Cyclyx hits construction milestones, adds to corporate leadership

Cyclyx International, a postuse plastic-to-feedstock innovator and joint venture among Agilyx, Tigard, Oregon, and Houston-based companies ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell, has reached construction milestones at the Cyclyx Circularity Center in Houston. All major civil and structural work is now complete, the company says.

Once operational, the Houston-based circularity facility will have the capacity to produce 300 million pounds of custom-formulated feedstock annually. Cyclyx has selected the Dallas-Fort Worth area as the site for its second circularity center. After full commissioning, the two facilities will have the capacity to produce 600 million pounds annually of custom-formulated, ISCC-PLUS-certified feedstock for recycling applications.

Organizational changes and leadership appointments

Cyclyx has named The Woodlands, Texas, just north of Houston, as its corporate headquarters. To align with its next phase of growth, the company also is implementing strategic organizational changes. New leadership appointments at the company’s corporate headquarters at Hughes Landing in The Woodlands, Texas, reflect a sharpened focus on accelerating progress to the Cyclyx Circularity Center, the company says.

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“We have recently brought on board senior, experienced industry leaders to support Cyclyx in our strategic focus,” Cyclyx CEO Chris Yandell says. “The company continues to shift towards a disciplined and results-driven approach as it works to revolutionize plastic recycling. These changes allow us to concentrate resources on the capabilities required to deliver value, scale effectively and meet the expectations of our partners.” 

Beginning in May, Walter Sopp will serve as the company’s new chief operating officer, and Vinny Pires will join as commercial vice president. Chief Impact Officer Leslie Hushka, Ph.D., joined Cyclyx in January.

Yandell was named CEO in December. Under his direction, Cyclyx is undergoing a pivotal phase of transformative growth. The Hughes Landing location will serve as the operational base for Yandell, the incoming senior leaders and key personnel supporting operating sites, including the circularity centers.

The company’s new leadership brings a proven record and unified emphasis on operational execution and commercial excellence. 

Sopp is an operations leader with more than 20 years of experience building top-performing teams and organizations. He joins Cyclyx with experience in starting up industrial facilities in the U.S., Australia and China, offering expertise in operational planning, risk management and change management. Besides his extensive experience in the energy and manufacturing industry, he also served a distinguished career in the U.S. Marine Corps for 22 years.

Hushka joins Cyclyx with 25 years of experience in strategic engagements and partnerships. She has built multiple sustainability-focused organizations and programs in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. In her energy industry career, she helped create an award-winning advanced recycling program and defined and led the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. She holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from Purdue.

Pires has nearly 25 years of experience in commercial management, strategy and business development across the steel, mining and advanced materials industries in South and North America. Pires holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and MBA in commercial management from FGV in Brazil.

“We value the collaboration, efficiency improvements and strong business relationships with industry stakeholders we’ll have access to here in the Houston area,” Yandell says.