CEO Column

So, is this the new normal?

This was not how I expected to be celebrating my fifth anniversary at SWANA next week (April 30^th). Although working from home does have several advantages (no commute!), they are outweighed substantially by the opportunities to interact with our awesome and hard-working staff (TeamSWANA!) and brainstorm, collaborate, and support each other while we serve you – our members. I know many of you are in the same situation. And, although we have frequent Zoom calls and other digital interactions, it isn’t the same as being in the office together. Also, I really miss attending SWANA chapter meetings and interacting with members on an individual, in-person basis. More than I knew, to be honest.

With the Washington DC metropolitan area unlikely to re-open for business for at least the next few weeks, my home office and dining room table will probably be my principal places of business for the remainder of April and much of May. Many days, I spend the morning in the home office and then relocate to the dining room in the afternoon. The chance of scenery is helpful, although my dog is increasingly suspicious why I seem to be home every afternoon.

I have learned how to do Zoom calls with reporters, and the importance of having a proper background during such calls. My home office contains a bookcase and I’ve artfully arranged a model garbage truck, a 1971 issue of Waste Age magazine, and a Washington DC postcard on the top shelf as the background for these calls.

When I joined SWANA five years ago, I thought I knew a lot about the association. I was incorrect. Among other things, I did not fully appreciate the depth of SWANA’s resources and expertise, the ambition of our 2015 Strategic Plan, or the complexity of some of our decision-making processes. With the guidance and help of IB/EC members, chapter leaders, Technical Division representatives, members, and staff, I better understand the complicated, wonderful, and yes, ambitious organization that is the Solid Waste Association of North America.

SWANA’s Strategic Plan ambitiously envisioned us as a vital resource for national, local, and trade media concerning solid waste and recycling issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated conclusively that we have accomplished that goal. We are receiving media inquiries on a nearly daily basis from national and local media about various impacts of the pandemic on the sanitation industry and its employees. Whether its worker safety, increased residential volumes, changes to operations, or the PPE litter that is plaguing our streets and parking lots, reporters are emailing and calling SWANA seeking our expertise. In several cases, we have been able to refer reporters to SWANA members who can provide more of a “front-line” perspective, and I expect that to continue in the coming weeks.

The Strategic Plan envisioned a growing SWANA. Over the past five years, we have achieved that goal, increasing the number of members from 8,200 to over 11,000, and adding new chapters in the Pacific Basin and Michigan. Although the current economic downturn may impact budgets and the ability for some of you to renew your SWANA membership, I would argue that SWANA is – more than ever – your best resource for professional growth and a vital connection to the dynamic waste and recycling sector. So, when you receive your renewal notice, please renew. Don’t wait for me, another TeamSWANA representative, or someone from your chapter to ask why you have not renewed yet. SWANA has been there for you in good times and is there for you in the current tough times. We need you to be there for SWANA.

The best thing about SWANA is the people. Remarkable, knowledgeable, generous, interesting, and smart people. From coast to coast, in both the US and Canada, you belong to the best association for waste and recycling professionals in the world. Something to be proud of. I know I am.

Stay safe, healthy, and hopeful.