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Gregorek was launching the 3D "Magic Eye" book series at the same time Canadian engineer Bohdan Pethyrycz, his competitor, was trying fruitlessly to launch plastic containers.
Gregorek took Pethyrycz' idea a step further, and suggested the containers come from already-used BHA-free water bottles.
That's when the two formed UNLESS Water with Gregorek's daughter, Alex, as the head of sales and marketing in 2015.
"We're looking to change the way people look at plastic water bottles," said Alex Gregorek, 28, also a model who's appeared in Target, Walmart and Macy's ads.
The United States recycles 10 billion of the 50 billion plastic bottles consumed per year, Mark Gregorek explained. The other 40 billion, however, go into landfills.
Most manufacturers work with virgin plastic as opposed to recycled plastic because it's 8 cents cheaper.
"These bottles are the poster child of sustainability because they can be used over, and over, and over again," Gregorek said.
UNLESS Water bottles can be reconnected to form snack-food containers, tennis ball retrievers, barricades and more.
The co-owners recently sent UNLESS Water samples to the Haitian embassy and plan on attending an upcoming camping conference in Tennessee to promote their vessels as supply bottles.
"You can build with these things... connect 10 bottles filled with sand make and make a structure," Gregorek said.
"String a bunch together, blow air in them, seal it with a cap and make a raft. There's no limit to how many you can connect."
Water rockets are another dirivitive of the bottles that Gregorek said he and his partner are looking into.
"Anything tupperwear or ziploc bags can do," Gregorek said, "these bottles can do."
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