Ron Alexander

Speaker | R. Alexander Associates, Inc.

Mr. Alexander is the President of R. Alexander Associates, Inc., a company specializing in product and market development for organic recycled products. He is a horticulturalist with over 38 years of experience working with compost. In the 1980’s (and early 90’s), Mr. Alexander ran one of the first compost brokerage companies in the US, and since then, has completed over 500 related projects. He has also authored the ‘The Practical Guide to Compost Marketing and Sales’, and a number of state and national product specifications. Mr. Alexander also managed the national compost testing program (the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance Program) and is an Industry Liaison to AAPFCO.

Session Code: 1D

Track: Marketing and Use

Session Name: Compost Marketing

Session Time: Wednesday, February 7, 8:15 – 9:45 AM

Presentation Title: Non-Compost Competing Products, and How to Sell Against Them

Presentation Description: The compost marketplace is more crowded than ever, whether selling into agricultural or horticultural markets. Whether selling against manure, anaerobic digestate, worm castings, humic substances, ground wood, dehydrated food, etc., a compost marketer needs to understand how their compost compares to the competition, as well as understand its appropriate applications, and pros and cons to use. Finally, a compost marketer needs to understand how to position its compost product against these non-compost competitors to enhance their market share.

Session Code: 2D

Track: Marketing and Use

Session Name: Compost Use

Session Time: Wednesday, February 7, 1:45 – 3:15 PM

Presentation Title: Shifts in Compost Use over the Decades

Presentation Description: Understanding market trends, where compost has been successfully utilized in the past and being able to better predict shifts in the marketplace can help composters more effectively market compost on an on-going basis. The paper will discuss the changing markets, abandoned markets (some of which should be re-established) and new markets showing promise.