Electronics reuse conference

awards

We are fortunate to have so many inspirational people in our industry who work tirelessly to create a better community and a better industry. Which is why we honor those who have supported others each year at the Electronics Reuse Conference. But we would like your help… Nominate someone from the industry who inspires you. The nominations are reviewed by a panel of previous winners and the awards will be announced at the ERC Awards Reception each year.

View the Past Winners!

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

About the awards:

The ERC Hall of Fame: Jim Lynch Award

In recognition of selfless service to the Electronics Reuse Industry and those whose livelihoods depend on it, each year we proudly welcome one or more individuals to the ERC Hall of Fame. Named after the Co-Founder of what would eventually become the Electronics Reuse Conference, Jim Lynch Award winners represent the very best among us; those who set the example for what an E-Reuse professional should aspire to be.

The ERC Innovation Award

The ERC Innovation Award recognizes individuals whose commitment to shattering norms and thinking outside the box has had a positive impact on the Electronics Reuse Industry, and the individuals and businesses who are part of it, whether in the areas of business, technology, or beyond.

the ERC Rising Star Award

The ERC Rising Star (formerly “Newcomer”) Award recognizes recent additions to the E-Reuse Industry who quickly come to represent the attitude and character that we want to define our community.  Newcomer Award winners demonstrate personal and professional character and maturity extending beyond their own experience, and the exemplify the sort of individuals we look forward to seeing drive our industry forward for many years.

Jim Lynch

Jim Lynch co-founded the International Computer Refurbisher Summit in 2003, the foundation for what is now the Electronics Reuse Conference. The purpose of the show has always been to bring the industry together to share best practices, talk through the hard stuff and to network. Jim also started and runs the Refurbishers List online community. Over his long career at TechSoup, Jim has created all of TechSoup’s environmental programs, most of which involve electronics refurbishment. He has been interviewed extensively over the years by the Wall St. Journal, National Public Radio, PC World Magazine, and many other news outlets.  As an instrumental figure in our industry, Jim Lynch is our first ERC Hall of Fame member!

Frances Fawcett - Jim Lynch (Hall of Fame) Award

Frances was instrumental in developing and supporting the Microsoft Registered Refurbisher for over 10 years.  She spent countless hours helping and coaching refurbishers all over the world to improve their operations. She has experience in both large global corporations and running a small business, which makes her uniquely qualified and an instrumental figure in the growth of many refurbishers all over the world.

Pat Furr - Jim Lynch (Hall of Fame) Award

Pat Founded Computers for Classrooms in 1991, a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to closing the digital divide by refurbishing donated computers and making them available to schools, low-income families, and other non-profit. She is always available to answer a question or provide input to help the people who make up our industry.  She lead the charge to become the first non-profit in the world to be R2 Certified. Pat’s devotion and passion cannot be matched and our industry would not be the same without her; she is an inspiration to us all.

Willie Cade - Jim Lynch (Hall of Fame) Award

Willie Cade co-founded the International Computer Refurbisher Summit in 2003 alongside Jim Lynch.  In 2010, Willie hired his daughter Sarah to run and grow the event, which eventually became the E-Reuse Conference.  In addition to 13 years of involvement with ERC, Willie ran a computer refurbishing operation for 17 years, started in his basement, and eventually employed over 300 ex-offenders, refurbished over 150,000 devices and was a part of countless efforts to advance the industry.  If it wasn’t for his vision, determination and sacrifice, ERC could not have continued to serve the industry today, and his nomination by fellow inductees is a testament to his service to the industry.

Nancy Jo Craig - Jim Lynch (Hall of Fame) Award

Nancy Jo has been the Executive Director of Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council (CACRC) in Baton Rouge, LA since 2004. She is responsible for the development, implementation, and administration of CACRC’s program of work and works with the Board and staff to develop long-range strategies. As a member of the R2 Advisory committee, she helped fight for the Refurbisher and non-profit interests during the upgrade to R2:2013. Nancy Jo has been through it all and still manages to tirelessly support our industry.

Kyle Wiens  - Jim Lynch (Hall of Fame) Award

Kyle Wiens founded iFixit, the free repair manual, in 2003. He’s dedicated his life to defeating the second law of thermodynamics, a battle fought in the courtroom as often as in the workshop. The right to repair campaign has, so far, successfully legalized cell phone unlocking and tractor repair.  Kyle’s devotion to protecting consumers’ right to repair is unmatched, and his efforts have greatly benefited the repair and refurbishing industry in a very real way.

2019

Neil Peters-Michaud - Jim Lynch (Hall of Fame) Award

Neil is CEO and co-founder of Cascade Asset Management, an ITAD firm opened in Madison, Wisconsin in 1999. He's always valued the intersection of the environment, social justice, and technological innovation present in this industry and how it builds on his mission to leave the world better than he found it. You can find Neil’s mark around the world, whether it was his leadership in creating an electronics demanufacturing center in Ethiopia or his work to funnel refurbished computers through local digital equity programs. He believes in building the knowledge base of the industry so we can all improve in our ability to reuse and recover more electronic products in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Aakshay “Shay” Kripalani - Innovation Award

Shay has always been a serial entrepreneur, but walked away from business ownership for many years until 2009 when he recognized the potential in the cell phone repair industry, which led to the start of Injured Gadgets. Injured Gadgets sources, distributes, and supplies cell phone repair stores, carriers, and refurbishing depots with the necessary parts, tools, and equipment they need to run a successful business, and is widely recognized as a people-first supplier to the repair industry.  Shay is universally accepted by other industry leaders as a person who invariably does the right thing, and his steadfast commitment to integrity in business is apparent in the way Injured Gadgets supports the businesses it serves.

Matt Zieminski - Rising Star Award

Matt is a leader within the repair community and strong advocate for your right to repair. With a proven track record of scaling business operations and leading teams across communities in multiple industries. His extensive background in repair forged his passion for building a high-performing operation with a commitment to excellence. As a Program Manager at Puls, Matt has helped create a custom end to end solution for consumer repair needs enabling transparency, efficiency and scale throughout the service lifecycle. He's fostered a strong, ‘Technicians First’ team culture at Puls that is committed to providing a world-class experience.

2020