Her Story
About Eden
Eden Howard entered the hazardous and special waste disposal industry in 2006 after beginning as a temp at the Orlando Sentinel. She interviewed with the EHS manager and was hired despite limited experience, quickly learning about water and chemical testing, EPA reporting, and OSHA requirements. After nearly six years, she served as interim EHS manager following departmental changes. Her HAZWOPER training facilitated a move to the disposal side at Permafix. Six years ago, she and her husband joined UES, an oil re-refinery, to launch its hazardous waste division. She developed SOPs, secured permits and insurance, built logistics systems, and trained staff. Today she manages compliance, customer quoting, field packing and inventories, driver support, invoicing, and sales for the division while working long hours alongside her husband.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Eden
01What do you attribute your success to?
Asking questions and always wanting to learn new things. I learn by seeing the steps of why and how. I cannot be told to enter this data in this field without knowing why.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Don't be afraid to ask questions when you need to, but sometimes, keeping your mouth closed and keeping your eyes open to watch how things flow is an education within itself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Try to experience both the administrative portion of the job, but also be out in the field to meet customers to see how their process of creating their product flows and what waste is generated. Learn about reuse and recycling so you can provide options to your clients. Many companies are going green, so we need to provide reuse options for them.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Biggest opportunities now is having reuse/rebranding and recycling options out there for companies looking to stay out of the landfills. I enjoy the challenge of finding other options for our customers when they ask - Can we.. my answer is always, yes!!!
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I treat people how I would like to be treated, both in business and in my personal life. Life is expensive; work is expensive, no matter the size of the company. We always try to provide the most cost-effective waste disposal solutions, no matter if you have a small business or a large corporation. We do not hide any pricing; what you see on the quote is what you will be charged. The only changes on an invoice would be if the waste coming in was different than what we profiled and quoted.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.