We love catching up with MSEM alums – to hear what they’re doing now, learn about environmental management career pathways, and get their advice for current and prospective students. Recently, we connected with Max Wechsler, who graduated from USF with a dual-degree MBA and Masters in Environmental Management in 2016.
and a pile of salvaged old growth Douglas fir in Pescadero, CA
What is your current professional role? Tell us a little about a day-in-the-life of your job.
“I am the Vice President of Sales for Pacific Reclaimed Lumber Supply (PRLS, pronounced ‘pearls’), where I hold an equity stake and serve on the Board of Directors. PRLS is a start-up managed by three veterans in the reuse industry, including myself. We’re developing an online marketplace for reclaimed lumber and salvaged goods.
I’ve been selling lumber salvaged from Campbell’s Soup warehouses built in the 1940s to grow mushrooms down in Pescadero, CA where my business partner owns a reclaimed lumber yard. It’s some of the best old growth redwood and Douglass fir on the planet. We’re using this inventory to populate the PRLS website and get the ball rolling for a beta launch. I’m also learning how to execute deconstruction projects; we deconstructed a beautiful 100-year-old barn in San Gregorio last month. We deal mainly with property owners, contractors, architects, and local governments.
I also manage a small manufacturing business called Sugarbush Products, Inc., which my father founded in 1965. We make and sell recycled steel products for the industrial roof decking industry. The job mainly involves dealing with customers, suppliers, and sub-contractors, processing orders, and managing inventory.”
How did your experience in the USF MBA/MSEM dual-degree program help shape your career journey?
“USF’s MBA/MSEM dual-degree program has been super valuable for my career path. I learned a variety of skill sets that have proven useful. The two degrees are different experiences – different campuses, structures, schedules, people, and cultures. With that said, one common thread throughout both was the plethora of extracurricular activities. One advantage of taking the dual-degree is that you’re able to meet more people – students, professors, guest lecturers, etc.
It was actually through networking with three different guest lecturers that I was able to finagle my way into a volunteer internship at the SF Environment Department, a Zero Waste program where a lot of employees are USF MSEM alumni. I’ve ended up working with a handful of my classmates in the reuse industry. Also, simply by being in San Francisco, there are all kinds of opportunities that arise unaffiliated with the university. Location matters.”
What trends are you most excited about in the fields of reuse and Zero Waste?
“Culturally, Zero Waste and reuse have been gaining traction. Thrifting is cool (as it should be), and people are waking up to the realities of waste. There are lots of new apps and websites that make it easier for people to buy and sell used things.
Exciting new technology is emerging to support the reuse industry. For example, Urban Machine in Oakland is developing an AI robot that removes nails and other hardware from salvaged lumber. Traditionally, that’s been a big barrier for re-sale.
Financially, there is a ton of money being made available by the federal Inflation Reduction Act toward Zero Waste infrastructure. Check out the EPA’s recent Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials Program. Governments, including the state of California, are trying to figure out how to incorporate reuse as a disposal option into models such as EPA’s WARM (Waste Reduction Model) in order to calculate CO2E savings–a complicated but essential piece of the puzzle.
The Deconstruction Movement is taking off all over the country. I’m proud to have served on the Bay Area Deconstruction Working Group’s steering committee. Another thing is that some serious flaws have been exposed about recycling (of plastics in particular) over the last decade. There has also been plenty of misinformation and bad journalism on the topic. It’s a complicated system. Either way, people have become more aware that we need to go beyond recycling in order to approach the aspirational goal of Zero Waste. Reduce and reuse are higher up on the hierarchy of sustainable materials management for good reason.”
What do you wish more people understood about sustainability as a business opportunity?
“That’s a great question. I grew up in a scrap metal junkyard near Philadelphia (think Jewish ‘Sanford and Son’) and most scrap recyclers I knew identified as businessmen, not environmentalists. When I moved to the Bay Area in 2010, I joined the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) and began working for Urban Ore as a salvager at the Berkeley dump. Only then did I start to see recycling through the lens of sustainability. I think this is an important point to remember: many, if not most, Americans do not approach the world with an environmentalist’s mindframe. A false narrative has been spun – largely from the fossil fuel industry in which our economy is still so entrenched – that business and the environment are diametrically opposed. It’s a false dichotomy. Zero Waste creates jobs and stimulates the local economy. You’re conserving resources rather than wasting them. That’s good business practice.
Lots of people think that Urban Ore, which I managed for six years, is a non-profit, but actually it’s a for-profit business that has taken risks and innovated in order to survive. In the process of “ending the age of waste,” it creates 40 (living wage+) jobs, pays local taxes, and saves the local community millions of dollars by providing affordable goods and by saving on disposal costs. Whenever I pitched governments about reuse retail operations, I always led with economic benefits, because no matter where they’re from, anyone can understand the value of small local business. Only later would I discuss environmental (and social and community) benefits. For example, check out “Achieving Zero Waste with Innovative Reuse and Recycling Contracts” (05/25/21) on the EPA’s website. In order to facilitate a Just Transition, we need entrepreneurs who are willing to put skin in the game and pioneer their own Zero Waste businesses. We can’t rely solely on governments and nonprofits.
Here’s the thing: while the transition happens, it’s important to cultivate buy-in from people who don’t identify as environmentalists (as opposed to vilifying them with self-righteousness). Buzzwords that sound sexy to us may sound equally repugnant to them, so we ought to be as specific as possible with our language. Climate change, for example, can refer to a variety of different concepts. Some of these concepts are more abstract and/or scientific than others e.g. the greenhouse effect, ocean acidification, the nitrogen cycle. Others, however, are more intuitive e.g. litter, species extinction, a world with limited resources. We need to use empathy and understand that most business leaders do not hold masters degrees in environmental science. We must try to speak their language and meet them in the middle. “One person’s trash is another’s treasure” is a universally understood concept. Reuse has the advantage of relatability because everybody deals with stuff, and the idea of reuse is as old as humanity. From historical preservation culture in Texas to the farmer DIY repair culture in Iowa, there are lots of angles where Zero Waste can be framed in terms of serving business opportunities. It’s a bonus that knowing what externalities are (after having taken Environmental Economics in the MSEM program) provides a deeper understanding of the playing field.”
What advice do you have for today’s MSEM students?
“Take Research Methods in order to prepare for your Masters Project. Choosing the right question is half the battle.
If you pursue the dual MBA/MSEM degree, be sure to track your credits and timeline for graduation. Each program itself has advisors, who are excellent, but there isn’t a person coordinating across the two programs, so that is your responsibility.
Take advantage of all the extracurricular activities.
Pursue your passion and you’ll find your people.
Also take advantage of the Koret gym.”
