Certified Compost Operations Manager™ Spotlight: Wayne Mason CCOM™

Wayne Mason, Supervisor of the UT Compost Facility, was born and raised in Texas and joined the US Navy at the age of 17. Training and working as a mechanical nuclear engineer on the USS Carl Vinson, he was able to serve for 5 years before being medically retired due to radiation exposure. Venturing into civilian life, Wayne then began work in construction, learning the skills of a stonemason and working a wide variety of heavy equipment. When medical complications lead to him leaving that industry, Wayne sought higher education at the University of Tennessee. Through chance circumstances, he landed a summer job working at what was then known as the “Compost Site,” a place that was ready to be shut down due to years of negligence. Over the course of 3 years, Wayne was able to convert the muddy site into a complete facility with proper roads. He converted his student worker position into a supervisory staff position, hired 6 additional staff members, and secured over $1.7 million in site upgrades and new equipment. Wayne aspires to connect the people of the state of Tennessee to the idea of keeping their waste out of landfills and expanding the composting industry through stricter regulations and connections with local governments.

 
Why did I decide to pursue certification?
 
Truthfully, I was excited to try and go for my certification because there are very few places you can go that can hand you a paper that says "I know what I'm doing" when it comes to composting. There aren't many degree programs that exist that even touch base on the subject, let alone certify you as an industry expert. Which is a shame because the men and women in this field who work hard in the sun have to be subject matter experts on so many different things. Soil Scientist? Foreman? Salesman? Equipment Operator? Lab Tech? We really have to know how to do it all. And for that, being able to be called a Certified Compost Operations Manager will do just fine!