Week 4: History

In May 1962, the association was launched. It was formed as the National Council of Refuse Disposal Trade Associations and was first managed by an association management firm in Chicago. In January 1968, the group moved to Washington, DC, was formerly chartered as the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) and hired its first three full-time staff. In 1993, as part of a a major reorganization, the Waste and Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC) was formed, and both NSWMA and WASTEC became quasi-independent trade associations under the umbrella of the Environmental Industry Associations (EIA). Sharon H. Kneiss became the new president and CEO of EIA in June 2012. During her first year leading the group, Kneiss oversaw a strategic planning effort, in which the EIA leadership moved to reorganize the group, merging EIA, NSWMA, and WASTEC into a single entity with a single name. This process was completed in November 2013, when the EIA Board of Trustees renamed the merged association the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA).

Since “growing pains” is highly negative, I want to focus on the major changes that the National Waste & Recycling Association have undergone that cause some adjustment. As you can see from the history, the NWRA has changed names and entities throughout the years. So this hurts our brand recognition, for one thing, but it also means the number of employees has been in constant flux. In order to showcase what we do and get our single-named entity known, we participate in huge events like WasteExpo, put on free education symposiums, create safety programs like Slow Down to Get Around, recognize members with awards, and more. The number of employees has decreased as the NWRA has changed titles and CEOs, and people who work in the office have only worked here for 4 years or less. There are 4 employees who are the exception to the rule by having been here 10+ years, and they are a big reason why this association runs smoothly and stays true to its mission. The association also used to own WasteExpo, but they sold it a couple years ago to Penton. The NWRA still is a large part of WasteExpo, but the company left to focus on its other aspects like advocacy and policy.

One highlight of my week was dipping my toes in event planning. I helped the head of my department organize the NYC Waste & Recycling Safety Symposium by designing and creating nametags, designing and creating the program, coordinating with the venue man about logistics, and ordering catering. I’ve always loved planning things, especially parties, and now I have real experience in the business world. Although, I did learn that I’m not the biggest fan of formatting. I enjoy creating a design concept but not implementing the frustrating technological restrictions such as margins and spacing.