CIRCULAR COLORADO
Pioneering innovative solutions to turn waste into a resource and close the gap on a sustainable, circular economy.
Our mission is to accelerate the Mountain West’s transition to a circular economy
What is a Circular Economy?
A circular economy is an economic model in which there is no waste. What was once considered waste is a new resource in the supply chain. This model replaces the traditional linear “take-make-waste” model where items are discarded after a single use. In a circular economy, waste is a driver of economic growth and prosperity rather than a financial and environmental burden.
What We Do
We focus on the foundational requirements for the transition from a linear to a circular economy: Developing, establishing, and growing new and innovative businesses, both as an innovator and as a partner.
From collection system design to end-market development, we help businesses, building owners, manufacturers, recyclers, and cities thrive.
Our Approach
Our approach is truly end-to-end, from capture to manufacture.
Circular Business Model Development & Implementation
- Provide comprehensive end-to-end solutions for all stakeholders in a circular economy—from manufacturers and consumers to recyclers, waste haulers, and municipalities.
- Work on the expansion and creation of end markets for recyclable materials through facilitation, project management, and consulting.
- Work to help manufacturers utilize recyclable materials.
- Assist companies in developing profitable models.
- Assist circular-solution companies in securing grant and investment funding.
- Implement practical and replicable solutions.
- Build cross-sector collaborations that benefit businesses, the region’s economy, and the environment.
Transportation & Logistics Solution Development & Implementation
- Develop and operate programs to address systemic barriers to entry into the circular economy with a focus on reverse logistics.
- Work with the transportation industry to facilitate and support the supply chain.
- Build collaborative solutions to solve material collection challenges.
- Connect generators of waste materials with end markets.
Product Innovation
- Drive innovation through the creation of a first-of-its-kind product development hub, dedicated to supporting early-stage companies developing new products made from recycled materials, and established companies incorporating recycled materials in their products.
- Support companies interested in developing new end markets for their end-of-life products.
- Partner with processors, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs to develop new end-market products made from recycled materials.
Circular Colorado Partners and Collaborators
We are active participants in Colorado’s circular economy ecosystem, supporting our circular economy partners with enabling policies, infrastructure investments, and efforts to shift the collective culture of Colorado towards circularity. Our partners include:
Policies that promote circular economy development
Colorado Circular Communities
HOUSE BILL
24-1449
Circular Economy Development Center
HOUSE BILL
22-1159
Extended Producer Responsibility
HOUSE BILL
22-1355
Front Range Waste Diversion
HOUSE BILL
19-192
Battery Stewardship
SENATE BILL
25-163
Paint Collection Program
SENATE BILL
14-029
Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Act
SENATE BILL
13-050
Electronic Recycling Jobs Act
SENATE BILL
12-133
Founding Supporters
Our Team
Board of Directors
Shaun Egan
Shaun Egan is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with nearly 30 years of leadership in transportation, logistics, materials management, and construction. He is the founder and CEO of the Iron Woman family of companies, a group of diversified general contractors serving a broad spectrum of markets. Shaun’s leadership spans project, program, and division management, as well as policy development, public-private partnerships, and sustainable redevelopment. Under his guidance, Iron Woman has led large-scale initiatives in environmental remediation, waste stream characterization, pollution prevention and recycling, and technological innovation. He has spearheaded multi-million-dollar projects focused on economic revitalization and responsible stewardship of natural resources — not just locally, but across national and international landscapes.
Jenifer Freeman
Jenifer Freeman is the President and CEO at Constellation Strategies, an external affairs consulting practice focused on connecting the dots of community outreach, government engagement, policy formulation, stakeholder collaboration, and communications strategies for complete and impactful advocacy solutions at the local and state level in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. Freeman holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s Degree from the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies.
Alice Havill
Alice is a Founding Partner of Fractal, a firm dedicated to supporting climate tech startups and accelerators as they scale their technologies and teams.
As a Fellow with Breakthrough Energy, she served as a fractional executive and advisor to more than a dozen early-stage climate tech startups in every corner of climate, including circular plastics, green chemicals, hydrogen, transportation, and green ammonia.
Alice has a passion for developing teams, businesses, and technologies that transform emerging social and environmental needs into market-based opportunities. Companies she has worked with include LanzaTech Inc. and Vartega Inc. She also spent time in venture capital with the Colorado Impact Fund. Alice holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Materials from the University of Auckland and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Corporate Finance from the University of Denver.
Adam Hill
Adam is the founding partner and co-owner of Direct Polymers. Direct Polymers is a Denver-based plastics recycling facility specializing in post-industrial and post-consumer plastics processing and compounding. Adam has fourteen years of experience in operating plastics recycling facilities throughout the United States. He was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado and graduated from Smoky Hill High School in 2001, then went on to Duke University where he was a collegiate athlete and earned degrees in economics and political science.
Staff
Laurie Johnson
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Laurie Johnson is the founder and CEO of Circular Colorado and the Director of Colorado’s new Circular Economy Development Center. Prior to this, Laurie was the Chief Operating Officer for a local Colorado roll-off hauling company and served as the Executive Director for Recycle Colorado for three years. Outside of Colorado, Laurie served as VP of Client Services for Recyclebank, and she owned a retail product distribution business in Phoenix for eight years. She has served on multiple boards in Colorado including as a founding member of the Front Range Waste Diversion Board, now Colorado Circular Communities. Laurie holds a B.A. in Urban Affairs and an MBA in Sustainable Business.
Margery Brown
Chief Operations Officer
Margery has over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, program development, financial planning, and operations management in various industries including federal and municipal government, economic development, real estate, and technology. Previously, she has served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Executive Director of the Partnership for Economic Innovation, a senior advisor to the Commissioner for New York City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services, a Deputy Commissioner for the City of New York’s Technology Department, and the Chief Operating Officer for the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield. Margery holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Chicago and a masters in public policy from the Eagleton Institute of Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Susan Renaud
Managing Director of Engagement
Susan has more than 20 years of experience in zero waste, circular economy, business sustainability, project management and design. Splitting her time between the public and private sectors, she worked for the City of Denver, City of Boulder and Boulder County in resource conservation roles where she developed circular pilot programs, managed Denver’s green business program and worked with stakeholders to translate sustainability goals to actionable plans. In the private sector, she worked for project management and design-build firms in New York, Arizona and Colorado. Susan holds bachelor’s degrees in Architecture and Spanish, a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning and a certificate in Business.
Amy Randell
Administrative Coordinator
Amy has more than 18 years of experience working with the recycling industry. She worked for Recycle Colorado from 2005 to 2016, beginning as the membership coordinator and eventually serving as the interim executive director. Amy is proud to take part in shaping Colorado’s sustainability landscape through her work at Circular Colorado. Amy has a bachelor’s degree in ecological restoration from CSU.
Cam Hodges
Project Coordinator
Cameron brings a strong foundation in environmental science and management to her role with experience working on toxicology and water resource management projects in labs at Duke University and the University of Cape Town. Cameron graduated from Pomona College and holds a B.A. in Biology. She is passionate about communication and community advocacy within policy-driven solutions at the local and state level, with experience on projects at EPA Office of Water, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Northwest Indian College. With her background, Cameron is focused on bridging the gaps between data, policy, and stakeholder engagement.
Let’s enact positive change for Colorado’s economy…
Contact Us Today for More Information!
We’re here to help businesses, building owners, manufacturers, recyclers, and cities thrive.