info@rds-virginia.com
Joe Benedetto, III, President
Joe Benedetto III
CEO
Joe is a third-generation member of the recycling and solid waste industry and has worked in and around recycling facilities his entire life. Joe’s earliest work was at his family’s Recycling Plant in Chesapeake, VA where he was a general laborer and equipment operator. From there Joe obtained at BSBA in Finance from American University and went on to work for the largest manufacturer and consumer of corrugated containers in the world, Stone Container Corporation. At Stone Container, Joe oversaw managing and marketing of over $85 million dollars’ worth of recycled fiber annually. After Stone Container, Joe accepted a position with Paper Recycling International (PRI) where he became Procurement Manager and provided recycled fiber analysis and procurement strategies for 12 paper mills along the East Coast of the US and Canada. In 1999 Joe decided to return to Hampton Roads and work for his family’s recycling company. After a few years as Vice President overseeing the operation and management of 3 facilities, Joe left to join Cellmark, a multibillion-dollar recycling and paper sales company. Joe was responsible for management of their four recycling facilities. In 2005, Joe started RDS and has expanded the company into both Portsmouth, VA and Roanoke, VA, and Athens GA. RDS specializes in MFR operations with an emphasis on Single Stream Recycling. RDS employee the most modern technology in our facilities and was one of the first facilities to utilize AI Robots to perform material sorting.
Joe is has spent years on the board of the Virginia Recycling Association (VRA), having recently held the position of Treasurer. He is also past president of the Southwest Virginia Solid Waste Management Association (SVSWMA) and was previously on the board of the Entrepreneur Organization (EO). With his broad knowledge of recycling, operations and technology, Joe has contributed to various industry publications and has spoken about recycling topics including at Conferences and to publications such as:
- Waste 360
- Waste Today Magazine
- Roanoke Times
- Forbes
- Time
- VRA Annual Conference
- SVSWMA Annual Conference
- Paper and Plastic Recycling Conference, Chicago Illinois
- Carolina Recycling Association (CRA)
Stephen Spillers Athens General Manager
Stephen Spillers
General Manger
Stephen comes to RDS of Virginia with over seventeen years of managerial experience in sales and operations. This includes time spent at Lombardini USA Inc. / Kohler Company, Saia Motor Freight Inc., The Mastercraft Group of Georgia, 31W Insulation Co Inc. as well as several years overseeing Environmental Services at Gwinnett County Public Schools. Through his work, Stephen has become well – versed in project management, OSHA Compliance, DOT Regulations, Inventory Management, P&L Responsibility, Conflict Resolution, and more. Stephen is the General Manager for the RDS Athens – Clarke County facility where he works with County staff to ensure successful processing and marketing of recyclable materials. Stephen is a key player on the RDS team, always focused diligently on achieving our vision and goals as the company grows and withstands challenges from equipment breakdowns to market fluctuations.
Jason Mathis
Jason Mathis
General Manager
Jason Mathis is a seasoned operations and manufacturing leader with over 33 years of hands-on experience across a broad spectrum of industries, including food production, recycling, and commercial baking. Throughout his career, Jason has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to drive operational efficiency, improve safety and quality standards, and lead high-performing teams.
Currently serving as the General Manager at RDS of Virginia in Portsmouth, Jason oversees a team of 35 and the operation of a state-of-the-art recycling and waste facility processing over 350 tons of materials daily. Under his leadership, the site rapidly transformed from a $120K monthly loss to sustained profitability within just three months. He was an intrinsic part in the startup of a cutting-edge recycling system capable of extracting recyclables and organics from municipal solid waste. His leadership also fostered a strong safety culture, resulting in zero recordable incidents in one of the most hazardous industries in the U.S.
Prior to RDS, Jason held the position of Production Manager at Scotts Miracle-Gro in Waverly, VA, where he led a team of up to 46 employees. His tenure was marked by unprecedented achievements, including positioning the Waverly plant as the top-performing site among 42 facilities for three consecutive years, significantly boosting production rates, and reducing quality incidents by 84%. His innovative practices earned the facility multiple gold awards for efficiency, delivery, and customer satisfaction.
Jason’s earlier roles included Lead Production Supervisor and Production Supervisor at High Liner Foods, where he managed large teams and drove multimillion-dollar savings through yield and labor efficiency projects. His leadership helped cut the facility’s DART rate by over 75% in one year, and his custom management tools were adopted company wide.
He also held leadership roles in engineering at Flowers Bakery Company and in technical sales and R&D at Thymly Products. Notably, Jason is an accomplished entrepreneur, having owned and operated two successful wholesale bakeries—Mama Kayer’s Bakery and Brenner’s Bakery—where he led product reformulations, route expansions, and cost-saving operational overhauls that significantly boosted profitability and market reach.
Known for his strategic thinking, hands-on approach, and relentless focus on improvement, Jason is a leader who “gets it,” as noted by colleagues and executives alike. He brings a rare combination of technical acumen, operational excellence, and people-centric leadership to every organization he serves.