Meet the Honorees: Jim Frey, Co-Founder & CEO, Resource Recycling Systems (RRS)

Jim Frey, RRS

#EE50in22

by | Jan 11, 2023

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Jim Frey, RRS

#EE50in22

The Environment+Energy Leader Honoree program is an annual list that recognizes the environment and energy “doers” who break the trail in creating new solutions, programs, platforms, best practices and products to help their companies – or other companies – achieve greater success in commercial and industrial environment and energy management. Meet the Honorees… is an ongoing series that will feature one E+E Honoree from 2022 each week. See the complete list of 2022 Honorees here.

Jim Frey is the Co-Founder & CEO of Resource Recycling Systems (RRS). He has more than thirty years of expertise in recycling and waste management program development both as public services and private enterprises. Jim began his career growing non-profit recycling programs from start-ups to full-scale municipal collection services and MRF operations.

Take us through a typical workday. What are a few of your ongoing responsibilities?

A typical day involves a series of calls and meetings with some of our largest clients and projects, including packaging industry collaborations to build out their packaging recycling solutions and state partnerships that are working with our NextCycle recycling market development initiatives. When I do travel it is for face-to-face strategy sessions with those collaborations and their stakeholders. Within RRS I work closely with our leadership team, COO Brianne Haven, and the RRS Management Team, a key group of leaders that are guiding RRS to its next levels of performance.

What are some of the biggest challenges your company/organization will be tackling in 2023 and beyond?

We continue to support the growth of our capacity to deliver the RRS value proposition in the marketplace – a marketplace that has been expanding its focus on circular economy solutions for products and packaging that are increasingly being held to higher standards in both regulatory and voluntary schemes here in North America as well as globally. For RRS this means continued development of our talented staff, with a focus on cultivating the next generation of emerging leaders to work with our expanding client base and to develop and deliver the highest quality services and knowledge that we are known for.

What was a successful project or implementation you worked on at your company that you can share? Do you have any tips that would help colleagues at other companies who are contemplating similar projects?

The RRS Team has been building great momentum across the US in deploying our NextCycle “your state” initiatives in partnership with state agencies in Michigan, Washington, and Colorado with more under development. These NextCycle initiatives develop critically needed recycling infrastructure and recycling end market-driven supply chains that are the foundation of the circular economy of the future. NextCycle mobilizes both public and private sector resources through partnerships, innovation, and engagement – acting as a catalyst to accelerate the adoption of circular economy and recycling best practices both for fast-moving “shovel ready” projects supported by the NextCycle Renew Partnership Portal as well as those that are best incubated through structured support in a NextCycle Innovation Challenge Track. Our partner states are seeing a significant increase in the quality of the partnerships that they are being asked to support through environmental assistance grants and economic development services.

The NextCycle partnership, innovation and engagement platform provides a host of opportunities for brands, manufacturers, and others in the value chain, as well as public agencies at the state and local level in deploying the circular economy solutions. Check out RRS NextCycle resources and reach out to our NextCycle state leaders – NextCycle Colorado – Juri Freeman, RRS Managing Partner; NextCycle Washington – Bryce Hesterman RRS Senior Consultant; NextCycle Michigan – Elisa Seltzer RRS Senior Consultant.

What trends do you expect to see in the market in the next few years? What challenges will the industry face and what technologies or organizational changes will overcome them?

Both regulatory and voluntary systems to push packaging and products to higher levels of environmental performance will be deployed across the US as well as globally. The tools for success are there, but failure to use them may impact a company and/or business segment and its acceptance in the marketplace. RRS is positioned to lead brands, manufacturers, and others in the value chain, as well as public agencies at the state and local level in deploying the circular economy solutions that will respond to these business challenges.

Tell us about a favorite hobby, passion or book you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you and your work.

My wife and I enjoy being a part of a great community here in Ann Arbor, MI and summer vacations in the northern reaches of Lake Michigan and the Leelanau Peninsula.

Connect with Jim and the rest of his team at RRS

RRS

Jim Frey LinkedIn

RRS LinkedIn

RRS Twitter

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