March/April 2020
Two candidates are competing to become ReMA secretary/treasurer for the
2020-22 term. Scrap asked them to share their thoughts on ISRI’s priorities, their
top recycling industry concerns, and their qualifications for leadership.
Even though the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of ISRI2020 and the spring meetings of the ReMA Board of Directors, ReMA will elect a new slate of national officers this year. (At press time, ReMA was in the process of finalizing a plan for holding the division, at-large board member, and national officer elections.) Chair Brian Shine will become immediate past chair, and the chair-elect, vice chair, and secretary/treasurer typically run unopposed for the next rung on the leadership ladder. Thus, at the Winter 2020 ReMA meeting in Nashville, ISRI’s Leadership Committee nominated Chair-Elect Gary Champlin of Champlin Tire Recycling (Concordia, Kan.) for chair, Vice Chair Brian Henesey of Rocky Mountain Recycling (Commerce City Colo.) for chair-elect, and Secretary/Treasurer Colin Kelly of Schnitzer Northeast (Everett, Mass.) for vice chair.
For secretary/treasurer, which traditionally is the only contested officer election, the Leadership Committee put forward two names: Andy Golding of Kripke Enterprises (Toledo, Ohio) and Randy Goodman of Greenland (America) (Roswell, Ga.). (The nominations process remains open until the election, allowing other nominations to come forward from the floor.) The elected officers will serve for the 2020-2022 term. Also contested are several director-at-large seats; find those candidates’ names in ReMA News on page 146.
Scrap has its own election tradition: We ask the secretary/treasurer candidates to answer a set of questions on their association service, leadership qualities, and the most pressing issues facing ReMA and the recycling industry, among other things. Here’s what this year’s candidates had to say.
Andy Golding
Vice President, Sales and Marketing,
Kripke Enterprises (Toledo, Ohio)
Current ReMA positions: Northern Ohio Chapter immediate past president; ReMA Convention Committee chair; Membership Committee, Communications Committee, and Finance Committee member.
Previous ReMA positions: Northern Ohio Chapter president (2016-2018), ReMA Convention Committee vice chair (2016-2018), Northern Ohio Best Young and Brightest Committee chair (2017-2018), ReMA Strategic Planning Committee member (2017-2019).
In my view, the biggest challenge facing U.S. scrap recycling companies is… excessive government regulations, recruiting talent in a tight labor market, safety—especially shredder fires, and public misunderstanding of the industrial recycling industry.
In the next two years, ReMA must focus on… our financial wherewithal, growing our membership by sharing a clear value proposition, and focusing on improving the marketing of ISRI’s unique programs and services. Our programs and services are so valuable, and we can do a better job marketing them to our membership. Membership retention will increase as membership engagement increases.
ISRI’s greatest benefits to members include… No. 1, networking with peers. No. 2, advocating [before] state and federal governments to ensure our industry’s interests are protected. No. 3, access to high-quality programs and services.
I personally value ReMA for… friendships, industry knowledge, thought leadership, and networking opportunities.
If elected national ReMA secretary/treasurer, I’d like to help ISRI… by applying my skills, experience, passion, and inclusive manner to stimulate engagement with existing members and promote interest by prospective members.
My strengths as a leader are… commitment, energy, passion, engaging others, and mentoring future leaders. When I committed to the presidency of the Toledo Jewish Federation, I led with the same energy I bring to the ReMA convention. At the time I took over as president, the Toledo Federation was becoming irrelevant. With the help of the staff and engagement of the community, I was able to grow our fundraising efforts, increase event attendance, and attract new talented staff and lay leaders. Perhaps one of my greatest strengths is assessing the needs of the people I intend to serve, creating fresh ideas to meet those needs, building a plan, measuring the results, and creating change where service falls short. I am, and I remain, a humble learner.
When I became the Northern Ohio Chapter president, the former president, Joe Ward, had just led us through the darkest of financial times due to scrap metal theft laws. Our chapter’s energy level was low, and at the same time, our industry was struggling with how to engage young executives. With the support of the chapter board, Mary Hlepas and I created and successfully executed a program to bring together ReMA young executives from around the country. The program, called BYAB (Best Young and Brightest), has graduated over 150 executives; three other chapters are running the program in their regions; and several of the graduates are on the ReMA national board.
With Mary’s support, this program showcased all of my leadership skills, my commitment to a project, my energy and enthusiasm to see it through, and my passion for delivering a high-value product and engaging membership. The program that started over three years ago has re-energized our board and given the board the confidence to deliver meaningful programming to our chapter. My energy, passion, and engagement of others deliver results.
My greatest professional achievement has been… turning ordinary into extraordinary and converting complex situations into bite-sized consumables. During my 15-year tenure at Kripke Enterprises, I converted our trading platform into an efficient interactive trading system. This system has fueled our growth by simplifying our positions and cutting the learning curve. I possess a strong ability to abstract data that is meaningful and pertinent to creating growth and stability in both daily operations and projected growth. When I started at Kripke, we had three traders and a staff of four; today we have 11 traders and a staff of 40. I get great satisfaction from helping others develop leadership skills through setting clear goals and expectations, creating methods to achieve those goals, and implementing systems to measure growth in our personnel, and there’s a direct relationship between those achievements and Kripke’s growth. My energy, passion, and engagement of others deliver results.
If I ran the world, I would… outlaw cold soup, unless it is supposed to be cold. Seriously, I would do as I do now: help others become self-supporting, self-sufficient professionals.
I’d like to improve my… pants size by increasing my running speed! Also, I would like to improve my ability to understand and empathize with people whom I ethically or morally disagree with; not for the purpose of compromising what I believe, but to understand why they think or believe differently.
In my free time, I love to… spend time with my wife, Cami; attend the activities of my four kids, Joey, Benny, Sammy, and Sophie; cook; eat pizza; and run. I also love watching Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime, especially Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Boys, Jack Ryan, Homeland, Veep, and Silicon Valley.
Randy Goodman
Executive Vice President,
Greenland (America) (Roswell, Ga.)
Current ReMA positions: Trade Committee chair, Nonferrous Division vice chair, specifications working group chair, market access working group member, ReMA Board of Directors Nonferrous Division director, and ReMA Southeast Chapter member at large.
Previous ReMA positions: I’ve served on the ReMA national board as a director-at-large (2010-12) and Nonferrous Division director (2006-10 and 2016-20). I’ve been chair and first vice chair of the Nonferrous Division (chair 2008-10) and Trade Committee (chair 2010-12 and 2018-20); chair of the Nonferrous Division Specifications Committee (2006-18), specifications working group (2018-20), and shipping container theft task force (chair 2014-16); and first vice chair of what’s now the Recycling Education and Research Foundation. I have been a member of 10 other ReMA committees, subcommittees, and task forces over the past 16 years. At the chapter level, I was a director-at-large for the Southeast Chapter (2016-20) and editor-in-chief of the chapter’s newsletter (1997-2000).
In my view, the biggest challenge facing U.S. scrap recycling companies is… market access. With approximately one-third of all U.S. scrap being exported, having access to export markets is paramount. We also have issues at home: We must ensure our domestic consumers have the ability to grow with the increasing demands for recycled products, and we must be mindful of onerous regulations and oversight. Open access is integral to a healthy scrap economy.
In the next two years, ReMA must focus on… working towards a balanced budget and maintaining our reserves. Those must always be a top priority. We might not have a SREA-sized issue in front of us currently, but we must ensure that we have unfettered access to markets for all our commodity groups. Market access issues, whether at home or abroad, are negatively impacting all of our businesses.
ISRI’s greatest benefits to members include… providing a platform for its members to share best practices and find common ground, whether it is regarding safety, operations, governance, or networking. ReMA members have the opportunity to help guide the narrative through their chapters’ and divisions’ governance.
I personally value ReMA for… the association and its members enabling me to grow both as a professional and as an individual while providing me with the tools that I need to succeed. ReMA might be an association of members, but it has proven to be a group of people who care about their industry and others. I found a family in ReMA that helped me reach my goals.
If elected national ReMA secretary/treasurer, I’d like to help ISRI… work towards Gary Champlin’s vision of “One ISRI,” facilitate all divisions working together with chapters and each other for the greater good, make our chapters stronger, and continue ISRI’s effort to always be looking for a seat at the table in related matters of governance, whether local, state, national, or international.
My strengths as a leader are… listening and consensus-building. I have always strived to be a leader at the companies I have worked for or the committees/boards I have served on.
I believe that the best way to get buy-in from any team is to listen to what others have to say, then adjust the plan, encompassing all of the
best input.
My greatest professional achievement has been… Without trying to be vain, I’d say it was being featured in an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and as a guest on NPR’s Marketplace show. Another highlight was seeing [the ReMA specification] Zurik in Chinese publications within months after its publication.
If I ran the world, I would… abdicate quickly. Who would ever want that responsibility? If forced, I would put my efforts into building consensus on major issues. I would not rule, but would lead. That’s not to say that hard decisions would not have to be made.
I’d like to improve my… The easy answer would be my health. To that end, when I made the initial decision to run for office, I made a commitment to myself to get healthier. I strive to be the best me for the adventure that lies in front of me, within the industry I love and at home.
In my free time, I like to… spend time with my wife, son, and dogs. In our newest home we have been able to create our own little Garden of Eden (minus the plants), and I am happy to spend most of my free time there. Television and movies run a close second to that.