I am truly heartbroken by the sudden passing of my long-time friend and colleague Billy Johnson. I had the privilege of working with Billy for the last 20 years and witness the great work he did as our Chief Lobbyist in Washington. He was incredibly effective at raising our voice on #CapitolHill and within five Presidential Administrations, ensuring that the voice of #recycledmaterials industry was heard and that the interests of all of our members were always protected.
He accomplished so much for the industry and our members over the years. Thanks to his leadership, the industry received a special accelerated depreciation allowance for qualified #recycling equipment through the #Recycled Investment Saves Energy (RISA) Act, saving the industry hundreds of millions of dollars. He also led all of our efforts challenging the market dominance of the railroads around issues of demurrage and accessorial charges, achieving rate reforms for the industry. And Billy also transformed our #electronics division, allowing it to grow and strengthen, while bringing together stakeholders across the supply chain to address issues around data security, design for recycling™, trade, smart phones, batteries, and the increased electrification of automobiles.
Billy was also gentle, kind and deeply affected by the sudden loss of his brother 7 years ago, as well as the sudden passing of our close friend and colleague Mark Reiter in January of 2020. Personally, I will always treasure the opportunity I had to accompany Billy and his wife Tracy Schario, APR, Fellow PRSA to North Carolina State University in 2022 to see Billy receive its Humanities and Social Sciences Distinguished Alumnus award in recognition of his contributions to the school and its surrounding community. It was a privilege I will never forget.
Billy, I can't believe you are gone, but I promise you will always be remembered.
Recycled Materials Association (ReMA)ReMA Southeast RegionReMA Gulf Coast RegionReMA Young Executives Council (ReMAYE)ReMA West Coast Chapter Bureau of International RecyclingNational Association of Manufacturers - NAMCongressional Management Foundation Maura Valis Rich Gold Office of U.S. Senator John Boozman Pallone for New Jersey Senator Thomas R Carper Senator Shelley Moore Capito Paul Hagen #recycling #sustainable Walter AlcornAdam ShineCraig Boswell Adina Renee Adler Axios The Recycling PartnershipRecycling TodayResource Recycling, Inc.Steel Manufacturers AssociationInformation Technology Industry Council (ITI) Capitol Hill ClubReMA Women in Recycling Council (WIR)ReMA West Coast ChapterReMA Northern Ohio ChapterReMA Paper Stock Industries Chapter (PSI) William Johnson
