info@rds-virginia.com
Joe Benedetto, III, President
Joe Benedetto III
President
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. 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 AMP Robots to perform material sorting.
Joe is currently on the board of the Virginia Recycling Association (VRA), having recently held the position of Treasurer. He is also on the board of the Southwest Virginia Solid Waste Management Association (SVSWMA) and was previously on the board of Entrepreneur Organization (EO). With his broad knowledge of recycling, operations and technology, Joe has contributed to various industry publications and has spoken at many conferences about recycling topics including:
- Greenbiz.com
- Waste 360
- AMP
- Waste Today Magazine
- Roanoke Times
- Forbes
- Time
- VRA Annual Conference
- SVSWMA Annual Conference
- Paper and Plastic Recycling Conference, Chicago Illinois
- Carolina Recycling Association (CRA)
Amy Owens Korte Chief Financial Officer
Amy Owens
Chief Financial Officer
Amy Owens grew up in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania where she attended the University of Pittsburgh for undergraduate and Liberty University for her master’s degree in accounting. She started her career in internal auditing with the JC Penney Company and Consolidated Natural Gas. She transitioned to the fields of finance and purchasing with the H.J. Heinz Company, also performing roles in their demand planning as well as continuous improvement departments. In these Supply Chain roles, she completed a fraud investigation program, earned her Six Sigma Blackbelt, completed her Certified Purchasing Management training, and SOX Sarbanes Oxley training with certifications in all. After serving as a Starbucks Director of Ingredient Purchasing in Seattle, Amy returned to the East Coast where she worked in her local school system’s finance department. Amy is an active community member who is dedicated to continual learning, and always adding value to the organizations in which she is employed. She understands the way that great data can tell a story and identify opportunities for growth among any company. As a leader at RDS, Amy sets ambitious goals for company development and the organization through streamlining processes and communication across all RDS facilities. Amy is a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the Virginia Recycling Association (VRA)
David Twigg Korte Street Facility Plant Manager
David Twigg
Korte Street Facility Plant Manager
David has 14 years’ experience in maintenance and repair of refuse & specialized heavy equipment and over 20 years’ experience of solid waste management with the City of Roanoke. David directly supervised upward of 50+ employees and oversaw the City’s refuse, recycling, bulk, and brush collection operations. He has implemented many current process improvement methods focusing on safety, accountability, and accessibility. Aside from operations, David assists in Divisional contract / vendor / resource management and fiscal year budgeting. David attended Virginia Western Community College with study in automotive technologies, certifications in FEMA National Incident Management System (NIMS) IS-100, IS-700, IS-800, IS-200.
Stephen Spillers Athens General Manager
Joe Owen
Portsmouth Plant Supervisor
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.