Ensconced within the many “rooms” of the internationally themed Rock Streets are local businesses, one of the best strategies Rock in Rio employed in forging a connection with Las Vegas. One stands out, not just for its non-dining offerings, but for its uniqueness and message(s).
Global Gravitation Group, which sells clothing and bags made of recycled plastic bottles, has been around for three years, but the last one has been the most notable. GGG participated in the last two Rock ’n Roll Wine music festivals, including Wine Amplified at MGM Resorts Village, and will set up shop at Lee's Discount Liquor's May 30 event at the Westgate. GGG recently moved into its first office in the southwest part of the Valley, and got choice placement at Rock in Rio, right next to Rock Street Brazil’s performance stage.
“We put in for it and got picked—we could not believe it,” GGG CEO Daniel Manns says. “Rock in Rio handpicked us because of our sustainability and motivational [messages].”
GGG—which Manns founded with twin brother/president Nathaniel and pal/COO Marvin Tillman Jr.—isn’t just a group promoting environmental consciousness through its products. Positive slogans adorn most of its wares, which are made in partnership with Seattle-based Rethink Fabrics.
Two phenomena in the brothers' past helped inspire the creation of the company: their grandmother's reliance on recycling aluminum cans to supplement the family budget, and the successful open-heart surgery of Daniel's daughter, whose second chance at life inspired her father to seek out an endeavor that would give back in some way. He pitched his brother and Tillman on the idea.
"He reached within himself and then said, 'Hey guys, I have this idea.' We looked at one another and said, 'Is that even possible?' That's when he went headfirst into research and development, and we just kind of followed him," Nathanial says.
Rather than collect plastic bottles and replicate the intricate process that melts them down into pellets for fabric, they reached out to Rethink once they'd decided upon product designs. At Rock in Rio, several items made for the festival bear the colors of the Brazilian, American and British flags, a link to the three countries represented in the City of Rock. But their standard product line bears phrases like "fiercely motivated," reflecting both the feel-good messages GGG wants its customers to walk away with, and the attitudes of the three men who run it.
“We came from a similar neighborhood, but we always kept a positive mindset,” Tillman says. “We wanted to incorporate a business that was sustainable, along with [a message that said]: Be who you are.”
At Rock in Rio, it seemed to be working, as assistants enthusiastically greeted both the curious entering the booth and unaware passersby with wide smiles. One returning visitor walked right up and hugged one GGG worker like he was an old friend. Elsewhere, other staff members answered the obvious question of how the water bottles their would-be customers were holding became the T-shirts in front of them—which is also explained with a helpful flow chart on one of the booth's walls. At other festivals, GGG actually brings the melted-down pellets for customers to touch, hoping it will make the concept of resource-preserving products appear even more real, and environmentally beneficial.
"We know Las Vegas is rich with culture, but it's hiding," Daniel says. "We want to bring that culture out and at the same time get some support from local businesses and casinos, whether it's just coming to see us at the shows or financial backing—anything that makes Las Vegas more of a recycling icon. That's our purpose."
