The National Waste & Recycling Association’s Future Industry Leaders Alliance (FILA) met in Raleigh, North Carolina earlier this month for its Annual Leadership Conference. The conference was hosted by Waste Industries.
On the conference’s first day, FILA members attended a Leadership Training course presented by Hidden Brook Communications that focused on how to effectively communicate and lead during unexpected situations through a series of role-play activities. Attendees were then briefed on NWRA’s advocacy efforts, as well as general trends within the industry by NWRA leadership.
“I think everyone walked away with some great education in HR and Leadership skills through Hiddenbrook Communications,” said Josh Thompson, FILA Treasurer and Director of Purchasing at Waste Industries.
The following day members learned about the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) at N.C. State University. EREF President & CEO, Bryan Staley, presented on the foundation’s dedication to equipping future leaders with the information and tools they need in order to be successful in their pursuit to improve the industry. Members were also able to tour N.C. State’s Environmental Engineering Lab and speak with EREF grantees and scholars on the research they are doing to address issues facing the industry. That evening, attendees also attended and entrepreneurship presentation in collaboration with the Neighbor to Neighbor program, a non-profit group.
“The education, service projects, and networking of this conference has continued to grow every year and 2018 is shaping up to continue this path,” said Zach Martin, FILA Co-Chair and VP of Sales-North America at Big Truck Rental.
The group announced that next year’s conference will be held in Munich, Germany, May 10-14, 2018. The meeting will be held in conjunction with IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair of environmental technologies.
“Next year’s Leadership Conference in Munich should be another great, enriching event for FILA. By partnering with our German counterparts, BDE Junior Association, the experience will give FILA members an opportunity to see how business is conducted in Europe and experience the industry trends firsthand that may influence the Waste Industry here in the United States,” said Nate Davis, FILA Member-at-Large and Vice President, Service and Digital Solutions at Environmental Services Group.
For more information, visit www.wasterecyling.org.