URG Names Michelle Alexander 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
United Recyclers Group (URG) Contact: Michelle Alexander Phone: 303-367-4391 Fax: 303-367-4409
E-mail: michelle@u-r-g.com Website: www.u-r-g.com
URG Names Michelle Alexander Executive Director
June 23, 2006 – Aurora, Colorado – The Board of Managers of United Recyclers Group (URG) has appointed Michelle Alexander to the position of URG executive director. In this role she will report to the seven members of the Board of Managers, who oversee URG.
“Michelle Alexander has been with this organization since it began, and we are pleased to announce her promotion into the job of executive director,” says Tom Denton, Owner of Knox Auto Parts (Knoxville, TN) and a member of the URG Board of Managers. “She is a leader who is going to take URG places it hasn’t been before.”
“It’s a real pleasure to see Michelle rise to the top at URG,” says Ed Lacy, vice president of Lacy Auto Parts (Charles City, VA) and a founding member of the URG Board of Managers. He has known her since she started at URG as employee number two, and says that “Michelle is one hundred percent URG, always there for the organization. She has always been the ‘go to’ person for us.”
“I’m deeply honored to have been selected to direct URG,” said Alexander. “I love the automotive recycling industry and have spent my entire career working to advance it. The leaders and members of URG embody the best of this industry and where it is headed, and it is a privilege for me to be a part of it and work with some of the best minds and talent in the business.”
Michelle Alexander is a rarity, a woman who has risen through the ranks in the male dominated automotive recycling industry. She started at URG as sales manager, then was promoted to operations manager, a position she held for a number of years. As a role model, her advice for young women who aspire to be leaders is simple: “Be strong, stand up for what you believe in, respect yourself, and you will earn the respect of others.”
Responsibilities of the URG executive director include directing day to day operations of the organization. Other responsibilities include managing URG staff, coordinating membership benefits and communications with URG members, and representing URG to related industries, including insurance companies, collision repair organizations and companies, and others. Another major responsibility of this position is to oversee the quality of recycled parts provided by URG to members through Premium Recycled Parts (PRP), a URG program.
Michelle Alexander knows as well as anyone where URG has been. Where does she want to see the organization go in the next five years? “I plan to extend and enhance communications with our members,” she says. “One of my goals is to keep adding to the benefits that URG provides members. In five years, I see URG becoming the elite recycling organization in the industry. My goal is to expand the knowledge to the marketplace and provide and show the quality of recycled parts from URG.”
(More)URG Names Michelle Alexander Executive Director Page 2
She has an impressive track record, having recently played a key role in the addition of membership benefits such as the new partnership between URG and Keystone Automotive Industries which will make it possible for URG members to create a ‘one stop shop’ for their customers when it comes to providing a full range of automotive repair and replacement parts. She was also involved in the development of new accreditation standards issued by URG for the automotive recycling industry, the open forum on the URG website, and a very successful 2006 URG Training Conference.
Michelle is married to Joe Alexander and has two children, Jessica (12) and JJ (7). She spends her free time with her kids and their sports activities, and also enjoys walking and relaxing with her neighbors on weekends. She is also involved as a ‘Miracle Maker’ for the local Children’s Hospital, to help children in need of care who cannot afford it.
United Recyclers Group, LLC is a partnership of over 300 auto recyclers that work together to improve and modernize the automotive recycling industry. Changes they have made include developing their own inventory management system, Pinnacle; creating a buying cooperative; creating world class accreditation standards for the automotive recycling industry; offering group marketing options; and forming the Premium Recycled Parts Program.