Resource Management, Inc. of Holderness, New Hampshire, will celebrate 30 years in the residuals recycling business this Fall with a pig roast for its employees, customers and their families. The company was started back in 1994 by partners/owners Shelagh Connelly, Marty Riehs, and Charley Hanson and is “dedicated to providing high quality recycling services through innovative programs which benefit generators of organic residuals, end users, and the environment.” The partnership is a perfect complement of skills with residuals advocate Connelly, farmer Hanson, and businessman Riehs obviously finding the right formula for success in a very tough – but very important -- business.

Originally named White Mountain Resource Management, RMI was a founding member of NEBRA. To help get NEBRA off the ground, RMI “loaned” NEBRA one of its outstanding young staffers – Ned Beecher – and the rest is history. In 1999, NEBRA named Shelagh Connelly its Volunteer of the Year. She has since kept a low profile but RMI has not. RMI’s contributions to NEBRA likely include the word “Residuals” being included in its name from the beginning (NEBRA began as the New England Biosolids & Residuals Association in 1997) which was unlike other biosolids associations that had formed or were forming thirty years ago. Today, NEBRA is embracing this vision of recycling more than just biosolids and using those materials to improve soil health.

Over the years, RMI employees have contributed greatly to NEBRA through its Board and committees. Eryka Clive, RMI’s Logistics Coordinator, is NEBRA’s President-Elect. She is assisting NEBRA President Lise LeBlanc to advance residuals management advocacy. April Sargent is an active participant in NEBRA’s Reg-Leg Committee and has helped NEBRA’s Executive Director with the BioHub vendor survey and other efforts around PFAS in biosolids. Christina Adams, who covers Industrial Sales for RMI, is also a significant contributor at NEBRA meetings and events.

RMI provides services all across the Northeast. They are one of the go-to NEBRA members on requests for information about recycling unusual materials (mustard poop for example). RMI offers a wide variety of products for beneficial use [Products | Resource Management Inc. (rmirecycles.com)]. RMI also finds uses for Sewage Sludge Incinerator (SSI) ash for NEBRA member Manchester, New Hampshire. RMI was the inaugural winner of the New England Water Environment Association’s Green Steps award for its “Don’t Truck Water” campaign.

RMI is now into its second generation! Liam Riehs grew up in the business and worked there when he was younger. He left for other adventures, including a stint with Denali Water in Washington State. But Liam is back working on projects and assisting with operations at RMI.

30 Years and 30 Cents Per Ton for NEBRA

RMI has made it a point to financially support all the work NEBRA does to keep biosolids (and residuals!) recycling viable in the Northeast. RMI sponsors the website, for example. However, its biggest contribution started decades ago when RMI decided to contribute to NEBRA based on the number of wet tons of biosolids RMI recycled. RMI sends these contributions to NEBRA quarterly along with a letter documenting how many tons were recycled. Initially, RMI was sending 10 cents per ton NEBRA’s way but increased that to 30 cents a ton starting in 2022. The tons recycled and the amount RMI has contributed to NEBRA in 30 years are considerable.

Reflecting on the past, Shelagh Connely told NEBRAMail “RMI was a surprising twist of fate for me as a young person figuring out what to do with my life – and 30 years later here we are! And NEBRA was a natural extension from RMI recognizing the need to form a multi-state collaborative with information, advocacy, outreach, and education in our field. NEBRA-Ned started as RMI’s first employee before we recognized his greater calling, and he showed us all he was a leader on a much bigger field - and we are grateful for all he, and then Janine have done for biosolids recycling in the Northeast, and the country!”

Best wishes to Shelagh and the entire RMI crew on its next 30 years.