E-shipping for this BW alumnus puts success in the box

In a time of disconnect, Greg Airel '10 is helping businesses get their products to the doorsteps of their customers.

Over the past four years, Airel has been building and flexing his entrepreneurial skills by starting new companies with support from Baldwin Wallace University's LaunchNET program.

Currently, he's focused on two growing brands.

Shipping care in a box

The first company that Airel created is known today as The Care Crate Co.

The idea came from taking the traditional care box that college students receive from home and turning it into something prepackaged to make it easier for people to procure for their favorite student.

Initially known as My College Crate, the company's product line quickly broadened into boxes for the military (My Hero Crate) and others brought together under The Care Crate Company banner.

They offer a wide selection of care packages from your typical snacks to more healthy food as well as corporate gifts.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and shipping became a struggle, Airel saw an opportunity to step in and help other small companies connect with customers.

Shipping Pilot was born in 2020 and has already fulfilled over 60,000 orders for local businesses.

Turning opportunity into action for community

Having a strong desire to give back to the community, Airel ensured that his companies also have a vital caring mission. He calls this aspect of his business "Create a Rewarding Experience" (CARE), and he is infusing CARE into every aspect of his business.

To date, his enterprises have donated more than 20,000 pounds of food to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to help with local hunger relief.

Learning to learn at BW

When reflecting on his time at BW, the software engineering grad says, "BW gave me a lifelong set of tools that was required to succeed in both my business life and personal life."

Airel admits he arrived at BW missing many of the skills he needed to succeed.

"BW taught me how to learn and how to problem solve when I didn't know how and when I needed it most," he said. He adds that his professors truly cared about him as a student and worked with him to help him see that success was possible.