Personnel Notes

Alliance to End Plastic Waste appoints president, CEO

Jacob Duer is the Alliance to End Plastic Waste’s (AEPW’s), Washington, first president and chief executive officer of the newly found nonprofit. He joins AEPW from the United Nations, where he most recently served as director for the UN Environment Programme.

“Jacob is an experienced, impact- driven, global leader with a breadth of expertise working across a broad range of stakeholders in the public and private sectors,” says David Taylor, board chairman, president and CEO of Procter & Gamble and chairman of the AEPW.

Duer will help to advance AEPW’s mission to develop, deploy and bring to scale solutions that will minimize and manage plastic waste and promote solutions for end-of-life plastics.

“Being strongly committed to environmental sustainability, I am honored to lead the alliance as a unique solution model to address plastic waste as one of the most pressing environmental issues of today,” Duer says. “Working with all stakeholders, the alliance will play a lead role in driving sustainable solutions for the future.”

Waste Connections appoints new CEO

Integrated waste management company Waste Connections Inc., headquartered in Toronto, has expanded President Worthing F. Jackman’s role with the company, appointing him to the additional role of chief executive officer. He also has joined Waste Connections’ board of directors.

Additionally, Ronald J. Mittelstaedt, the company’s former CEO, has returned from his temporary leave of absence to assume the role of executive chairman of the board of directors, where he will assist in several areas, such as culture, strategy and mergers and acquisitions.

“After almost 22 years, it’s time for me to step away from day-to-day operations to provide sufficient time to address health matters affecting my family,” Mittelstaedt says. “I am grateful to all of our stakeholders—customers, shareholders, lenders, vendor partners and, most of all, our employee family—for the trust they have placed in Waste Connections.”

Mittelstaedt founded Waste Connections in September 1997 and took the company public in May 1998 at approximately $30 million in revenue. Since that time, Waste Connections has grown to more than $5.3 billion in revenue, with an equity market capitalization of approximately $25 billion, delivering sector-leading total shareholder returns of approximately 4,000 percent. Under Mittelstaedt’s stewardship as CEO and chairman, Waste Connections has become the third largest solid waste company in North America, expanding operations to 42 states in the U.S. and six provinces in Canada, with more than 18,000 employees serving more than 7 million customers.

Jackman has been involved with Waste Connections since its start, originally serving as its investment banker. He joined the firm in 2003 and has been a member of the senior executive team since 2004, when he assumed the role of chief financial officer. Jackman was promoted to president in July 2018 and has served as the principal executive officer since February.

“In the more than 20 years he has been affiliated with Waste Connections, Worthing has proven to be an outstanding business executive and leader, with a commitment to furthering the company’s strategic vision and a relentless focus on growth, culture, execution, accountability and value creation,” Mittelstaedt says.

Jackman says, “We have tremendous opportunities looking ahead. It is a privilege to lead a long-established team that is well-positioned to drive further shareholder value creation through the solid foundation built under Ron’s leadership.”

Otto Environmental Systems names president

Otto Environmental Systems North America Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina, has named Michael Costello as the company’s president. Costello assumes the role from Dave Piejak, the company’s departing CEO.

“We all want to thank Dave for his time and commitment to the company,” Costello says. “Dave came in at a difficult time in our history and laid the groundwork for a new Otto. He worked hard to stabilize the company and prepare us for our transition to growth.”

Toronto-based Callidus Capital Corp., the owner of Otto, says it appointed Costello to align with the customers they serve in the waste and recycling industry.

Costello has more than two decades of leadership experience in the waste industry and is committed to manufacturing, selling and servicing waste containers, Otto says.

“I’ve been in the waste industry for over 25 years, holding leadership roles with Waste Management (WM), Allied, Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI) and owning my own waste company. I know what our customers need to serve their residential customers,” Costello says.

“What separates us is our commitment to our customers,” he continues. “Otto is the only residential cart manufacturer that focuses only on waste carts as our core business.”

Northeast Recycling Council elects leadership

The board of directors for the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), Brattleboro, Vermont, has elected the association’s leadership team, whose terms were effective July 1. NERC is a nonprofit organization that conducts research, projects, training and outreach on issues associated with source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and environmentally preferable purchasing.

Kaley Laleker of the Maryland Department of the Environment has been re-elected to a second term as president, Robert Isner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has been elected as vice president and Rick Watson of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority has been re-elected as treasurer for a third term.

Laleker is director of the Land and Materials Administration at the Maryland Department of the Environment. The Land and Materials Administration includes the solid waste, resource management, oil control, lead poisoning prevention, mining, technical services and operations and land restoration programs. She formerly served as the deputy director of the department.

Isner is the director of the Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP). His responsibilities include managing enforcement, permitting and compliance assistance activities for the recycling, pesticide, solid waste and hazardous waste programs. Prior to joining CT DEEP, Isner worked as a municipal land use planner for two municipalities in Connecticut.

Watson is the chief executive officer of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA), which is responsible for managing municipal solid waste, recycling, household hazardous waste, electronic waste and other special waste programs for the state. He joined DSWA in 1981 as a project engineer for the state’s first double-lined sanitary landfill. He has overseen design, construction and operation of solid waste projects, including landfills, transfer stations and various recycling projects.

Sadoff Iron and Metal – Nebraska expands its trading staff

Sadoff Iron and Metal Co. – Nebraska has announced the addition of Andrew Bowmaker to the position of regional buyer manager.

Bowmaker has 12 years of scrap recycling experience in the United States and Australia. Prior to 2007, he worked in the wholesale auto electrical parts industry.

Bowmaker will lead the Nebraska buying group in procuring ferrous and nonferrous scrap along with material for its electronics recycling business unit (Sadoff E-Recycling and Data Destruction) over a multistate region.

“We are very excited for Andrew to join our team,” says Mark Lasky, CEO at Sadoff Iron and Metal Co., based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. “He has developed great relationships in the area and will be looking to develop new business opportunities as well as leading our buying team.”

Bowmaker will be based out of Sadoff’s Lincoln, Nebraska, facility.

GBB appoints vice president

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB), McLean, Virginia, has promoted Jennifer Porter to vice president. Porter, who joined GBB as senior project manager in 2017, has more than 17 years of experience working on sustainability initiatives for governments and the private sector.

“Jennifer has successfully tackled high-visibility, strategic and ambitious projects which involved multi- disciplinary teams and a wide range of stakeholders. She has proven she is up to the challenge,” GBB President Steve Simmons says. “The combination of her passion for the environment, business acumen and expertise make her a great addition to GBB’s leadership team.”

At GBB, Porter has managed multiple key projects, including leading the team tasked with planning and implementing the development of a sustainable business park in Kent County, Michigan, that aims to achieve 90 percent waste reduction by 2030 with an emphasis on implementing a circular economy model. She also led the strategic review of solid waste management services, contracts and service providers for the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, and is now heading the procurement efforts for waste collection and processing services. She also was project manager for public sector assignments in Deschutes County, Oregon; the Chittenden Solid Waste District of Vermont; the city of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Charles County, Maryland; and the city of Columbus, Ohio. Porter also led a comprehensive waste audit/assessment at Boston’s Logan Airport as part of a sustainability plan implementation for the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Prior to joining GBB, Porter was conservation program coordinator for more than six years with the city of Portland, Oregon’s Office of Sustainable Development. She also has worked as chief operating officer of Tarrytown, New York-based Rivertown Composting, manager of corporate sustainability for Fairfax, Virginia-based Healthy Buildings and director of workforce initiatives at the Honesdale, Pennsylvania-based Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance.

Porter says she is “thrilled” for the opportunity. “I’m eager to contribute to GBB’s growth while continuing to work closely with clients and project teams on paradigm-shifting projects that create customized, sustainable and technically sound solutions for complex solid waste management challenges.”

BACE hires used equipment, parts manager

BACE LLC, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, has hired Danielle Garcia as its used equipment and parts manager. The company is a global equipment manufacturer and national service provider to the recycling and waste management industry. It offers balers, compactors and other equipment and services.

Frederick Waite, BACE chief executive officer, says the company exceeded growth expectations in 2018 and in the first half of 2019. “Significant growth requires the right sales leadership components and Danielle fulfills an important role for BACE,” Waite says. “We are excited to welcome her to the BACE family.”

“Danielle’s track record in marketing a variety of equipment, products and service is unquestionably one of the most impressive and successful track records in any industry,” adds Gregory Leon, BACE senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Her drive and determination coupled with her desire to provide world-class customer service fits nicely with our core company philosophy.”