New Planet Turf LLC was established to solve the environmental challenges of repurposing and reusing old and used artificial turf fields. We provide a viable and economical solution that works.
Our patent-pending mobile artificial turf processing system enables the separation and cleaning of sand and crumb rubber for installation in new turf fields.
Our process produces consistent, clean, high-quality reusable materials that can immediately be utilized in constructing and maintaining new and replacement fields.
New Planet Turf is proud member of both the American Sports Builders Association and the Synthetic Turf Council.
New Planet Turf LLC was established to solve the environmental challenges of repurposing and reusing old and used artificial turf fields. We provide a viable and economical solution that works.
Our patent-pending mobile artificial turf processing system enables the separation and cleaning of sand and crumb rubber for installation in new turf fields.
Our process produces consistent, clean, high-quality reusable materials that can immediately be utilized in constructing and maintaining new and replacement fields.
CEO
Ryan is a proven performer with a knack for developing talent and teams. He joined the New Planet Energy team as CEO in 2017.
He has honed his natural skill set with 20+ years of experience. As area manager for Progressive Waste (now Waste Connections Inc (NYSE: WCN)), he oversaw one of the busiest areas in the United States for waste management in New York City, Long Island, and some landfills in the Northeast region. He earned recognition for “Best Year Over Year Performance”, “Best Sales Performance”, and “Best in Class Safety”. He put his diplomacy skills to the test as the negotiator with New York City officials and competitors to create best practices for disposal and recycling.
He is an efficient and prudent leader, a result of being trained as an accountant at Brigham Young University. As an executive vice president with Global Connect, he created and grew two divisions to reach more than $4 million in annual sales, while helping to set the overall strategy for the company and organizational structure. Ryan began his career in positions with Arthur Andersen and Waste Management.
COO
Don Kerik is a seasoned executive with 38 years of leadership in the solid waste and recycling industry. Most recently, as Vice President of Transfer Operations, Recycling, and Waste-to- Energy Ash Hauling at WIN Waste Innovations, Don directed multi-state divisions across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
A rare leader who truly knows the business from the ground up, Don began his career in 1988 behind the wheel of a garbage truck. This foundational experience shaped his career-long commitment to building high-performing teams centered on safety, environmental stewardship, and operational excellence. Throughout his tenure at industry leaders such as Waste Connections, IESI/BFI of Canada, and Tunnel Hill Partners, he has mastered the complexities of multimodal logistics, managing large-scale waste transfer stations, recycling facilities, and transport via both truck and rail. Don is recognized for his ability to balance rigorous environmental standards with consistent shareholder value.
Chairman
As a co-founder of New Planet Energy, Richard brings decades of experience as an accomplished and strategic business visionary who drives results.
He is a partner in The Yucaipa Companies LLC, a private equity and venture capital firm based in Los Angeles, known for its keen investment strategy. Yucaipa led the $2 billion global restructuring of Eimskip, a publicly-traded Icelandic shipping and logistics company (EIM on Nasdaq Reykjavik), and Richard was at the helm as Eimskip’s chairman from 2013-2018. Yucaipa successfully sold its remaining stake in EIM in 2018.
Richard’s acumen does not stop there. His vision helped elevate Americold Realty Trust (NYSE: COLD) into the largest temperature-controlled storage company in the world. As a trustee of Americold from 2013-2018, he played an instrumental role in the company’s IPO at $16 per share in January 2018, raising primary and secondary proceeds of $833 million. A follow-on offering in September of 2018 raised $1.05 billion in primary and secondary proceeds at $24.50 per share. In February 2019, Yucaipa successfully exited in a secondary offering of $1.3 billion priced at $27.75 per share.
Principal
Jay is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with a proven track record of founding, building, and scaling companies across multiple industries. He is Co-Founder, Vice Chairman, and Treasurer of New Planet Energy, a company providing environmentally responsible solutions for the disposal and repurposing of multiple waste streams.
Jay is also the Founder, Chairman, and principal owner of HomeWAV, a comprehensive provider of technology-driven services for correctional facilities. Over the course of his career, he has founded several other successful enterprises, including Johnson Risk Management, Johnson Grain, and the Strategic Asset Fund.
A magna cum laude graduate of Illinois State University with a B.S. in Business Finance, Jay was named the Department of Finance Student of the Year upon graduation. In 2007, he was named Illinois Small Business Administration “Person of the Year” and was First Runner-Up nationally in Washington, D.C. In 2005, he was honored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, where he served as the inaugural agriculture spokesman at its dedication
Director
With more than 25 years of experience in finance, strategic planning, and M&A, Andrew brings exceptional experience to New Planet Energy. The diversity of his experience goes even further with large global organizations, fast-growing mid-sized companies, and startups. His energy is boundless as he also currently serves as executive vice president, CFO, and treasurer of Brown & Brown Inc., a $2.4 billion diversified insurance agency that is the sixth largest independent intermediary in the country.
His CFO and senior management skills were sharpened during time with Thomson Reuters and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and his board experience includes chairman and investment committee positions with the New Jersey chapters of National Leadership Council and Make A Wish Foundation, as well as the Surflight Theatre, which provides professional live theatre to adults, teens and children in southern New Jersey. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University and is a certified public accountant (CPA).