How Did You Get Your Start in the Waste and Recycling Industry? 

Well, like everyone else in the industry……accidentally of course!  I had a Civil Engineering degree and a passion for entrepreneurship, so when I graduated college I started a bus stop bench company, called National Courtesy Bench, producing the benches and selling the advertising on the back.  Eventually I needed to do an apprenticeship to obtain my Professional Engineers “PE” certification, so I sold the company and went to work for a national engineering consulting company.  I was trying to build my “book of business” as a young consultant and I called on a landfill company to get their work.  While they were not interested in my consulting services, they did invite me to join them for happy hour, and I accepted a job offer before the evening was over.  It was unintentional, but I have never looked back, and I love the industry and its people. 

What Does Your Current Role Entail? 

As a small company we have belief that you need to do the work that needs to be done – so although we have our primary roles, we also need to be a “jack of all trades” at times as well.  My role at Dem-Con has evolved over the years as our business has grown and I currently spend most of my time on business development, public relations, industry engagement, and regulatory and permitting affairs.

What’s One Lesson You’ve Learned in Your Career?  

To surround yourself with good people and always act with honesty and integrity and “Do the Right Thing” – which is one of our company core values – and you will have a successful business and an enjoyable career.

How Has Being an NWRA Member Benefited You or Your Company?   

My initial engagement with NWRA was in 2000, early in my career, when I started attending the local Minnesota NWRA Chapter meetings.  I realized very quickly how essential these chapter meetings were to our company as they were addressing the local – real time – issues impacting the Minnesota waste industry.  NWRA was the only association focused solely on our industry, and they had, and continue to have, a very influential voice in the Minnesota regulatory environment.  This initial involvement with NWRA led to serving as the Minnesota Chapter Chair which facilitated my further involvement with the national NWRA association as Chair of the Recycling Committee and a board member for the Services Board of Governors.  This deeper involvement in NWRA provided a more comprehensive understanding of the issues facing our industry and connected me with a diverse network of colleagues facing similar business and regulatory challenges which has benefited our business as well as me personally.