Recyclops CEO Ryan Smith Named to NSBA Leadership Council
Ryan Smith, Founder and CEO of Recyclops, Inc. was recently named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization, and operates on a staunchly nonpartisan basis. Smith joins the NSBA Leadership Council alongside other small-business advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.
“As a small-business owner, I see daily the importance of being involved and active when it comes to laws and regulation,” stated Smith. “Joining NSBA’s Leadership Council will enable me to take our collective small-business message to the people that need to hear it most: Congress.”
Smith is the Founder and CEO of Recyclops, a Salt Lake City-based company that builds landfill diversion programs for communities and brands. Recyclops diverts approximately one million pounds of reusable material away from landfills every month.
As reported by TechBuzz in May 2021, the company closed a $3 million seed investment led by Lerer Hippeau and The Clorox Company. Utah-based Kickstart and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, part of AOL founder and prolific investor Steve Case's DC-based venture capital firm Revolution, also participated in the round.
Recyclops’ mission is to make recycling accessible and sustainable for all by bringing it to areas where it doesn’t currently exist. “People still care about recycling. They still want to recycle, even if their communities don’t offer it,” said Smith. “There are just a few logistical challenges that have kept recycling from taking off. We are addressing them.”
In 2020 Smith was a Forbes 30 under 30 award recipient. He is also on the Board of the Recycling Coalition of Utah. He's also the father of three little girls who keep life exciting. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Business Strategy in 2016.
In September 2023, the company announced its B Corp certification from B Lab.
Smith joined the NSBA Leadership Council as part of his efforts to tackle the many critical issues facing small business, including tax reform, regulatory restraint, health care costs and how access to capital will impact small business. The NSBA Leadership Council is focused on providing valuable networking between small-business advocates from across the country while ensuring small business a seat at the table as Congress and regulators take up key small-business proposals.
“I am proud to have Ryan Smith as part of our Leadership Council,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “He came to us highly recommended and I look forward to our coordinated efforts for years to come.”