After more than a decade as a strategy consultant, Tony Ehrbar took a bold leap into entrepreneurship by purchasing a small tent rental business from a Craigslist ad in 2013. His true passion surfaced a year later when he acquired American Tent, a commercial party tent manufacturer in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As CEO, Tony focused on quality, opening the door to challenging industry traditions and introducing smarter, more sustainable solutions.
Turning Ideas into Impact
Tony’s approach to innovation is simple yet powerful: “Leave things better than you found them.” This mindset propelled American Tent’s growth from three employees in a 5,000-square-foot space to 40 employees in a 110,000-square-foot facility. One of his boldest moves came in 2018 when he spotted potential in a little-known invention—a stackable plastic water ballast. At the time, tents relied on stakes, cement blocks, or unstable barrels for anchoring. Tony saw an opportunity, purchased the patent, and turned it into a game-changing product that delivered a 200x return and set a new industry standard.
Building a System for Innovation
Early on, Tony admits that chasing every idea led to wasted resources. To bring discipline to creativity, he adopted a three-step process: innovation, activation, and implementation. This framework filters out 80 percent of ideas, ensuring only those with real impact move forward. The approach has kept American Tent focused and adaptable.
Recognition and Community Impact
Tony’s commitment to growth and community earned American Tent a spot on ICIC’s IC100 Awards list for the third time in 2024, ranking 38th among the fastest-growing businesses in under-resourced communities. For Tony, the recognition is more than an accolade; it validates his team’s hard work and helps build trust with customers. “An award like IC100 lends credibility to us as a small business that our customers are proud to support. It also energizes our team and reminds us that innovation and perseverance truly pay off,” Tony says.
“An award like IC100 lends credibility to us as a small business that our customers are proud to support. It energizes our team and reminds us that innovation and perseverance truly pay off.”
Pioneering Sustainable Solutions
Tony’s latest venture, Renegade Plastics, reflects his determination to address one of the industry’s biggest challenges: sustainability. Traditional PVC-coated fabrics dominate the market but pose environmental risks. In Korea, Tony identified a high-performing polypropylene-based coated textile that can be recycled, is toxin-free, and has a lower carbon footprint. In 2021, he launched Renegade to bring this innovation to the Americas.
The company aims to lead the multi-billion-dollar coated textiles industry, which has had limited sustainable material options for decades. With equity funding and a State of Colorado grant, Renegade built a first-of-its-kind Innovation Lab in Denver and is working toward manufacturing polypropylene fabrics in the U.S. The end goal is to reincorporate recycled polypropylene into its fabrics to enable true circularity.
From reinventing tent anchoring to introducing eco-friendly materials, Tony’s journey shows that innovation is not just about new ideas. It is about creating solutions that matter—and building businesses that last.
