Growing up in the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tatiana Golovina experienced firsthand the oppression of the former Soviet Union, corrupt business practices and limited opportunities.
She proved her work ethic early on and remembers, at 13, becoming frustrated with the poor-quality clothes available to her. Although she was young, she enrolled in seamstress school with women nearly three decades older than her and learned to make better clothes that would last for herself and her family.
Golovina was later accepted to the Polytechnic Institute of St. Petersburg. Her education, mastery of English and independent spirit inspired her to strike out on her own and form an import/export business with friends. She hit a lot of bumps in the road and was frustrated by the red tape and under-the-table deals necessary to do business in Russia, so in 1992, during the fall of the Soviet Union, she moved to London, determined to start over and make it on a level playing field.
She enrolled in business and accounting classes at the Imperial College of Business to learn Western accounting and business practices. This time, her business was a success, and in 1994, she moved to the United States to test her true abilities.
In 2003, she invested in a small company that sold collapsible intermediate bulk containers, as well as flexitanks. The company didn’t take off as she thought it would, but she saw potential in the flexitank portion of the business and bought the patent rights for that product and launched Environmental Packaging Technologies in 2006.
The company has continued to grow under her leadership as chairman, and she sees even more growth potential in the future.
How to reach: Environmental Packaging Technologies, (713) 961-2795 or www.eptpac.com
