NPEW 2018

As the Founder & CEO (Chief Ecology Officer) of EarthKind, LLC, Kari Warberg Block was the first to develop, manufacture, and commercialize non-toxic rodent and insect repellents for home use. Her mission was to build a purpose-led company to create change through business. The daughter of an entomologist and wife of a farmer, Kari Warberg Block had an a-ha moment years ago when she realized there was a need in the pest control industry that did not force consumers to make a choice between safe or effective. A true mother of invention, Kari’s first product, Fresh Cab® -- the first botanical rodent repellent to be safe enough for household use, yet effective enough to meet Federal EPA standards for professional use—was created at her kitchen table. As a mother of two, living on a North Dakota farm, she was determined to keep the farm and its equipment free of mice (and the expensive damage caused) and to protect her children and their precious pets from dangerous toxins. Until EarthKind entered the marketplace, 98% of pest control solutions sold were kill methods & poisons. Karie was selected as an Ernst & Young “Entrepreneurial Winning Women™,” which is a national program that identifies a select group of high-potential women entrepreneurs whose business shows potential to scale. A highly regarded and engaging public speaker, Kari was chosen as one of the top three Small Business People of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2013. That year, she was also awarded the SBA’s highest honor in her home state of North Dakota -- Small Business Person of the Year. She is currently a member of the National Women’s Business Council, which advises the President, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the United States Congress. EarthKind® is Women Business Enterprise Certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.