Waste360 recently had the opportunity to catch up with Bob Brickner, executive vice president of Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc., a Fairfax, Va.-based firm that consults public- and private sector organizations on optimal solutions for solid-waste-management challenges. 

Bob will be speaking at the Waste360 Recycling Summit, in Thursday afternoon’s session on “Public-Private Contracts/Expectations.” 

Waste360: What can attendees expect from your Public-Private Contracts/Expectations session?

Bob Brickner: Since all of the speakers have extensive hands-on experience, the session should offer an array of practical insights on “workable and financeable deals.”

Waste360: Could you name a few key takeaways that attendees will be able to use right away, back to the office?

Bob Brickner: The ability to set appropriate expectations for public-private partnerships is something that we’ll explore.  All parties involved in such contracts have to be realistic, so we’ll discuss the “false alarms” and other misunderstandings that tend to undermine projects.  Both vendors and solid waste professionals can benefit from thinking more about how public-private arrangements should work, and how to keep all the aspects in alignment!

Waste360: Gershman, Brickner & Bratton has been a trusted resource for private and public sector organizations for decades.  Do you think your passion for sustainability and doing more with less is a theme that the entire industry has embraced in recent years?  

Bob Brickner: Trust is earned and reputation is everything. Catering solely to a solid waste clientele, GBB balances passion for the work with realism and a respect for individual client needs.  And doing more with less can only be done with the critical “experience factor”—as in, “been there, done that.”

Waste360: With the cost of recycling being so top of mind these days, do you think your session can help attendees with education or advice around that topic?

Bob Brickner: Yes; it is critical to issue RFP’s and receive proposals or bids that break-out cost details for the management of trash versus recyclables versus yard waste (as an example) and allow service costs and annual adjustments to be transparent to the evaluators—and then also to politicians and the public.  Negotiations are hard enough; negotiations without data to back them up are virtually impossible!

Waste360:  What do you love most about this industry and why?

Bob Brickner: Being a national solid waste consultant, every day at GBB is an adventure, and there are no boring moments.  As with life, everyone is a generator of items to reuse, recycle, transform or landfill.  And as long as the American spirit for hard work and innovation persists, new products and approaches for tackling industry challenges will keep GBB busy addressing the needs of our clients.  That dedication is what moves me from “liking the industry” to “loving the industry”!

To see the full conference agenda and to register for the Waste360 Recycling Summit, go here.