WASTEC Organization, Staff, Mission & History

WASTEC is the trade association representing those companies which design, build, distribute, service and consult with respect to the equipment and technology systems that are used to collect, contain, transport, store, process, recycle, treat and dispose of the world's solid and hazardous wastes and recyclable materials.

WASTEC is a full service trade association, with close ties to its members. It is directed by a Board of Governors, elected from the membership, which establishes policy and oversees its professional staff.

Association Info

Mission and purpose

History

The Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC) had its origins in 1972 as the Waste Equipment Manufacturers Institute (WEMI), a part of the old National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA). A few years later distribution interests were added to the mix through the Institute of Waste Equipment Distributors (IWED). In 1993, as a result of a major reorganization of NSWMA, WASTEC was formed, and NSWMA and WASTEC were placed as a quasi-independent trade associations under the umbrella of the Environmental Industry Associations (EIA). WASTEC serves the technology interests in the industry, including consultants to the sector.

In 1972, when WEMI was created, it was led by NSWMA's Executive Director Harold Gershowitz. In 1973, Eugene J. Wingerter was promoted to succeed Gershowitz. Wingerter served as NSWMA's Executive Director, until the 1993 reorganization and then served as the President and CEO of EIA. When Wingerter departed EIA on April 1, 1994, Allen "Mike" Frischkorn Jr., became the President and CEO of EIA. On February 10, 1997, Bruce J. Parker became the acting President and CEO of EIA, formally taking over the position in November 1997. On May 31, 2012, Parker retired. Sharon H. Kneiss became the new President and CEO of EIA on June 1, 2012.

Programs

There are four key program divisions in WASTEC’s current and future service plan. These are: 1) Technical Programs; 2) Executive Programs; 3) Market Enhancement Programs; and 4) Information & Education Programs. The Association also conducts business development activities in order to assure the most effective stewardship of the member's investment.

Technical Programs include the standards activity and project working groups, involving over 200 member volunteers. They are the anchor around which the Association is built, forming the connective thread that weaves throughout the other WASTEC program elements, and are the basis for WASTEC's strong ties to many customer trade groups, such as the National Solid Wastes Management Association.

Executive Programs, including our advocacy and other Executive Roundtable (ERT) services, are aimed at involving the member companies' CEO’s with the industry, with their trade association, and with one another. This is the development area that has been focused upon since the time of the reorganization in 1993, and has resulted in over 100 top executives having become active ERT participants. Beginning in 2000, the ERT has been conducted jointly with CEO's and senior managers from NSWMA.

Market Enhancement Programs are aimed at improving the visibility of the Association and its programs in the industry, creating a "cut above the competition" image for member companies, and facilitating the marketing of members’ products and services to their customers. The objective is to make WASTEC’s Programs and the relevant EIA enterprises an integral and highly valued part of the members’ marketing and sales-distribution systems. Market Enhancement Programs include disseminating member product information and responding to procurement inquiries around the world, as well as close ties with the industry's leading trade event, WasteExpo.

Education and Information Programs, while also a part of the Association’s 25-year history, WASTEC's future plans are to develop an even more aggressive menu of training and information products for the producers and end users of equipment. For members, the prime objective of these programs is to inform the members on WASTEC’s activities, issues and programs. A second is providing a forum to communicate information to the users of technology in the industry, including "industrial consumers". The association uses its relationship with the various trade publications as means to inform the industry about important trends and developments, principally through Waste Age magazine and its related publications.

Association Development activities, including member recruiting, marketing and financing of WASTEC’s activities, are coordinated closely with the long term Strategic Plan with strong member oversight. These programs are the Association’s methods for conducting itself in a businesslike manner.