions to get your product on the shelf at the lowest possible cost.
He's also held the title of Director of Operators and COO for several start up brands, including Neuro Brand LLC and Core HLLC. Along with over 25 years of experience at the table within the beverage packaging development and having worked for the four largest co-packing equipment suppliers (TechLong USA, Husky (N.A. & EU), Sidel and SIG), he’s also worked extensively with co-polymers for extrusion systems and sensitive materials products, such as wines and fruit juices.
Darlene Barbee / The Operator
Darlene is an accomplished operations and sales executive in a wide array of industries, including the food and beverage industry, beverage consultancy, bioplastics development, weapons accessories, and mail service firms. Having been part of small brands and Day 1 start-ups in beverage, she is well-versed in creating the operational foundation needed to establish and ramp new and emerging brands. She’s had a lot of fun creating a ‘better for you’ nutritional shake, cannabis infused soda line and soda with electrolytes. Successful, driven sales consultant with national account and program management experience rooted in exceptional sales capabilities and strong communication skills. She’s worked for companies such as Zico Coconut Water (Coca-Cola), Surefire, Don’t Quit! (KDP), and now Beyond Plastic.
James B. Fields II, PhD / The Scientist
James is a materials science expert, who has over a decade of experience in polymers. During this time, he has worked on thin-film coatings, extrusion blow-molding, and optically-active additives for packaging materials and spectrometer systems.
James completed his PhD in Chemical and Materials Physics at the University of California, Irvine in 2017, while working on supercomputer simulations of biopolymers. He was a Senior Scientist at TruClear Global where he developed digital display technologies using conductive polymer coatings and nanoscale composites. He started Nano X Labs in late 2019 with the mission to bring optically-active nanoparticle composites to the food and beverage packaging industry.
He joined Beyond Plastic in 2023 as the R&D and Production Manager, where he brings his expertise in product development to find new applications of biopolymers and to ensure that all of Beyond Plastic products are manufactured to the highest quality standards.