Working for Troy, Mich.-based Sustainable Resins LLC has been Bethany Voss' first experience in the plastics industry. Voss said she was initially drawn to the company "and what they were doing to help the environment by providing recycled resins to the market."
"When I initially started, I was hired to be an internal support to the team," she said. "[My] main responsibilities were to help with creation of a marketing plan and executing on the different campaign initiatives, providing inside sales support to the current team, update documents and presentations, create and maintain regular reports/scorecards to the team, and research new opportunities for the team."
As the company has grown, so have her opportunities.
"My exposure to the plastics world increased as did my knowledge base. I was requested to come on full time and transition from inside sales/support to a more customer-facing role within account management and business development," she said.
Working for a small organization means Voss wears many hats. She is responsible for marketing and advertising (creating campaigns and communications), sales (reaching out to companies of all sizes to solve their resin challenges), account management (ensuring current customers' needs are being met), internal team support (aiding the team with sales opportunities and connections) and company reports (creation and summarization of materials that demonstrate pounds sold and customers serviced).
Voss said her greatest achievement thus far has been helping the team partner with large, recognizable brands as they incorporate recycled resins into their products.
"It is so rewarding to know our company is helping the world become a greener space," she said. "Something that was once thought of as landfill-destined has been given a new purpose and avoided the landfill altogether."
Voss was provided a job opportunity while she was attending school for supply chain management. She stepped away from her studies one year shy of completing her degree, and she vowed to herself that she would go back to finish what she started.
While she encourages her children to at least obtain an associate degree, Voss has learned that a college degree is not everything: "Having a great work ethic, honesty, integrity, grit and desire to improve and learn can sometimes be greater than any college degree."