When Rubicon® created the annual George Washington Carver Award, we did so under the premise that at Rubicon, we not only encourage innovation and creative thinking in all of its forms, but we also challenge team members to set the bar, and their personal goals, high.
This focus on innovation and thinking “outside of the box” is a core part of our thinking when it comes to considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria in all that we do as a company.
To that end, I am thrilled to share that Jason Jones, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) and Data Management at Rubicon, has been named Rubicon’s George Washington Carver Award recipient for 2020.
Why Jason Jones
Jason came on board at a time when we were building out our FP&A function. Jason built our financial reporting and budgeting process completely from scratch and showed no hesitation in diving into a new and complex industry. Since then, he’s taken the initiative to learn new systems, build new processes, and significantly enhance our reporting to drive efficiencies, support scalability, and deliver tremendous transparency.
Jason is a consummate team player and does whatever it takes for the business to succeed long-term. He has stepped up countless times for special projects, merger integrations, overhauls to our processes, and is willing to take an objective view as to how things “should” look. Jason does not shy away from new challenges and, in fact, it was his own creativity and initiative that led to the realignment of the FP&A and CDM teams, affording invaluable new insights around our data and financials.
Jason has contributed to Rubicon’s mission to end waste by driving efficiencies throughout our back-office operations, reducing untold hours of duplicative work, and greatly enhancing our corporate controls. We are all exceedingly grateful for the waste he has often singlehandedly reduced for all of us.
—
Congratulations Jason! On behalf of the entire team here at Rubicon, it is an honor and a privilege to be working alongside you in our mission to end waste, in all of its forms.
We sat down with Jason to learn more about what it means to him to receive this award, and how he integrates innovation into his role at Rubicon:
George Washington Carver was an inventor and someone who we look to at Rubicon as a mentor that guides our creativity. What does innovation in business mean to you?
To me, innovation in business means taking existing processes and making them better through iterations and continuous improvement, with the ultimate goal of enhancing people’s lives.
I joined the FP&A team at Rubicon in 2017 in order to help with the budget forecasting and reporting processes, allowing company leadership and investors to have greater insight into the company’s financial performance.
Rubicon’s mission is to end waste, in all of its forms. How does this mission inform your day-to-day work at Rubicon?
I spend most of my day working with data. This is often financial data that helps to explain the inner workings of our company, but I also work with diversion data that shows areas in which our customers are living up to their sustainability goals.
It is my belief that the more we are able to provide visibility to our customers and haulers using the right data analysis tools, the more we will be able to help them achieve their sustainability goals and have a long-lasting impact on the waste and recycling industry.
Since starting at Rubicon, how have you incorporated recycling and sustainability into your life?
I started at Rubicon three years ago. During this time, and through conversations with my colleagues, I have become more cognizant of the importance of recycling in my day-to-day life, especially where it comes to what I can do as an individual to truly make an impact in my local community.
This is kind of how I view Rubicon. We empower people—small business owners, haulers, city mayors—to participate in recycling and sustainability in a way that is easy to get started with and to eventually grow their diversion rates and recycling goals over time.
What is one quote that you live by?
My favorite quotes continue to change over the course of my life, but the quote that I’m currently living by is from Jim Rohn: “Everyone must choose one of two paths, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is having a positive influence on humanity, and having the ability to leave something behind that impacts other people’s lives in a meaningful and positive way that both enhances and improves their quality of life.
Stacie Moore is Vice President of Human Resources at Rubicon. To stay ahead of Rubicon’s announcements of new partnerships and collaborations around the world, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or contact us today.
