The Tersus Solutions Story

Our mission.

We’re challenging you to think differently about your clothes and gear. Working together, we can support a circular economy and drastically reduce the textile industry’s environmental impact by utilizing a closed-loop cleaning system that preserves water and electricity, captures microfibers, and ultimately extends the life of textiles that come through out system. We do all this while driving incremental profit for our partners.

We’re here to close the loop in textile circularity.

Our history.

Tersus Solutions was founded in 2009 in Denver, Colorado and along the way, we’ve learned many lessons about the power of good ideas, the importance of choosing great partners, maintaining lofty goals, and perseverance.

In 2018 when we launched our Cleaning-as-a-Service (CaaS) we brought our machine assembly and testing in-house, resulting in major new machine innovations, an increase in build quality, and reduced build times.

Over the course of the last 11 years, we have been at the forefront of innovation in the use of LCO2 and ultimately keeping textiles out of landfills or being incinerated. Our machines and processes are simply the most advanced in the world.

2009

2013

2018

Tersus Solutions was founded in 2009 in Denver, Colorado with a mission of building a better CO2 textile cleaning machine.

We secure a partnership with Patagonia via an agreement to clean their customer's Encapsil jackets.

In 2018, Tersus Solutions launched Cleaning as a Service (CaaS) for high-end brands and outdoor apparel companies. Including Patagonia (Worn Wear) and REI (RE/Supply)

In early 2022, we launched Single SKU Resale Logistics with The North Face Renewed and secured our first fire department customer and now have many customers as departments shift away from water cleaning. By late 2022, we secured our first recycled down buyer (Crescent Down Works).

Tersus Solutions receives Fast Company's Most Innovative Company award and by the end of 2021, we added 50k of Square Feet of production space in Denver. We secured our first supplier of down products to recycle (Patagonia).

In 2020, Tersus Solutions broadened our suite of service offering by adding sorting, repair, upcycling, recycling, and rework to our platform.

2022

2021

2020

2023

We launched an additional 5 Single SKU Resale Logistics customers and are scaling our down and fire operations.

No one has been tested more.

2014

2015-2017

2019

CO2-Based Cleaning of Military Textiles for CEC & Navy
California Energy Commission & Department of the Navy. TERSUS Solutions Clean uses 30%+ less energy than conventional cleaning

2022

CO2-Based Cleaning of Commercial Textiles
The World’s First CO2 Solution for Cleanroom Textiles. Prepared for the California Energy Commission. Surpassed water in both particle and bioburden removal

Testing with Belgian Federal Government & Initial Rentakil
Proved the ability to remove 95%+ of carcinogens from fire turnout gear

2019

2022

VF Corporation Factory Audit
Passed VF Corporation Factory Compliance Report

NC State University School of Textiles Dissertation on LCO2 Cleaning for Firefighting Gear + UL Testing
Highlights TERSUS Solutions Cleaning as the best way to clean fire gear & proved that the TERSUS Solutions CO2 Clean removes 98%+ of carcinogens from fire turnout gear. We met 1851 standards for turnout gear cleaning and surpassed all categories (bioburden, PAHs, heavy metals) relative to waterNC State University School of Textiles Dissertation on LCO2 Cleaning for Firefighting Gear + UL Testing

Mold Testing According to H&M Requirements & Ergobaby Aerobic Microbial Count
Passed both the sanitation and the mold tests. Microbial results were cleanroom viable

Our team.

Peter Whitcomb

CEO

Peter spent the 5 years prior to joining Tersus Solutions building circular business models across the retail sector, serving as Vice President of Growth and Partnerships at Trove, a white label resale software solutions provider for premium brands and retailers, including REI, Lululemon, Nordstrom, and Patagonia. While at Trove Peter oversaw the entire customer lifecycle and played a leading role in fundraising, helping the company to close a successful $77M Series D.

Prior to Trove, he was the Head of New Business Development and Circular Commerce at REI and built and led their rentals and recommerce businesses. He successfully grew the new division from one person to more than eighty five people. During his time at REI, Peter was also the Director of Enterprise Strategy. Before joining REI, Peter managed the cycling and action sports businesses at Amazon and held a variety of roles on Wall Street with both Citibank and AllianceBernstein, eventually helping build AllianceBernstein’s Hedge Fund and Private Equity Fund businesses.

Peter received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University, where he served as Captain of the Division One lacrosse team. Peter holds an MBA from UT McCombs School of Business. He enjoys all things outside and spending time with his wife Wallis and their daughter Grier and son Stone.

Steve Madsen

Founder, CTO & Board Member

Steve Madsen has been working with Liquid CO2 and textiles since 2004 when he founded Revolution Cleaners in Denver with 4 partners. Steve soon became one of the go-to people for innovation and experience in CO2 textile processing. While a fan of the technology, Steve was not a fan of the first generation of machines. After failed efforts to work with the early machine manufacturers on machine improvements, Steve set out to build better machines. Tersus Solutions emerged from this effort.

Today, Tersus Solutions operates the largest CO2 laundry facility in the world, and manufactures the Tersus Solutions textile machines in the US.. Through R&D, Tersus Solutions has expanded into multiple markets. Steve's pioneering work on decontamination of Firefighter turnout gear with the Belgian Federal Government, and the Textile College at North Carolina State University is changing the way this gear is processed for the better worldwide. Methods developed by Tersus Solutions have also revolutionized down recycling, resulting in a superior down product, and massive energy and water savings. Steve has been the driving force in advancing the technology worldwide.

Chris Robbins

Vice President, Technology

Chris has worked with textiles and CO2 since 2011 after he graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with a mechanical engineering degree. He has tirelessly worked to make the CO2 equipment better and work across multiple applications. Those include cleaning for the apparel and gear industries, ballistic vest cleaning for the US Navy, raw wool and down processing, cleanroom laundry and firefighter turnout gear. Working alongside the CTO, he developed the world's first and best way to decontaminate firefighter turnout gear that has been exposed to Lithium.

Chris now focuses on the overall application of the CO2 technology within the textile space and ramping up new markets for Tersus Solutions. His current focus is the down recycling project branded as 2nd RND Down and working with our partner LION to expand the firefighter decontamination service. Outside of work, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids exploring the outdoors.

Shawn Christensen

Vice President, Operations

Shawn has been in Senior Management since 2000. He started working as a cargo handler at the airport in Phoenix AZ for FedEx Express in 1992 while attending Arizona State University In 2000, at 29 years old, he was the youngest employee to date promoted to a Senior Manager at a Fortune 100 company and managed multiple locations with 70+ employees. In 2005 Shawn transferred to Denver Colorado managing the largest station operation in the Midwest with 200+ employees. After leaving FedEx Express, Shawn started his own successful custom apparel company he built and sold. Shawn has also worked as a General Manager for the following companies, Xtend Outdoors, Office Depot and Gear re-Store

In 2018 Shawn moved his family on acreage and started a Horse Boarding company, which his family and he still run today. Shawn brings a long history of proven performance, results, and servant leadership to the team at Tersus Solutions

Luke Fowler

Director, Repairs, Upcycling & Partnerships

Luke has been working in soft goods design, repair, and manufacturing since 2014, and he now manages Tersus Solutions’ repair and upcycling department as well as onboarding new partners. Prior to starting Tersus Solutions’ in house sewing program in 2020 he was providing warranty repair services to over a dozen brands as well as the general public with one of Colorado’s oldest outdoor repair shops. Before that he spent two years designing and developing backpacks and tents for cottage gear companies on the Western Slope of Colorado, as well as managing their domestic production teams.

Luke received his Bachelor's degree in Apparel Design from Oregon State University, and still designs clothing and bags in his spare time when he isn’t fixing them.

Sean Dewitt

CFO & Board Member

Sean currently serves as Managing Partner of Card Sound Capital (“CSC”). He began his career in specialty finance as an Analyst at Castle Pines Capital. During his tenure, the firm grew its assets under management from $20 million to over $2 billion in less than six years. Most recently, he held the position of Managing Director at C2FO, a working capital marketplace, where he was responsible for business development focusing on the Fortune 250.

In 2015, Sean joined the CSC team to advance the vision of making strategic investments in companies that are disruptive in their respective industries. Since joining the team, CSC has grown its portfolio of investments in the impact and health & wellness spaces. Sean graduated from James Madison University’s College of Business with a B.B.A in Finance.

Jake Jackson

Board Member

After investing in Tersus Solutions in 2015, and becoming a member of the Board of Directors in 2018, Jake Jackson stepped in as Chief Executive Officer with a passion for textile technology that contributes to the furtherance of a circular economy in the textile and fashion industry. Believing that sustainability should be a primary focus in an industry that has historically been known for vast consumption of water and energy, Jake’s mission at Tersus, and in the textile industry as a whole, is to raise awareness of current technology that can allow for a better way to process textiles and prevent garments from being incinerated or sent off to a landfill.

A proud alum of the University of Missouri, Jake is a former member of the Mizzou basketball team, including the 2001-2002 Elite Eight Missouri Tigers. Jake holds a B.S. in Political Science and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri. His interests include coaching youth sports, being on the water, and above all spending time with his wife Kasey and two sons Colin and Carter.