C&D World Session Preview: Leadership insights on industry trends and challenges

C&D World 2025 (March 11-14, Dallas) is just around the corner, and at this year’s event, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in dynamic sessions covering the latest trends and key issues shaping the construction and demolition (C&D) recycling industry.

In the Leadership Insights: An Executive Panel on Industry Trends and Challenges session on March 13 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. CT, Lincoln Young, president of Rockwood Sustainable Solutions, Lebanon, Tennessee, will lead a panel discussion featuring Joe E. Posillico, director of facility operations at Posillico Inc., Farmingdale, New York; Ray Windham, regional vice president at Arcosa Crushed Concrete, Dallas; Jim Marcinko, vice president of recycling operations at WM, Houston; Jack Canty, president and CEO at ReSource Waste Services, Salem, New Hampshire; and Clete Elms, chief operating officer at GreenWaste Recovery, San Jose, California. The panelists will discuss the opportunities and challenges in diversification, the impact of changing construction materials and technology on operations and more.

In anticipation of the panel discussion, Construction & Demolition Recycling spoke with Young about what attendees can expect to gain from this important conversation.

Construction & Demolition Recycling (C&DR): What are the current opportunities and challenges in diversification within the C&D recycling industry?

Lincoln Young (LY): The industry offers a wide array of challenges, such as operations, staffing and capital demands. To meet these challenges and divert them from threats to opportunities, the business must be able to leverage its local resources, quality controls, technology and business acumen to stay diversified and remain in a growth mindset. The panel discussion should drive home some lessons learned from some of the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association’s [CDRA’s] members focusing on their experience, knowledge and lessons learned in operations.

C&DR: How are diversion mandates and policies driving operational changes in the industry?

LY: Diversion mandates and policies are still so regional that many of the session’s panelists have different opinions on this subject. Those on the West Coast are being asked to sort more and provide documentation and transparency to every part of the business, while those in the South seem to be just beginning. With policy changes come threats to permitting, facilities and other aspects of business development, as well as creativity, opportunities to grow and new markets to explore. While changes can be frustrating, the companies that adapt to technological and process advancements are best positioned to capitalize on these shifts.

RELATED: C&D World session preview: A 360-degree view of concrete recycling

C&DR: What impact do changing construction materials have on recycling operations?

LY: Changing construction materials always pose a problem for the industry. The session’s panelists represent a large portion of the industry, from mixed material separation facilities to large aggregate processors supplying asphalt. As materials develop and change, so does the industry. Material changes often negatively affect the recyclability of the product. This is where recyclers must engage in partnerships with their end market offtakers, research, development and continually drive toward quality improvement to adjust with demands.

C&DR: How do you think technology has changed operations over the years, and what do you anticipate will change in the future?

LY: This was one of the major talking points during our panel’s preparation call for C&D World. Technology in the construction recycling industry seems to be lagging, and a lot of our members are doing the same thing they did in the ’80s and continuing to see success.

For some, there is a thought of, why fix what is not broken? For others, adopting new technology has been far from rewarding. Many of our members are customizing, fabricating and changing equipment designed around one industry and trying to make it work for the recycling industry.

There are great and vast improvements that could be made in technology in the construction recycling industry, but as the panelists agreed, it is up to the recycler and equipment engineers to work together to find a better solution for the modern mouse trap.

C&DR: What advice do you have for smaller businesses looking to grow their operations or someone who is looking to start their own business?

LY: Starting and growing a small business in the recycling industry can be very rewarding but also very challenging. It is important you understand the community and regulatory environment where you want to grow. However, one of the key ways to run a business without letting it run you is mastering the growth tools related to your company’s people, process, issues and data. 

C&DR: What can attendees expect to learn from this session?

LY: This session offers an opportunity to learn from some of the top and most experienced executives in the C&D recycling industry representing a diversified knowledge base from different parts of the country. In this session, we will stay on a high and strategic level discussing the fundamental aspects of business—people, data, vision, process and market drivers that have brought success in the recycling industry from some of the top leaders in the field.