Leadership

Robert Harvey – President Emeritus

Bob Harvey was a lifelong resident of Westborough. Bob graduated from Cornell University in 1941. Upon his graduation from Cornell University, Bob committed all his time to the family business, E. L. Harvey & Sons. A devoted recycler, he found ways to remove numerous commodities from the waste stream that came into the Harvey facility and worked to market much of the product in the early years.

Bob worked to establish procedures, which enabled the company to reduce the amount of recyclable material in the waste sent to disposal sites. Today, the DEP mandates that all business waste go through a recycling process much like the one E.L. Harvey has always provided its’ customers.

Bob served as a Deputy Sheriff for Worcester County, and was very active in the Rotary Club of Westborough and other local organizations. He served for many years on the Board of the Corridor Nine Chamber of Commerce and participated in many Worcester Chamber of Commerce events.

James Harvey – Chief Executive Officer

In 1971, with true entrepreneurial spirit, Jim steered E. L. Harvey & Sons into the growing field of commercial and industrial waste removal and disposal services. These services supported the company’s goal to recycle as much as possible from the waste stream. Jim’s vision remains the same today as he continues to chart the ambitious growth of this family-operated business. Jim is very active in his home community, as well as the industry. For over 20 years, he has been an active member of the Steering Committee of the Massachusetts Chapter of the EIA. He was the Chapter Chairman for six years. He has been active in the Waste Hauler’s Council, the Landfill Council and the Chairmen’s Council. Jim also served on the National Solid Waste Management Association (NSWMA) Board of Directors as program chairman. He was also president of the Detachable Container Association (DCA).

Ben Harvey – President

Ben Harvey is the President and one of the owners of E. L. Harvey & Sons Inc., a full service waste and recycling firm that provides services for commercial and industrial corporations and municipalities throughout eastern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine.

After graduating from Delaware Valley College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971, Ben moved into a leadership role at E. L. Harvey & Sons. His duties within the company include negotiating the sales of recyclables to mills and end users worldwide.  He contracts with disposal sites throughout the Northeast for the safe and efficient transfer of waste materials. Ben is a superior administrator, providing leadership and motivation to the company’s management team.

Ben is a well respected and nationally recognized business leader and an authority in his industry.   He has used his years of experience and wealth of knowledge in the industry to educate thousands of business and association leaders through presentations at local, regional and national forums on numerous occasions.  He continues to be a sought after speaker on many business related topics. He is also well respected by the regulatory agencies that continue to seek his unbiased opinion. Ben has also been interviewed for industry related articles for many trade magazines including Waste Age, Scrap, Recycling Today and C & D World.

Ben also takes active leadership roles in many trade and professional organizations. He has served as the president of the Eastern Paper Mills Suppliers Association, the Waste Recyclers Council of NSWMA, the Paper Stock Industries chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and the Detachable Container Association.  He has served on the Board of Directors of Waste Cap of Massachusetts and the Detachable Container Association. He is currently on the Board of the Massachusetts Recycling Association, the Detachable Container Association the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and the Recycling Industry Operating Standards. Ben is the current president of the National Solid Wastes Management Association and is the chair of the Environmental Business Councils Construction and Demolition Forum.  Ben serves on many task forces and committees for all the associations he is affiliated with.

Ben has been recognized by his peers in the industry by receiving many awards and recognition including the Distinguished Service Award from NSWMA and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Recycling from Mass Recycle.  He has also been inducted into the Environmental Industry Associations Hall of Fame.

Doug Harvey – Executive Vice President

Doug Harvey worked part time for E.L. Harvey & Sons throughout his childhood and joined full time in 1974. He learned the business from the ground up by holding various positions, eventually becoming a part of the management team. One of Doug’s major focuses is strategic planning for the future growth and the long-term viability of the family business as it enters its second century. Doug’s core business values instilled in him by his father Jim include a strong work ethic, striving for continual improvement, customer support, employee relations, family pride and community partnerships.

Steven Harvey – Executive Vice President

Steve worked in the family business as a young man while still in school. Upon graduating from Ithaca College, he joined the company. Steve learned all aspects of the waste and recycling business, developing a strong interest in the design and installation of compaction equipment. His natural technical and mechanical interests lead him to become involved in projects that evolved as the company grew. He helped to design and implement a new computer system to process billing, and he has worked on integrating a GPS system into the fleet and computer program.

Steve is also involved in the siting and design of a new recycling building, C & D recycling building and garage in Hopkinton. Steve has great insight and knowledge in the importance of the regulatory end of the business.

Lynda Harvey – Executive Vice President

After attending college and raising her family, Lynda joined E. L. Harvey in 1975. Lynda started part-time customer service, billing, collections and dispatching. As the company grew, Lynda left the office environment and went into sales full-time in 1980. She was recognized for a period of several years as Marathon Equipment’s Outstanding Salesperson in New England. In the late 80’s Lynda was asked by the Chairman’s Council of NSWMA to help establish the Future Leaders Program and to help start an additional forum for independent haulers. Lynda is still active in the haulers program, as well as other associations in the EIA and local community associations.

Ellen Harvey – Executive Vice President

Ellen has designed, developed, and presented corporate educational programs, which E.L. Harvey & Sons staff currently provides as a service to all customers. Ellen has been instrumental in creating and implementing environmental and recycling programs for large corporations such as Staples, Bose, General Dynamics, EMC, Whole Foods Markets, Stop & Shop Supermarkets, Boston Medical Center, BASF, and the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission.

Ellen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Suffolk University. She has completed post-graduate work at Yale University the School of Environmental Studies. She also received her Certificate of Corporate Training from Boston University Division of Continuing Education.

Ellen has taught in both private and public education, elementary through college levels. Her work for The Environmental Industry Associations (EIA) as a seminar designer and presenter, throughout the United States, has gained her national recognition in the industry. She was the first recipient of the EIA National Solid Wastes Management Association Board of Governors Award in 1994.

Ellen served two terms as chairwoman for The Environmental Industry Associations Women’s Council in Washington, D.C, an organization she founded in 2003. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of this council as past chairperson. Ellen has over 30 years of professional experience with E.L. Harvey & Sons and has been actively involved in the waste and recycling industries’ associations.

In recognition of 25 plus years of work in the waste and recycling industries, Ellen was inducted into the National Waste and Recycling Industries Hall of Fame. Ellen continues to serve as a mentor to women throughout the United States and Canada working in companies involved in the waste and recycling industries.

BJ Harvey – Executive Vice President

Benjamin James Harvey brings a new perspective to an ever-changing industry. BJ started working at E.L. Harvey part-time in his high school years where he attended Westborough High School. EL Harvey is a full scale waste and recycling company headquartered in Westborough, Ma. He later attended Fairfield University where he was a four-year starter for the Fairfield University football team. B.J. graduated from Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business in 2001, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management.

Upon graduation he worked for UBS as a certified financial planner. This gave him insight into the financial world that would later help his transition back to EL Harvey.

He has worked in a managerial role in the waste industry and has gained a depth of knowledge about the industry. B.J. has experience working for a large, public corporation and a small, privately-operated corporation. He worked in South Carolina, for Fennel Container, an affiliate of Republic Industries.

He is currently an owner and the treasurer of EL Harvey.  He oversees all the day to day operations of the company, sales and their strategic plan. He is involved with other industry organizations, currently he sits on the board of DCA, he was past president and founder of the waste industry Future Leaders Association and serves on the local chapter of ISRI.  He is married to Anne and has two children Benny and Samantha.

Joshua Harvey – Procurement Manager

Josh Harvey has been part of the family business since 2002 where he had shown a strong interest in the mechanical side of the business. He first began as a Master Diesel Technician where he received different certifications for multiple facets of this role.

In 2011, Josh was promoted to the Procurement Manager and is responsible for managing the purchasing for all three of the companies locations. He is actively involved in the management and execution of several cost saving projects. Josh’s role aids in the design and improvement of production for both the buildings and equipment.