This episode is part of our Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.

Today's guest is Dylan Welch, Plant Manager at AMP Robotics. 

Dylan grew up in the foothills of California and Arizona, before going to school in Colorado. He’s had quite a non-linear career path. Dylan started his career building custom motorcycles out of his garage and then became a carpenter and subcontractor, before joining the team at AMP Robotics, where he oversees facility operations. AMP Robotics develops and deploys AI and robotics technology that enables a recycling facility to drive efficiencies across its sorting process, lower the cost of its operations, and produce higher-value commodities. As proud investors of AMP Robotics via our MCJ venture funds, we’ve excited to share yet another perspective from the company and learn about Dylan’s personal journey. In this episode, we learn a lot from Dylan the recycling industry, and how Dylan applied his interest towards a career addressing the waste problem.

In this episode, we cover: 

• Dylan's early interest in machinery and his professional background
• His career path as a carpenter, contractor, and running a recycling plant
• An overview of AMP Robotics and how Dylan landed his current role 
• A deep dive into recycling and its shortcomings 
• Dylan's day-to-day experience running a secondary MRF (materials recovery facility)
• How he interacts with folks outside of the plant 
• Dylan's perspectives on how automation can close the staffing gap in the recycling industry
• How Dylan combined his personal interests with his role at AMP Robotics 
• Advice for people interested in learning how systems work but aren’t sure where to start

Get connected: 
Yin Twitter / LinkedIn
AMP Robotics
MCJ Podcast / Collective

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Episode recorded on January 11, 2023.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant