Ray Graczyk

President of NLR
Email Ray
Office: (860)-292-1992 ext. 104
Direct Line: (860)-903-1278

Ray Graczyk is the founder and president of NLR. In addition to his duties at NLR, Ray also serves as president for the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers (ALMR).  ALMR provides educational and informational resources to government agencies, municipal authorities, industries and other business entities, universal waste handlers, waste generators, environmental groups and industry trade organizations. ALMR’s mission to promote programs, policies and practices that divert mercury-bearing wastes from the solid waste stream and the environment runs parallel to NLR’s mission “green”.

Over the past two decades, Ray Graczyk has been instrumental in the passage of legislation in Washington, D.C. for the Universal Waste Rule, and has also worked with Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project, for Vermont’s Mercury Labeling Law, which led to the national law for the labeling of all mercury containing lamps. Ray continues to be a staunch advocate in Washington for issues related to mercury.

Robert E. Robert

Vice President
Email Robert
Office: (860)-292-1992 ext. 101
Direct Line: (860)-627-9611

Robert E. Robert has been with NLR since its creation. He was invited to assist Ray Graczyk launch his startup venture and develop Connecticut’s first lamp recycling facility for mercury-containing lamps and bulbs. Robert was instrumental in bringing NLR from concept and construction, to operational reality in 1996.  Deeply involved in driving the organic growth of the company and its mission to keep mercury out of the environment, Robert and Ray have created one of the most respected names in universal waste recycling in the U.S. Robert has appeared on numerous television shows advocating the proper management of light bulbs, batteries and electronics. He has also been featured in The Hartford Courant Money and Business, as well as The University of Hartford’s Observer, to continue NLR’s quest to keep mercury out of the environment.

Outside of NLR, Robert has been actively training in martial arts since 1984 and is currently Vice Chairman for the International Kokondo Association (IKA). Focusing on authentic, traditional Japanese karate and jujitsu for self-defense, Robert has instructed thousands of students worldwide. He owns and operates House of Jujitsu in West Hartford, Connecticut instructing classes daily.  He has also co-authored, Sankosho- A Warrior’s Path to Kokondo Martial Arts and is one of Konkondo’s leading authorities on principals, tactics, and strategies for self-defense.

Sean Unger

Operations/ Production Supervisor
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Office: (860)-292-1992 ext. 201

Sean Unger’s role with NLR is overseeing operation and managing production levels for all shifts in the lamp processing facility and the UWH warehouse. Sean has spent 8 years at NLR beginning as a technician and working his way to night shift supervisor, to supervisor of the lamp processing facility. He has a background in business and receiving professional training from OSHA, as well as DEEP/EPA certifications to help maintain the health and safety of NLR’s employees. His personal interests include reading, mixed martial arts, and he loves his two dogs and helping to raise two step children.

Joel Gornbein

Business Development Manager
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Office: (860)-292-1992 ext. 107

Joel Gornbein’s role with NLR is to build relationships with new and existing customers and to mentor, train, and develop the customer support team to ensure NLR meets our customers’ recycling needs and exceeds their expectations. Joel has a Bachelor’s in Business Administrations from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has been in the environmental services industry for more than 30 years. At the beginning of his career, he was a part of the remediation of the Love Canal, the 1^st designated Superfund site in the United States. In his personal time, he enjoys softball, golf, bowling, the Buffalo Bills, the Boston Bruins, the Red Sox and traveling to Florida to visit his son and grandchildren.

Sherri Sandiford

Administrative Specialist
Email Sherri
Office: (860)-292-1992 ext. 100
Direct Line: (860)-292-1992

Sherri Sandiford’s role with NLR is to be the gatekeeper for the corporate office and the first voice on the telephone. She’s pivotal in processing paperwork, certificates of recycling, paperwork for drivers, data entry, BakPak orders and many other facets of the NLR business. She has a background in business and accounting from Saint Joseph College and has been with NLR for 3 years. Her personal interests include reading science fiction novels, and crocheting.

Lamp Processing Group

Our team at the lamp processing facility work quickly to sort and recycle lamps and lighting wastes. They also prepare, ship, and receive the majority of our national mail-back program, BakPak. Using state-of-the-art machinery the processing team recycles mercury containing lamps and bulbs back down to metal caps, glass cullet, and phosphor powder that can be reused and retorted in other processes. This team also cleans and prepares received ballasts for recycling.