Mid America Paper Recycling Controller Kathleen Stark has been at her job for a year now. Part of the company’s executive team, she joined Mid America Paper Recycling after a 26-year financial career as a controller, auditor, and other financial management roles with companies including McDonald’s, Tiege Hanley, and LRAP, among others.

“My job is to protect the bottom line, understand how the market drives our top-line growth, and how I can help provide information to the team to reduce costs,” Stark says. “I work closely with Don Gaines, our CEO, as well as attend weekly Sales meetings to better understand the drivers of the business. Also, I manage the company’s day-to-day financial operations and monthly close processes.”



A certified public accountant, Stark is passionate about accounting and finances. Providing financial insights to the leadership team as it continues to grow and add value to the recycling industry, as well as understanding business best practices, are essential to Mid America Paper Recycling. “I manage certain projects that vary from financial analysis to payment reconciliations for customers, to strategic and projection roll forwards,” she says.

Her typical day includes new areas of review that touch all aspects of Mid America Paper Recycling. “There absolutely are growth opportunities within the recycling segment, and my job is to provide insight into which growth opportunities can provide the most impact on the business and support the Sales team with information to go after those opportunities. Continued growth is always top of mind as well as how to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.”

A new experience

That’s a pretty critical role. “I haven’t worked at any other recycling company,” Stark points out. “But in the accounting world, debits and credits are the same, no matter what type of company you’re with. Working for a recycling company, specifically a commodity brokerage company, has been a new experience for me. I continue to learn and challenge myself while keeping the basics of accounting at the forefront. The other great part about working for a recycling company is that I work for a company doing something for the environment. Mid America Paper Recycling helps companies take care of their waste in a way that’s beneficial to everyone. I’m proud to be a part of a company like this.”

She adds that the people are what she likes best about the company. “Everyone here is passionate about Mid America Paper Recycling. Its 97-year longevity as a family-run business differentiates it from other recycling businesses. Mid America has been around this long because it does things right, and knows how to treat suppliers and customers. The organization continues to have great leadership. When I came on board, I felt one of Mid America Paper Recycling’s greatest assets is its seasoned people who have worked their way up in the organization over the years. We formed a group that works on management training where we select a book to read each month, and we meet regularly to talk about ideas. We also started a new program to facilitate collaboration outside of daily tasks. By working to build stronger managers and a more collaborative team, we are helping the business move forward. This could be in the form of process improvements, open communication alignment of goals throughout the team, and overall improved support for the Sales team.”

Stark is most impressed with Mid America Paper Recycling’s ability to move the recycling industry forward. “One thing I am most impressed about is the Waste Audit. The Waste Audit Survey is offered free of charge on our website to anyone who wants to find out how their company’s recycling operation is doing. Once a company completes the Survey, it receives a detailed report about the status of its recycling operation and the metrics to benchmark against. They find out the opportunities to improve, what issues they should address, how to begin the improvements, and if using recycling equipment will be effective. It’s something Mid America Paper Recycling started a few years back and shows how driven it is to help manufacturers and other companies recycle.”

If you’d like to learn more about Mid America Paper Recycling and our quick, free Waste Audit, call 773-890-5454 or visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MAPRAudit.