B.A. in Economics from Rice University in Houston, TX

After a five year career playing professional baseball, Derek worked for JVL Advisors, LLC for 15 years where he became a partner in the firm. JVL is an oil and gas focused hedge fund and private equity firm with peak assets under management of over $1 billion. At JVL Derek gained extensive knowledge of all facets of commodity markets, mergers and acquisitions, and financial analysis.

For the past 4 years, Derek served as Head of Strategic Initiatives for Recyclops, Inc. Recyclops is a waste management company specifically focused on recycling, serving residential, commercial and enterprise clients. While at Recyclops, Derek was instrumental in designing and implementing many of Recyclops’ existing programs which included micro logistics utilizing the gig economy, large volume plastic film recycling, a nationwide diaper collection and composting program, as well as a multi-stream recycling program for a solar installation company for all 20 of their nationwide locations. 

Through these experiences, Derek has gained a deep understanding of the recycling industry and established a vast network of partners. He excels at thinking outside the box in researching and finding outlets for a multitude of waste streams and at managing the logistics of getting material from origin to destination as efficiently as possible.