A Letter from the C.E.O.: The Heart and Soul of Hazox

When my team and I sat down to discuss a new blog series, immediately I knew how I wanted to start – with an introduction.

My name is Peter Zagres, and I am the President of Hazox. Those who know me understand that I am typically much more comfortable in the background – acting as a facilitator. However, I’ve come to realize that always being in the background no longer serves a purpose. With many changes happening at Hazox, I’d like to tell you about some important new initiatives that will soon appear on our website and social media feeds.

For me, this has been a “passion project” due in large part to my personal journey. For several years now, I’ve been fighting cancer, and dealing with the effects on my body, my family, and my business. It took me a long time to decide to share this for several reasons, wondering what the effect would be on my business nearing the top. I pulled my “core team” together to ask their opinion, and most wondered why I wanted to share something so personal. The answer was simple; it drives so much of what we do as a company and why, for me, this is more of a calling than a job. For the last year or so, I’ve been undergoing chemotherapy for 21 days of each month, thanks to Dana Farber Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, and a great group of physicians. Each time I sit in a waiting room, I find myself looking around and wondering how much of the pain and suffering could have been avoided? We’ll never really know the answer to that.

I don’t know for certain what caused my cancer, but I look back on potential causes and think “if only one of those things had changed, would I be living a different life now?” During high school, I worked in a dental office, and 35 years ago, we were working with mercury in silver fillings – we used to touch it with our bare hands. Was it this? I’ll never really know. A young lady I worked with has also been sick for many years. Was it something else we were exposed to, something in the drinking water, the food we ate? Again, I’ll never know.

While I will never be able to change what’s going on in my life, I believe I have the opportunity to help improve the lives of others through accurate information. For years now, Hazox has created and sold software to help companies ship products around the globe, and in many cases, help provide safe handling information regarding hazardous chemicals. We have worked tirelessly to make sure that what we offer our clients meets the legal standard and more. With all of the recent reports of contaminated drinking water, in Newark and Detroit for example, and the controversy around pesticides, it’s becoming critical that we recognize our moral and ethical responsibility to the public to not only provide information, but to provide it in a way that is understood by the workers in a factory, and the people using the products at home. It is with this in mind that I’m announcing our new initiatives. I hope when all is done, that at least one person will be spared the challenges that poor health creates.

1. Beginning this week, we will be creating a weekly post called Consumer Corner, where we feature items in and around the home that may potentially be harmful if mishandled. We are going to present this information in simple terms, so it’s easy to understand, backed by research articles, and in English and Spanish initially. We will be adding other languages in the coming months. After all, what good is information if it’s presented in a language that people can’t read or using words they can’t understand?
   
2. Beginning this week, I will be writing a weekly blog called “the lessons I learned the hard way.” I will be sharing the mistakes I’ve made that I’m hoping other people can learn from, and perhaps spare themselves, their business, and their families some of the difficulties that I’ve endured along the way. If one business benefits from this, it’s been worthwhile. Again, for now, it will be presented in English and Spanish, but much like Consumer Corner, we’ll be adding other languages as we go along.
   
3. Beginning next week, my team will be preparing a weekly newsletter with a list of things that are worth noting for those in the regulatory compliance world.
   
4. My team has begun creating affordable training guides on authoring fully compliant safety data sheets and labels for those who can’t afford expensive software. We know that every business has financial constraints, and we’re trying to find ways to make your path to full compliance efficient, less complex and affordable.
   
5. My team at Hazox has designed an affordable solution for auditing your current safety data sheets and labels—so you know if you meet region-specific standards.
   
6. My team at Hazox has begun work on a new initiative where, in addition to providing fully compliant safety data sheets, we create documents for small businesses and homes that are easily read and understood. Working to keep people healthy and safe!
   
7. Periodically, I will also be sharing items from my personal cancer journey that I hope will make it a little easier for someone or some family that is dealing with cancer, or other serious illness.
   

It’s my hope that, by visiting our website, our Facebook page, or Twitter, that you will find something of value; something that will help you think about the household cleaner you choose, the food you buy, or perhaps even the way you train your employees and the documents you have on-hand in case of an emergency. Let’s begin to address our moral and ethical responsibility to families so that the generations to come can thrive and have the same amazing opportunities afforded to us.

Every day begins with a choice, and I choose to start my days with gratitude. Today I am hopeful and thankful that I get to play a part in making the world a better place, one piece of information at a time.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for the years that you’ve allowed Hazox to serve you! We look forward to being there for you in the years to come!