YOUNGSTOWN — James Dignan, former president and CEO of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, has been named president of the Center for Environmentally Responsible Materials Recycling.
CERMR, a 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to providing scientific and economical technology solutions to the recycling of plastics and other wastes, will work in collaboration with Youngstown State University. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CERMR also has offices in Youngstown, where a planned R&D facility will be built.
In a news release announcing his hiring, Dignan cited a proposed CERMR partnership with YSU to “help establish the university and our region as a global technology leader in materials recycling processes and in key research and development efforts with vast potential.”
Dignan told Mahoning Matters there’s interest from the U.S. Department of Energy in new energy production methods within the recycling process, as well as an interest from the U.S. Department of Defense in domestic recycling of rare-earth metals found in electronics, rather than shipping those electronics to other countries like China.
There’s also an interest in increasing the efficiency of recyclables. Currently, only 5 to 15 percent of recyclable material is actually recovered during the recycling process, making new material actually less expensive than recycled material.
With recycling technology licensed to CERMR, the nonprofit is able to extract base components from recycled matter — for instance, steel and rubber from a vehicle tire — that can be reintroduced into the market, all while creating heat energy that can be harnessed, Dignan said.
“Now that I’m on board, it’s about building a presence here. We have some capital financing to raise,” he said. “The idea is to build a research facility and to build that partnership [with YSU] — not only the academic coursework but also the research dollars.”
Dignan said he was chosen for the role due to his connections in local economic development. He will manage CERMR activities and collaboration with state and local governments, YSU, corporations and other organizations.
“We are very excited to have James become a member of our management team,” said Paul N. Cicio, CERMR’s chief executive officer. “He brings a depth of experience, leadership and relationships having worked with both the public and private sectors.”
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