Born: I was born Sept. 30, 1964, in New Orleans, La.
Education: I attended Mercer University in Macon, Ga.—the original campus—and graduated in 1986 with a BS degree in communications, with minors in English and French. I’m still a proud season ticket holder for the Mercer Bears football team.
Family: I’ve been married to Eric Glick—the sweetest man on Earth—for almost 18 years. He is retired Air Force and currently works in his retirement as a building inspector. I married him to get his daughter Ashton Glick (32), one of the wittiest people I know. I’m also fortunate to have two daughters of my own—Kate (29) and Barbara (25). My girls and I are very close. We refer to ourselves as the Dolphins, and our theme song is “Hold Us Together” by Matt Maher.
When and how did you enter the paper recycling industry? Right out of college, I was hired to run the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful program. Through that work, I met the Koplin family [of Macon Iron & Paper Stock], which introduced me to recycling. Ultimately, I served two more local Keep America Beautiful programs in Georgia—in Fulton County and Roswell. While working for the City of Roswell, I started its curbside recycling program and ran the community recycling collection center. I sold the OCC from the recycling center to Caraustar [which later became Greif]. A sales position opened up at Caraustar in 1998, and my rep there suggested I apply. Though I thought I’d be a civil servant for life, I decided to make the jump, and I’ve been grateful ever since. I had no idea how competitive I was until I started buying paper. Today, I’m not as directly involved in trading as I used to be. Now I help develop our salespeople.
What was it about the industry that prompted you to build a career in it? Once this industry gets under your skin, there’s no turning back. I’m proud of this industry and the impact we have on the environment. It feels good knowing we’re recovering someone’s discards and making a finished product from them. This industry has taken good care of my family, and I treasure the relationships I’ve developed over my almost 40 years in this business. And where else can you meet the characters who are in the recycling industry? It’s like the best Netflix series ever written.
What have been your most rewarding professional achievements? In 2007, during my term as president of the Georgia Recycling Coalition, my goal was to increase our membership by 50%. In the end, we increased our membership by more than that. Also, it was rewarding for me to shift my career from municipal recycling to the corporate sector. I’ve enjoyed seeing the recycling industry from two different perspectives—municipal and industrial.
Personal achievements? I’m proud of my family. We have all endured many hardships and have survived, together. And a fun fact is that I was the first director of Keep Roswell Beautiful (our local Keep America Beautiful affiliate) in 1992, and I now serve on that group’s board of directors.
What are you passionate about? I’m passionate about helping people. I want everyone to have every opportunity to make the most of this short life. I’m passionate about making sure everyone I work with has all the information, support, and tools they need to be successful. When I started out in this industry, I was handed a set of car keys and was told to visit an industrial park to find some cardboard. I had no idea what I was doing—until new leaders entered my life and taught me the business, which propelled me to success. Everyone deserves a similar chance.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people. I’ve had two significant female leadership influences that got me kick-started in my career. My first boss was Lori Allen—of Bridals by Lori/Say Yes to the Dress fame. Carolyn Crayton of Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful was my second boss. She also started the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon. I’m grateful to both of them. Another fact that might surprise people—when I started with Caraustar, I was the first female salesperson the company had ever hired.
If you could improve anything about yourself, what would it be? I’ve got to get in tune with the technology world. My goal is to recruit people to work for our company. To attract the younger generation, the company has to appeal to them in some way. A lot of that is through social media. I need to either improve my knowledge of that technology or find the right people to help me do it. I also really want to learn how to make crawfish etouffee. I was born in New Orleans, so I want to be able to make signature dishes like that.
What do you like to do in your free time? Besides taking nice long walks, growing vegetables, and working in the yard, I support two charities—Keep Roswell Beautiful and Gilgal, a nonprofit that houses women who are homeless due to drug use. We support them for one year at no charge to help get them back on the right path. Other than those activities, it’s always fun to binge a good show on a rainy day!
What PSI leadership positions have you held? What motivated you to become a leader? I’ve been involved with PSI about four years, first serving as Communications Chair from 2018-2020 and now as Events Chair. I like to serve, and I believe we all should give our time to help whenever we can.
What benefits have you received from your PSI involvement? I’ve made some great relationships through my PSI service. After a point, the chapter—and this industry as a whole—feels like an extended family. I’ve also enjoyed learning from my PSI colleagues and hearing different perspectives on industry issues.
What are the major challenges facing your company and the overall paper recycling industry today? Early in 2021, the challenge was trying to get enough paper for our mills. Later in 2021, the challenge was having to tell people we had too much paper and couldn’t take any more. The main ongoing challenge, though, is being able to source the quality of recovered fiber our mills need at a reasonable price, without the extreme high premiums.