Born: I was born June 13, 1974, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Education: In 1996, I earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in finance and insurance from Illinois State University. I went to work in the insurance world for a few years, and my employer had a program that would pay for employees to earn an MBA if they agreed to remain with the company for a certain number of years. I took advantage of that program and, in 2004, I graduated with an MBA from DePaul University.
Family: I’ve been married to my wife, Amanda, for 17 years, and we have two sons—Colin, 15, and Liam, 13.
When and how did you enter the recycling industry? Bryan Stokes, owner of Quincy Recycle, and I were college roommates, so I knew about the recycling business through him. When the insurance company closed the division where I worked, Bryan came to me and said, “Hey, I don’t have anyone in Chicago. I’d love for you to work with us and learn the business.” That’s how it happened.
What was it about the industry that prompted you to build a career in it? I knew Quincy Recycle was growing. I knew the position Bryan was offering me was outside sales, and I was excited about the sales potential. I prospected clients in the Chicago metropolitan area, so there was a lot of opportunity there. Also, Quincy Recycle is a family-owned business, and I knew enough of the people there that it was truly like working within a family. And as I learned the business, I really came to admire the people in the recycling industry. They’re hard-working. They love to have fun. They have an independence about them that people in other industries don’t have. The recycling business is less corporate-based and more entrepreneurial-based, and I love that part.
What have been your most rewarding professional achievements? I’m proud of our growth as a company. Quincy Recycle had 20 to 30 people and one plant in 2003. Today we have over 300 employees, eight recycling plants, an animal feed manufacturing plant, and a contract-packaging operation. I especially enjoy working with our recently hired salespeople and GMs. Part of my role includes recruiting, hiring, and training/coaching those people. I’ll also travel with them, prospect with them, and meet weekly with them about new business opportunities. It’s rewarding to see them flourish when they put in their own hard work.
Personal achievements? My wife and my two boys are my most cherished personal achievement. I really got a lucky card when I married my wife. I love watching my sons experience life and learn from academic and athletic endeavors.
What are you passionate about? My family is the number-one priority in my life, and I’m fortunate to have a large, fabulous extended family. Anytime we can all get together, we do it. Second would be my health and doing whatever I can do to take care of that.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people. I love the Beatles, and I love Frank Sinatra.
If you could improve anything about yourself, what would it be? I’m never happy with my listening skills. If I could become a perfect listener with the flip of a switch, I’m in. I feel that’s something I always need to improve.
What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy coaching my sons’ sports teams. They both play basketball, and one or the other also plays football, baseball, golf, and cross-country.
When and why did Quincy Recycle join ISRI and the PSI Chapter? Our company joined in 2014. We were always aware of the group through our friends in the industry. Tamara Mayberry [of Pioneer Industries International and current PSI Chapter secretary/treasurer] came to me around that time and said, “We’d really like your company to join.” She had a great way of persuading, so we decided to join.
What benefits have you received from your PSI involvement? First, education about our industry. I’ve learned a lot about the technical side of our business—paper and plastic grades—and benefited from the talents and expertise of peers in this industry. Those contacts have helped us grow our business beyond the Midwest.
Have you held any volunteer leadership positions within PSI? I haven’t held any elected PSI positions, but I was a member of PSI’s Specifications Committee beginning in 2016. I loved interacting with peers in that context, and it was invaluable to have input on definitions of recovered fiber grades that have had an enormous effect on our overall business. Playing a small part in how specifications are determined was really important to our company.
What are the major challenges facing your company and the overall recycling industry today? Number one is labor. It’s the never-ending search for the right people to join our team and culture. It’s so hard to find the next great person. Another challenge is freight and transportation, which is in really bad shape. It has become more volatile over the past three years—in part because of the driver shortage. We have a problem on our hands, and I don’t know how that will get better.
