Born: I was born March 16, 1963, in Naperville, Illinois.
Education: I have a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Family: I have been married 31 years to my wife Karen, and we have two grown children—Nicholas and Matthew.
When and how did you enter the recycling industry? My sister Cathy (Boswell) Hill and I formed HOBI International in 1992. It was the outgrowth of work my father was doing in the industry after his retirement from AT&T.
What was it about the industry that prompted you to build a career in it? For myself, the industry combines a lot of key elements that made it attractive from a career perspective. In 1992, the industry was in its infancy and was a great place for someone with entrepreneurial inclinations to bootstrap a company. It also represents constant technical challenges as new products and devices hit the market. Finally, there is a real feeling of accomplishment in helping solve a problem that could have a significant negative impact on the global environment.
What have been your most rewarding professional achievements? Personal achievements? I feel the rewards have been similar from a professional and personal standpoint. Starting a company with my sister and employing so many wonderful people throughout the years has been extremely rewarding.
What are you passionate about? From a professional standpoint, I am passionate about setting up scenarios that allow people to succeed and reach their personal goals. This can be in our own company or assisting other entrepreneurs in creating a successful business.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people. I have taught preschool and kindergarten Sunday School for the last 27 years—and as a result I can sing almost any preschool Sunday School song by heart.
If you could improve anything about yourself, what would it be? The list is very long, but if I had to pick one thing it would be to improve my ability to give undivided attention to those around me. Being an entrepreneur and running a business can be extremely demanding on your time. It is a constant challenge for me to sit down and give my undivided attention to any single thing. When you are doing tasks, multitasking is fine, but when you are talking individuals, they deserve your full attention.
What do you like to do in your free time? My wife and I own a small farm north of Dallas, so I spent a lot of my free time puttering (I know that is an old man term, but I am an old man) around the farm.
When and why did your company decide to join ISRI and the Gulf Coast Chapter? HOBI was one of the original companies to become an ISRI member when ISRI acquired the International Association of Electronics Recyclers around 2009. We joined the Gulf Coast Chapter at that time.
Have you held any volunteer leadership positions within GCC? I recently was asked to join the GCC board of directors. It was a great honor to be asked. I feel there is a lot of key work that happens at the chapter level.
What benefits have you received from your GCC involvement? I think one of the benefits everyone should recognize is the great networking opportunities at the chapter level. It is a key benefit of your ISRI membership.
What leadership positions, if any, have you held on the ISRI national level? I am currently chair of ISRI’s Electronics Division at the national level.
What are the major challenges facing your company and the overall recycling industry today? Certainly, in electronics—and I feel this is expanding to the broader recycling industry as a whole—the rapid amount of change in the industry is a constant challenge. The business model that is successful today may not be viable five years from now. It is a challenge for management and for employees to deal with this change.
