Sunrise Environmental Scientific recently opened its doors to a new customer stream.
The company has been supplying industrial cleaners to businesses and institutions around the West Coast for 40 years. On June 5, it opened its first retail store at 1175 Glendale Ave. in Sparks.
“We’ve always dealt on an industrial scale,” said Ryan Tolotti, whose father Bernie Tolotti helped start the business in 1975. “We realized we’ve been missing a whole segment of the population.”
Sunrise makes 250 products — historically in large sizes for industrial use. Now its product line includes smaller packaging to accommodate home and office users.
Cleaners produced and sold by Sunrise are five to ten times stronger than what’s available at home or department stores, said Tolotti, general manager of the company.
“Because of the nature of our products, customers can expect our professional experts to be on hand to show how best to use each product,” he said, “especially since for many, they have not used professional grade products and proper handling is important. We also want to demonstrate the multitude of uses, because a little goes a long way.”
Their flagship product is a graffiti remover that is supplied to hundreds of municipalities throughout the United States.
They also make solvent-based and water-based cleaners, automotive and fleet care products, hand cleaners, lubricants, janitorial products, acid cleaners, outdoor and industrial maintenance products, food-grade products, odor control and pretreated rags.
Sunrise produces biodegradable products whenever possible. Each product meets the high standards of California’s volatile organic compounds (VOC) regulations, which are the strictest in the nation.
“They’re a step beyond (OSHA and EPA),” Tolotti said. “A big part of our business is in California. If we meet regulations there, we can meet them anywhere.
“As well as, we believe we need to be good stewards of the environment.”
Sunrise Environmental Scientific is a homegrown business with a widespread employee presence. Thirty outside field representatives are scattered around the Western states in addition to the 25 or so staff members working in town.
It’s also a family business.
Tolotti and his brother Justin, now the company controller, grew up working at Sunrise under the watchful eye of their dad, who is still the boss.
Ryan Tolotti said he began working at Sunrise doing landscaping while in high school and later working in other aspects of the company.
“We had to kind of work our way up in the company,” he said.
His uncle, aunt and stepmom also work for Sunrise.
Tolotti said he enjoys working with family.
“It’s been a great opportunity for me ... It’s a wonderful place to work with a lot of great people also working in it.”
He’s also excited to see it grow and increase its visibility in the community.
“We’d like to be partners in the community,” Tolotti said, including working with local schools and charities in fundraising efforts.
That process has already begun. Sunrise has donated product for graffiti removal programs with Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful. Cleaning products also help Project Solution’s community cleanup days, and the company donates warehouse space for tennis shoes that Lifeline Outreach donates to needy residents.
Sunrise also gets involved in Boy Scout Eagle Scout programs, Tour de Nez cycling event and helps government organizations with their graffiti programs.
“We live here, we value this community and we support the efforts of these organizations,” Tolotti said.
