john vlahakis is president of the company whose cleaners, soaps & detergents are sold in costco & other retailers in the us & around the world. it is a family business and it was your dad who started it. >>my dad started the company in '67. i joined the company out of college and then after grad school i started the earth friendly products brand in '93. >>even in '93 it was not fully and broadly adopted yet. so to go clean and green was a bit of a risk. >>i was a risk but i don't think it's quite mainstream yet either but we're gaining. >>you are also a market leader. is that because of patents you have taken out or recognition of the brand? >>i think our success has been based on price. we're trying to provide a low cost green alternative so when the consumer makes the decision to try our product they are doing it on a cost effective basis. >>isn't it true that the performance has been going up? a lot of people felt that if i buy this product i'm going to have to compromise. it's gonna cost more, it's not gonna perform as well. >>absolutely not. >>that was the case though. >>you are co