Waters leaving waste district to be CEO of private firm

Shawn McGrath, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13863, smcgrath@heraldargus.com

LAPORTE -- The executive director of the LaPorte County Solid Waste District is resigning to take a management position with a private firm.

Lynn Waters’ last day will be Tuesday, July 11.

“I’ve put in a lot of time in county government,” Waters said Tuesday. “And I’m really proud of what I’ve done.”

She will become chief executive officer for Indiana Melting and Manufacturing (IMM) on Ind. 39 North in LaPorte County. She said a start date hasn’t yet been set.

Waters, who earns about $54,000 a year as the waste district’s executive director, has held the post since 1991. She declined to say how much she’ll earn in her new job.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had an offer that really combines all of the things that I like to do,” Waters said of her moving to the private sector. “I still love what I do with the (solid waste) district, but it’s too good an offer.”

IMM will manufacture abrasives when production begins in late August or early September. The abrasives are used to prepare a surface, such as steel, for future applications of chemicals or paint.

Waters said her position will involve procurement contracts, overseeing the general facility and developing personnel policies.

A mixture of state, federal and local incentives were used to lure IMM to LaPorte County, including a $900,000 investment by the solid waste district. Waters said the district’s investment more than a year ago had nothing to do with her taking the CEO position now.

“It shouldn’t look odd because I’m good at what I do,” Waters said. “The way people get jobs is (through) somebody watching (them do) their jobs and over the last 20 years, somebody’s liked my work.”

IMM will use about 15,000 tons of discarded glass to make abrasives and employ more than 100 when operations are at full capacity in five years.

It’s unclear when the search for Waters’ replacement will begin.

LaPorte County Commission President Marlow Harmon, who is also the solid waste district board’s president, declined to comment on Tuesday.

Story posted: 6/14/2006