Born: I was born June 3, 1971, in Muscatine, Iowa.
Education: I earned a Bachelor of Science in Packaging, with a technical option, from Michigan State University in 1993.
Family: My wife, Jennifer, and I have been married for 20 years. We have two kids—Jacquelyn, 17, and Kiefer, 14.
When and how did you enter the papermaking/paper recycling industry? I started out in 1993 with Georgia-Pacific in its corrugated box division, working in South San Francisco. I went through a management training program there and learned all aspects of the plant. I left GP after a couple of years to work for Gaylord Container Corp. in Sunnyvale, Calif. A few years later I went to work for Packaging Corporation of America in Salisbury, N.C., where I stayed for about five years. Pratt hired me in 2001 as an operations manager on the corrugated box side in Conyers, Ga. I joined Pratt’s recycling division in 2008, and I’ve held just about every type of leadership role there, including national operations manager, national business development manager, VP of the Southwest area, and VP of the Southern area. Then, two years ago, Pratt promoted me to president of the recycling division.
What was it about the industry that prompted you to build a career in it? When I was younger, I wanted to get into an industry that I could stay in my entire career. I saw the corrugated box industry as offering that opportunity and stability. I found that I enjoyed the operational side of the business, and I’ve learned the sales and finance sides as well over the years. More recently, I’ve enjoyed the challenge of establishing the Pratt corporate culture in its recycling division and growing the business. When I joined the division in 2008, Pratt had one recycling facility in Duncan, S.C., and we’ve since expanded to 19 recycling facilities across the country.
What have been your most rewarding professional achievements? One has been helping the company’s recycling division grow as fast as it has grown. I also feel I’ve developed a better understanding of people and how to work effectively with different personalities. That’s a skill I had to work on.
How about your most rewarding personal achievements? I’ve run a couple of half-marathons, and I still try to get to the gym three to four days a week. From a family standpoint, I’m proud of raising two great kids with my wife.
What are you passionate about? I’m passionate about making sure my kids have every tool they need to be successful in life.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people. The first time I flew on an airplane—when I was 20—I went skydiving. Few people can say they jumped out of a plane the first time they flew in one. Also, I’m a bit of a bonsai enthusiast, having a couple of trees at home. One that I started from seed is nearly 15 years old.
If you could improve anything about yourself, what would it be? I’d like to continue improving my abilities of working with people. People skills are required in business if you’re going to be successful, and I feel I can always get better at it. I’m working on that every day.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to spend time with my family. My son plays travel baseball, so we spend a lot of time at ballfields.
When and why did your company decide to join ISRI and the PSI Chapter? As a company, we joined more than 15 years ago because we see value in what PSI and ISRI are doing. We recognize that ISRI is a big voice in the recycling industry and that we need to be part of its work on specifications changes, the Recyclability Protocol, Extended Producer Responsibility, and other important issues. We want a place at the table, and PSI and ISRI can help us get there.
When did you start getting involved in PSI? What motivated you to become a PSI leader? My former boss encouraged me to get involved in PSI, and I began by joining the chapter’s specifications committee around 2010. Since then, I’ve served on the PSI board as a director-at-large, and I started climbing the PSI leadership ranks in 2019. I’m now a year into my two-year term as the chapter’s vice president, and I also serve as chair of ISRI’s Paper Division.
What benefits have you received from your PSI involvement? One of the biggest benefits has been the opportunity to network with my industry peers, especially when I was new to Pratt’s recycling division. I also learned about the history of the PSI specifications, how they were developed, and what the association is trying to do with them. That was helpful for me. And my leadership roles within PSI and ISRI have given me access to meetings and discussions that I wouldn’t otherwise have experienced.
What are the major challenges facing your company and the overall papermaking/recycling industry today? The biggest challenge, in my view, has been and always will be contamination in the recovered paper stream. The transportation side of the business also is difficult now due to the limited availability of drivers and trucks as well as higher prices for all logistics.
