Recycling is ALL We Do

As CEO, Tom Outerbridge’s responsibility is to lead Balcones Recycling. He works closely with the management team and Balcones Board to maintain best-in-class recycling operations, develop and implement strategic initiatives, and guide the company through the process of integration and growth. He has more than 30 years of experience with public and private recycling programs, development and operation of processing infrastructure, production and sale of recycled commodities, and managing the diverse teams required for successful performance in a challenging and demanding industry.

Twenty years ago, Outerbridge played a lead role in the creation of Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR), the processor and marketer of all commingled curbside recyclables collected in New York City and other NY-NJ metro area municipalities, as well as Palm Beach and Lee Counties in Florida, and Rockland County, NY. He has sat on numerous boards and committees, including the NYC Manufacturing & Industrial Innovation Council, the NYS Product Stewardship Council, the Circularity Council of The Recycling Partnership, the Circular Plastics & Packaging Team of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Newtown Creek Alliance, the Waterfront Alliance, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, NYC Citywide Recycling Advisory Board, the Association of Post-consumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), the Glass Recycling Coalition, and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). Over his career in recycling and composting, Outerbridge has worked for the NYC Department of Sanitation and the State of Maine, and on projects from California to Sri Lanka.

As President of Balcones Resources, Adam is responsible for overseeing operations, finance, and business development, while driving the strategic direction of the Company. He manages senior leadership and works closely with the Board of Directors and Balcones stakeholders to execute the Company’s mission to transform the nation into a true circular economy. Prior to this role, he served as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of Balcones for 10 years.

Adam has served on the Board of Hill Country Conservancy for 7 years, including roles on the Executive Committee and as the Finance Chair. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a JD/MBA from the University of Arkansas.

Rusty leads Balcones’ Commodities Group and coordinates our recovered paper with end-users, fostering relationships with buyers domestic and abroad. Rusty started in 1979 at the Dallas recycling company founded by his father, Richard Getter, and has performed every function related to recyclables processing that is known to mankind.

Rusty is a recognized leader in recovered materials management and market assessment, successfully positioning Balcones as a top provider of high-quality recyclable products. Rusty has spoken frequently at industry events such as the PPRC and SERC. He was an advisor for the most recent revisions to the ISRI Specifications Circular, executed the first U.S. direct fiber supply agreement with Kimberly-Clark of Mexico, attended Western Michigan’s Fiber Recycling Course, and is a founding member of EarthX, the State of Texas Recycling Alliance (STAR), and INARE Mexico. Rusty’s interests include the San Juan Mountains, astronomy, meteorology, geology, filmmaking, water fowling, Longhorn sports, snow skiing, scuba, high-speed balers and the PPW index.

As the leader of Balcones’ business development team, Joaquin is on a mission to bring the company’s expertise and commitment to recycling to more communities in the United States. Joaquin previously served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Operations, and General Manager of the Austin division before that. His combination of operations experience and passion for enhancing the MRF’s role as the pioneer of the circular economy, makes him what some in the business like to call a “true believer”, a moniker that he wears with pride.

Before coming to Balcones, Joaquin was the Co-Executive Director of the historic Central Texas nonprofit, Ecology Action of Texas. His efforts there led to increased access to recycling opportunities for Austin’s residents and an expanded awareness of the importance of recycling and other landfill diversion activities across the state. Today, he sits on the organization’s Board of Directors. Joaquin is an Alumni of the University of Texas where he received a BA in English. He loves cooking, camping, and hiking with his beloved children. As a retired rugby player, he still maintains dreams of a comeback career but is mostly now a fan and Oldboy for local Austin club, Huns RFC.

Robb joined Balcones in December 2021. He brings to Balcones over 30 years of recycling and waste management industry experience and a track record of excellence in operations optimization and leadership development. He has held leadership roles in a variety of industrial scale processing companies. Most recently, he was AMP Robotics’ Vice President of Facility Development and Operations. He has previously served as COO at Midwest Recycling Service and Sales where he helped to design, build, commission, and optimize numerous material recovery facilities (MRFs) nationwide. Prior to that, he held leadership positions for Rational Energies, Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Greenstar North America, and TRI-R Systems Corp.

Robb holds a BA in Organizational Development from Regis University. He is a big fan of the outdoors and adventure.

Thomas has an extensive and dynamic career in recycling spanning more than 30 years. Since 2005, he has managed daily operations for all SMR (now Balcones East) facilities including the receipt, processing, and marketing of approximately 55,000 tons/month of residential and commercial recyclables from NYC, municipalities in NJ, Palm Beach County and Lee County, FL, and Rockland County, NY. In all facets of his job, he focuses first and foremost on safety, followed by processing efficiency, optimizing quality and throughput, and minimizing residue. Mr. Ferretti plays a critical role in evaluating and implementing new and expanded company activities and operations.

Before entering the recycling field, Thomas began his professional life as a butcher. That is where he developed his skills as an efficient organizer and a personable manager. He approaches everything with dedication and passion: whether it is cost analysis for a new construction project or the safety of his employees in the recycling plants he manages.

Brenda joined the Balcones team as Director of Accounting in May of 2022 and began serving as VP in 2023. Her responsibilities include leading the accounting team, overseeing month-end close, internal controls, creating and improving processes, audit lead, supporting the Ops Team, and assisting the CFO with special projects. Brenda joined Balcones with 30+ years of accounting experience in the construction industry.

Brenda has a Bachelor of Business in Accounting, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and is certified as a SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional). In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, spending time with her four whippets, photography, hunting, and fishing.

As VP of Accounting for Balcones East, Kamil is responsible for overseeing the accounting department, providing strategic financial guidance to the operations team, and ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of financial statements. Kamil is committed to accuracy, integrity and innovation with the ability to adapt to shifting financial landscapes.

Kamil brings over 10 years of waste and recycling experience with exposure to fully integrated business models that includes collection, transfer, disposal and recycling both in the public and private sectors. Out of the office, Kamil enjoys a good round of golf, traveling to new destinations, and staying active.

As the VP of Operations, Mike is responsible for the recycling and hauling operations at the Balcones DFW facilities. Mike joined Balcones in 2012 as the Maintenance Manager of the Austin facility and was promoted to VP of Maintenance in 2015 where he was responsible for various duties from managing maintenance activities across all sites to acting as the project manager for equipment installs and retrofits. Through his humble upbringing in the industry Mike has gained a unique perspective on what it takes to effectively lead operations teams in the demanding recycling environment.

Most recently Mike was employed at AMP Robotics initially as the Director of Customer Service and finishing out his time as the Director of Asset Deployment where he was responsible for planning and executing both robot installations and small MRF installations. Prior to his involvement in the recycling industry, he worked as a foreman for a service company that specialized in repairing document destruction equipment. Mike is also a proud Army veteran servicing both in and active duty and National Guard capacity serving a total of 8 years and completing one deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Since 2017, James has been responsible for the sale of more than 35,000 tons per month of processed recycled commodities for SMR (now Balcones East). This entails close collaboration with operations on production, inventories and quality, and working with a broad range of customers, from mills to smelters to reclaimers. James maintains SMR’s long-standing relationships while expanding its network of industry and public sector partners.

James comes from a background of more than 10 years in electronics and scrap metal recycling, and his experience as a production supervisor informs his detailed understanding of recycled commodities from the producer perspective. He is a Vice President of ANJR (Association of New Jersey Recyclers), and a member of APR (Association of Plastics Recyclers), ISRI (Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries), the Glass Recycling Coalition, and the NJPRA (New Jersey Paper Recyclers Association). Additionally, he is one of two MRF advisors for the NJ Recycling Markets Development Council. He holds his OSHA-10 card and is well-versed in job site safety.

An accomplished operations leader and industry expert in non-traditional paper and plastic grades, Jay Saxton is currently responsible for overseeing Balcones’ Arkansas facility and for marketing all non-fiber commodities for the company. He joined Balcones in 2011 as the General Manager of the Little Rock, Arkansas plant. In this role, he managed the daily recycling processing operations, and worked closely with customers of all sizes—from small businesses to Fortune 500 firms– to find solutions to divert post-industrial material from the landfill. He also built partnerships with the City of Little Rock, the Arkansas Recycling Coalition, and with regional haulers, and set up a public drop-off for recyclables that were not accepted in the City’s curbside program.

Before joining the recycling business, Jay managed a turf farm for 11 years and handled purchasing in the steel industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Horticultural Merchandising from the University of Arkansas.

Brent joined Balcones in 2022 to build the Arizona operations of the company, where he is responsible for transitioning the operations of the Phoenix North Gateway MRF from the previous contractor and starting up the new 27th Ave. MRF. Brent has over 25 years of experience building top-performing teams that exceed revenue, efficiency and performance goals. Brent brings to Balcones his passion for safety and culture, and deep industry expertise as a senior leader in recycling operations ranging from independent operators to multi-national public firms. He is the past president of the Colorado Association of Recyclers, and has been recognized by the State of Colorado for his environmental leadership.

Kara has been an educator for over 20 years. After working with SMR (now Balcones East) as an Education Assistant for several months, in 2019 she was given the opportunity to oversee the Recycling Education Center in Brooklyn NY, offering educational tours to thousands of visitors each year. She is passionate about offering engaging educational experiences and inspiring the public to reduce, reuse, and recycle right. Through in-person and virtual tours and workshops, Kara connects with not only the general public, but also educates and informs packaging designers, brand representatives, advocates, and public officials.

Kara sits on the advisory board for the Sanitation Foundation, the official nonprofit for New York City’s Department of Sanitation, is the president of Upstate New York POrtalBurn Arts Inc., a communal arts event in Western NY, and has been a Storytime performer for New York City’s Bryant Park for the past 13 years.

Bob McGivney began a career in the waste industry in 2008 when starting Wandering River Recycling, Austin Texas’s first Single Stream Recycling hauling company for businesses and events. Balcones Recycling acquired it in 2012 to further grow services for events and the small and medium sized businesses of Austin. Since then, Bob has filled several roles in operations and sales within Balcones Recycling and is now Director of Sales.

Before the waste industry Bob worked in broadcast media advertising & marketing in print, radio & online sales and earned his BA in Broadcast Communication from San Francisco State University. He enjoys working with Junior Achievement of Central Texas as a course teacher and mentor for young entrepreneurs and working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas to help at risk kids. He loves being outside swimming, hiking, racing mountain bikes and travelling with his wife and two children.

Alexandra joined Balcones Resources in late 2021 as Director of Marketing. She is responsible for planning, implementing and managing all marketing, PR, and brand development initiatives. She also designs, implements, and manages the execution of education programs to support municipalities and customers, and improve recycling performance. She is passionate about collaborating with strategic partners to raise awareness about recycling best practices and their environmental impact.

Prior to joining Balcones Resources, Alexandra managed marketing and media buying teams in the healthcare and technology industries. She developed and project managed the implementation of programmatic media buying, digital media marketing, and product marketing strategies. She earned her MBA in Digital Media Management from St. Edward’s University and a BS in Print & Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College. She is a Board Member at the State of Texas Alliance for Recyling (STAR), and a member of the Women’s Council at the NWRA. She loves yoga, live music, spending time with her pets, and getting lost outdoors.

Jason Ramirez joined Balcones Recycling as its Director of Environmental Health and Safety in mid-year 2020. He is responsible for providing support and guidance for all operations to ensure the Company’s objectives are achieved in the areas of Safety & Compliance including providing assistance and instructions to all levels of management and employees. Jason brings to Balcones over 20+ years’ experience in the Environmental, Health & Safety and Risk Management fields. Prior to his involvement in the Recycling Industry, Jason’s previous experience has been primarily in the Warehouse Distribution and the Oil and Gas Industries where he served as the Manager of Environmental, Safety, Fire & Health.

Jason currently serves as a member of the National Waste & Recycling Association, American Society of Safety Professionals, and participates on several sub-committees for the ANSI-Z245 regulatory board.

As the Information Technology Director for Balcones, Clarence oversees the entire technical network infrastructure and other technical operations within Balcones. His main duties include identifying the organization’s IT needs, adding updates and enhancements to current computer systems and ensuring employees’ technical issues are resolved efficiently. Clarence brings nearly 30 years of experience in technology ranging from entry-level IT positions and advancing into more complex roles within management. These years of experience have taught him that a successful partnership depends on transparency and clear communications regarding the needs of the business and how they are met by IT solutions. Clarence prioritizes staying up to date with the latest technology to help with continuous service improvements within Balcones. 

Clarence graduated from Grambling State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. He has attended many classes and conferences pertaining to technology and earned six Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certifications. When he is not in front of a computer, Clarence spends as much time outdoors as possible in his vegetable and herb garden or cooking.  

Tim is responsible for strategic EHS management, identifying operational risks, and implementing mitigation measures ensuring continued best-in-class performance and sustainability. He brings over 30 years of professional EHS experience in consulting, technology, real estate, facilities management, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, energy, infrastructure construction, and power generation sectors.

Previously, he led CBRE’s West Region Global Workplace Solutions teams to support its Fortune 500 clients including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Disney, and many others. In the past, Tim was responsible for leading operational risk and safety excellence at BP’s North American headquarters in Houston supporting campus redevelopment, contractor management, and capital projects. Prior to BP, he held EHS leadership roles with Johnson Controls, achieving over 3,000,000 safe hours worked with zero recordable and zero lost time incidents.

Gary is an experienced accountant, who has spent more than two decades in the New Jersey and New York recycling industry. He has been with SMR (now Balcones East) for 20 years, working as the Director of Finance for the past 15 years. He has been involved with the development of the company’s curbside recycling business since its beginnings. Currently, he is responsible for maintaining financial records, budget management, and financial projections, along with sales, inventory, production, operating and capital expenditure analysis.

Prior to SMR, Gary was Accounting and Financial Manager for Sims Metal East, overseeing accounting, production, cost and capital expenditures for scrap metal operations in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Monthly sales tonnage averaged over 100,000 with revenues of $30 million. In the 1990s, Gary was Senior Trust Officer for the Pension Trust Division of Bankers Trust, administering large corporate pension funds in the $1-3 billion range.

Thomas is responsible for developing and implementing operational plant processes and project engineering strategies for Balcones’ recycling facilities. As Director of Projects and Maintenance, he supports the organization in advancing key projects for Balcones Recycling Management Division as well as ongoing site maintenance procedures and training. Thomas brings over 30 years of operational experience in recycling processing, facility design, project management, start up, commissioning sorting operations and ongoing maintenance to the role. He is an out-of-the box thinker who champions innovative solutions to elevate performance, including national training programs, new business development, and technological advancements. Thomas has a proven track record of expanding organizations to guarantee they work efficiently and excel at an international level.

Thomas’ passion for mechanics goes beyond his role at Balcones. In addition to holding several patents for various tools, waste handling and industrial products, he won second place in a US national mechanics competition.

Joining the Balcones team in 2023, Caroline Ogburn brings with her a diverse skillset underpinned by her passion for recycling and the environment. Caroline is responsible for coordinating Balcones’ responses to municipal RFPs for recycling, identifying new markets and opportunities, as well as managing the development and execution of new projects. Overall, Caroline seeks to help Balcones reach new markets and serve new communities to help promote its mission to divert more waste from landfills.

After beginning her career by producing live events, Caroline’s interest was piqued by the waste being created at concerts and festivals. She redirected her career toward sustainability by earning her MBA from the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business while working for Waste Management. Caroline is a proud alumnus of the University of Virginia where she received her B.A. in music, media, and arts administration.

As HR Director for Balcones East (formerly SMR) Iveth works with managers and executives on strategic planning and serves as the link between employees and the organization. Throughout her years in this role, Iveth has personally helped the company hire more than 500 employees, including fully staffing all SMR’s operations in New Jersey, New York, and Florida. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities (counseling managers on candidate selection, interviewing potential new employees, training/coaching supervisors to ensure legal compliance, conducting investigations, attending unemployment hearings, resolving employee grievances and labor issues), Iveth is responsible in overseeing payroll & benefits administration, Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, rolling out programs to improve communications between hourly employees and management, and enhance employee opportunities for growth & advancement within the company.

Iveth has more than 20 years of experience in Human Resource management and excels at finding talent and helping our employees develop skills to grow in their roles and responsibilities. She provides invaluable insight into the work environment, its challenges, and requirements.

Raquel Hoffstot joined Balcones Resources as its Director of People mid-year 2023. She is responsible for leading the strategic development and implementation of Balcones overall people operations, employee experience, culture, and strengthening employee relations across the organization. She brings over 20 years of experience in human resources and has a track record of building human resource departments from scratch, designing, and negotiating total reward programs, as well as talent development and succession planning. She has a passion for developing people and helping them reach their full potential and brings a high degree of customer focus, teamwork, honest communication, and collaboration.

Raquel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Houston, is a certified Succession Strategist, SHRM-SCP and Six Sigma certified. She loves being outdoors biking, surfing, swimming, wake surfing, hunting and in her spare time, she competes in Ironman competitions and is a marathon runner.

Monique McBride joined the Balcones team as a senior accountant in February of 2020. Since then, Monique has held several positions within the accounting team at Balcones Resources and is now Director of AP & AR. Her responsibilities include leading the accounts payable and accounts receivable teams, creating and improving sustainable processes, building vendor relationships, supporting the Ops team, and assisting with special projects. Monique brings to Balcones over 10 years of accounting and finance experience.

Monique earned her MSA from Texas A&M University-Commerce and BBA from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. In her spare time, she operates a small goat farm and enjoys gardening, cooking, camping, embroidery, and spending time with family.

Laura joined Balcones in 2011 and currently serves as Director of Finance. In her role, Laura is responsible for ensuring the stability of a company’s finances. Her responsibilities include budgeting and forecasting, preparing reports for management necessary for operational efficiencies and investment decisions. In addition, Laura provides support to the CFO and VP of Accounting on special projects, audits, and on-going training of accounting personnel.

Laura earned her Bachelor of Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Saint Edward’s University. Prior to her role as Director of Finance, Laura has served in the accounting and finance departments across different industries including oilfield services, restaurant, and healthcare. Laura loves live music, travel, and spending time with her daughter.

Ron is the Founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, a New York-based investment firm focused on building the circular economy. Closed Loop Partners manages capital for leading consumer goods companies, technology companies, retailers, financial institutions, family offices and endowments focused on investments that seek strong financial returns and tangible social impact.

Prior to Closed Loop Partners, Ron was the Deputy Commissioner of Sanitation, Recycling and Sustainability in New York City in the Bloomberg Administration. He oversaw the collection and processing of NYC’s paper, metal, glass, plastic, textile waste, electronic waste, organics, and hazardous waste as well as public policy. In 2013, NRDC and Earth Day New York named Ron as the Public Official of the Year in New York City.

During his career, Ron has been recognized with a number of business and environmental awards including recognition as a ‘Champion of the Earth’ by the United Nations Environment Program which is the highest distinction for environmental protection given by the United Nations and recognizes outstanding visionaries and leaders in the fields of policy, science and entrepreneurship and the Medal of Excellence from Columbia University which recognizes alumnus under the age of 45 for excellence in scholarship, public service and professional life The companies that he has led have been recognized as innovators in sustainable business practices. Recognitions include The Conference of Mayors – Public/Private Partnership of the Year, Technology Pioneer from the World Economic Forum and the Wall Street Journal’s #1 Venture Backed Cleantech Company of The Year.

Ron is the author of a number of patents in the areas of technology and environmental science.

Ron received his MBA from Columbia Business School. He returned to Columbia as an Adjunct Professor for several years. His first book, The Waste-Free World, was published by Penguin Random House in 2022.

Jessica leads strategic initiatives across Closed Loop Partners, working across all investment platforms and in close collaboration with the Center for the Circular Economy. She works with CLP’s corporate investors, portfolio companies and other partners to help achieve their circular economy goals.

Jessica brings over two decades of experience, helping organizations increase competitiveness and drive profitable growth while creating positive economic, environmental and societal impact. Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Jessica was a Managing Director with Accenture, leading their North America Sustainability and Responsible Business practice. In this role, Jessica led engagements with companies in energy, food, fashion and technology to advance their ESG goals, drive economic value through responsible business and scale circular business models. In addition to working with Fortune 500 companies, she drove multi-stakeholder efforts with the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Global Compact. Prior to that role, Jessica was based in East Africa, leading the company’s work at the intersection of business, international development and emerging markets.

Before joining Accenture, Jessica worked in the United States Senate on issues related to affordable housing and immigration. She is a speaker and author of several papers and studies, including the recently published The Circular Economy Handbook: Realizing the Circular Advantage.

Jessica serves as an advisor to 17 Rooms, the Business & Sustainable Development Commission, the Global Community Engagement & Resilience Fund, the Global Teacher Prize and Rise. She was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Amy is the Executive Vice President of Business Development and Operations at Circular Services, the largest privately held recycling company in the U.S. Prior to Circular Services, Amy was the Chief Financial Officer of CreateMe, an apparel technology company, where she was responsible for the company’s finance, accounting, and corporate strategy/M&A functions.

Prior to CreateMe, Amy was the COO and CFO of Altress, a sustainable, on-demand, and customizable apparel company. At Altress, Amy developed the company’s commercial and corporate strategy; launched and scaled the D2C and B2B platforms; and led the finance, accounting, tax, operations, legal, and compliance functions.

Earlier in her career, Amy helped launch a cleantech investment bank which was sold to Nomura, and co-founded and exited an IT consulting firm for a 20x cash-on-cash return. Amy started her career at Citigroup in investment banking, completing over $30 billion of transactions, including several landmark deals.

Amy graduated with honors from Harvard University with a degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy. She is an avid supporter of environmental programs, educational programs, medical research, and animal rights, and has served as a foster parent for rescue canines prior to adopting her own. She also served on the New York regional board of Reading Partners, a non-profit that enhances literacy through in-school programs, and has been a tutor and mentor for at-risk students for over fifteen years. Amy lives in Connecticut with her husband, four kids, and two dogs.