Taylor Recycling president to speak before chamber

Middletown — Jim Taylor, president of Taylor Recycling, L.L.C., and Taylor Biomass Energy, will be guest speaker at the Orange County Chamber of Commerce’s membership breakfast at 7:27 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Kuhl’s Highland House in Middletown. Taylor will talk about leadership and how it has helped him grow and develop his businesses. The Newburgh native built Taylor Tree into one of the region’s largest land-clearing and tree service companies after buying the firm from his father, who founded it in 1956. Taylor led the firm’s transformation from a tree service business into Taylor Recycling Facility along with his sons, James III and Hans; and his daughter, Tonya Lynn. Taylor’s reputation grew as the contractor for debris sorting and recovery efforts after the World Trade Center disaster on Sept. 11, 2001. In 2004, Taylor opened the second construction and demolition recycling facility in Des Moines, Iowa. Taylor is often invited to speak on a range of subjects, including leadership, recycling, and creative solutions to solid waste management. Taylor Recycling won the chamber’s 2004 Medium Business of the Year Award, as well as the Orange County Partnership’s Spirit of Innovation, Recycling and Quality of Life Awards. The breakfast will be sponsored by Frontier Communications. Reservations are $20 for members (in advance) and $40 for nonmembers. They can be made by calling the chamber office at 457-9700, visiting www.orangeny.com or e-mailing maryjanek@orangeny.com.