Environmental & Utilities Manager

THE COMPANY                                                                                  

Little Rapids Corporation (LRC) is a specialty paper manufacturer and converter of paper, film, cotton, and nonwoven materials. The company’s headquarters is in Green Bay and is privately held with annual sales of over $200 million and 450 employees at three Wisconsin locations. The business has two divisions that sell a wide variety of products in the healthcare, beauty, flexographic printing, and specialty paper markets. Rapids Green Bay supplies printed film, paper, and nonwovens. Rapids Shawano has three paper machines that manufacture tissue, machine glazed, and wet crepe paper.  Graham Professional manufactures and sells one-time use products into the healthcare and beauty markets through a network of national and regional distributors. 

With its family ownership dating back to 1947, the company is guided by a strong and positive culture. LRC’s purpose is remarkably simple: to bring together all their people’s talents and energies to create an outstanding organization that delivers true value to their customers. The four core values of the business are lived out by ownership and top leadership and serve as a guide to all interactions, behavior, expectations, and strategic initiatives. These values are:

• Care: Take Care of One Another & Always Be Transparent
• Act: Dream Big, Think Big, Act Big, Create Contagious Energy
• Learn: Improve Every Day while Being Humble
• Serve: Do Great Things & Be Easy to Work With

Position Summary:

The Environmental & Utilities Manager is responsible for the safe, compliant, and efficient operation of the mill’s utility infrastructure.  This role directly oversees the boiler house and water treatment operations.  The manager ensures that water, wastewater, electricity and gas systems run efficiently, meet environmental standards, and align with sustainability goals. They act as a liaison between internal teams, government agencies, contractors, and the community.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment plant including associated land spreading program and wastewater laboratory.
• Lead operation and maintenance of boiler operations and utility systems.
• Ensure all environmental compliance and permitting requirements are met for the facility.
• Primary link for environmental agencies, regulators, and community on any incidents or requests.
• New chemical reviews for permitting and compliance requirements.
• Develop and manage the department’s operational budget and capital projects to optimize performance, efficiency and costs.
• Supervise and develop environmental/utility personnel.
• Identify and execute energy and water conservation or efficiency opportunities across the mill.
• Assessing, analyzing & collecting environmental performance data.
• Provide environmental support and review for projects throughout the facility.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties or functions and may not necessarily comprise all of the "essential functions" for purposes of the ADA.

Education, Certifications, and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical or Environmental Engineering or closely related technical field preferred.
• 3-5 years of utilities area management experience in or with an industrial setting (Pulp & Paper experience strongly preferred)
• Wastewater Operator certification or ability to obtain.
• Familiarity with High pressure boiler operator/stationary engineer licensing requirements preferred
• Experience working with state and federal regulatory agencies: EPA, DNR, DHS, DATCP, and others.
• A demonstrated knowledge of regulatory programs applicable to large industrial manufactures: Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and other laws & regulations.
• Experience with air (Title V) and wastewater permitting (NPDES) is preferred 

Key Competencies:

• Leadership and Talent Development
• Strategic Thinking
• Financial and Budget Management
• Project and Capital Management
• Risk Management and Problem Solving
• Continuous Improvement
• Verbal/Written Communication and Influencing Skills

Physical Requirements:

The ability to work in a normal manufacturing environment to include sitting, standing, or walking for long periods of time; climbing stairs; operating various standard office equipment; carrying paper documents/files; reaching; bending; crawling; speaking on the telephone; wearing required personal protection gear (i.e. hearing, eye and foot protection); tolerating loud noise (maximum of 95 dB); tolerating extreme heat, cold and dusty environment.