After earning a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Southeast Missouri State University, Cathy joined the now-famous Human Genome Project at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Missouri. While working on a system for managing DNA data, she learned computer programming and database design. These skills landed her a job at a leading scientific software company in San Diego, where she worked in an R&D group developing chemical formulation software used by Fortune 500 companies to manage product data. When the company outsourced the project, Cathy founded Pristine Planet in January 2004. As the owner of the company, Cathy is active in all its aspects, but primarily focuses on programming and customer support. In her spare time, Cathy enjoys cycling, including long-distance rides, such as a recent trek from Canada to Portland, Oregon.

With parents who had lived through the Great Depression and World War II, Elizabeth (Bernie) Wellman grew up during a time in the United States when living green came naturally -- including pure water from rain barrels, organic vegetables from family gardens, and free-range chickens. As an adult, she worked in various customer service roles, and at the age of 50 Bernie returned to college in the Midwest, graduating cum laude with a degree in computer information systems. This education provided a solid foundation for an internship in the networking lab at her college. Combined with her experience in customer support and a stellar commitment to customer satisfaction, she has the ideal skills for her current position as Accounts Manager for Pristine Planet, which has proven integral to the company's success. Away from work, she finds time for gardening, as well as for her husband, two adult daughters and two grandsons.

A native of England, Karen began her education in psychology, first earning a B.SC in Social Sciences, and then doing graduate studies at London University in education. She has lived in Australia and the United States -- now located in San Diego, where she joined the board of the San Diego Professional Coaches Alliance, and is also currently serving as Vice-President of the local chapter of Soroptimist International. During the past 25 years, she has gained valuable business experience as the owner of three enterprises. The most recent one is Espy, a business support company that offers consulting to socially responsible small businesses to integrate all aspects of their business, and to develop the capabilities of individual leaders and their teams. As a recent addition to the Pristine Planet team, she has helped the company expand into the social media arena, and has been a valuable asset to the company. In her spare time, she enjoys home remodeling, jazz concerts, and exploration of her new home town.

Michael grew up in the Pacific Northwest, with parents who were active in hiking, camping, and bicycling (his father, a professor, used to cycle to work more than 47 miles roundtrip, even in three inches of snow). Profoundly influenced by the writings of Thoreau, Michael continues to live quite frugally, with minimal impact on the environment. As a freelance Web developer, Michael creates websites for small businesses. With more than one thousand published works to his credit, Michael is also a freelance writer, and was asked by Cathy Finn to start the Pristine Planet newsletter, and serve as its editor. The monthly newsletter began in November 2004, and since then has seen continuous publication -- featuring environmental news articles (some covering topics years before the mainstream media) and well-received profiles of member companies.

After studying psychology at Menlo College in Silicon Valley, Tom earned his SEC security license in 1993. At the time, the Internet was still in its infancy, and so when Tom discovered a passion for computers, he founded one of the first e-commerce sites on the Web, in 1994. He is still running that original business, and in 2009 expanded its operations into a brick-and-mortar location in San Diego. Over the years, Pristine Planet has benefited tremendously from Tom's technical and business knowledge and experience, as well as unflagging moral support. He has been with the Pristine Planet effort since its inception, and continues to be a key part of its success. When not working, Tom enjoys cycling and sailing.

While located in the New York City area, Bruce developed a successful career providing marketing management to Fortune 500 companies in the areas of financial services, media communications, and consumer goods. He worked on a variety of projects, oftentimes counseling leadership of such corporations as Citibank, Sears, and Pepsico. During this time, he was involved in more than forty introductions of new or restaged consumer products and corporate strategic repositionings. In 1993, he formed a consultancy network to counsel business founders on the launch of new technology-based ventures. Relocating to San Diego in 2004, he shifted his focus to strategic planning, launch marketing, business development, investor recruitment, and business plan development. He brings a lifetime of marketing experience to PristinePlanet.com, as a welcome advisor.