Cassie Gruber first discovered her interest in sustainability and the circular economy when she became a partner in a Buffalo-based e-waste company. Her launch in the industry was bumpy. She was young, inexperienced, and had no idea how to run a business. She made many wrong decisions. Cassie’s first move in her career turned out to be a failure. Flash forward 20 years, and Cassie is now the Circular Economy Thought Leader, Mentor & Global Director. She has garnered a reputation as an authority on sustainability and circularity in the electronics sector. She is also an influential thought leader in circular economy and emotional intelligence.
“Powerful” is how she describes herself in a word. She believes it is possible to achieve anything. “My journey over the years has made me realize we have more power than we think we do,” Cassie says.
Journey of an Art Student in Sustainability and Circular Economy
Cassie has an innate passion for the environment. “The idea of reusing or extending the existence of things; or taking something that might seem like waste and extracting or adding additional life is just something that I was born with,” she says.
She may have been passionate about the environment since an early age, but the thought of making a career in sustainability and circular economy never entered her mind. She chose to study art and philosophy, but after a decade, her path diverged. Cassie took the plunge into entrepreneurship and became a partner in a small e-waste company in Buffalo, NY. It was her first step into sustainability, which eventually developed into a full-blown interest in the circular economy. At the time, she was callow and unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of running a business. “We did most things wrong,” Cassie recalls. They were even struggling to pay their employees.
She and her partner had a contract with Goodwill. Their agreement allowed special needs workers to come in to learn to break down computers, segregate cables, and perform other tasks. Some even got to be a part of the refurbishment process. For Cassie, seeing them at work was one of the most fulfilling parts of being an entrepreneur. However, according to her, she and her partner made some poor choices, which eventually led to the shutdown of the business.
After her business closed, Cassie transitioned into corporate roles. She worked for public and private companies — both very large and very small — as well as remanufacturers and recyclers of electronic things. She was drawn to these companies, for that matter even to Jabil, because they were bringing something unique to the market. They were innovative and enthusiastic about introducing something disruptive to create circular economies. For a significant portion of her 20-year career, Cassie worked in the aftermarket imaging supplies industry. She then transitioned to the mobile handset industry, where she worked for companies that remanufacture LCDs and innovate to repurpose the glass.
More than seven years ago, aside from its massive size and global presence, Cassie joined Jabil because of some interesting niche environmental technologies that aligned with her ability to make a positive impact. At the time, Cassie was working for a much smaller company, where she was generating the majority of the revenue. According to her, she would have stayed at the smaller company if the owners had made her a partner. They didn’t. So, she took a leap of faith and joined Jabil. Prior to joining, she researched Jabil’s culture, the industries it serves, and its supply chain. What really impressed her about Jabil was that they were doing some cutting-edge stuff that no one else in the industry was doing.
“I had never worked for a company of this scale nor been directly involved in manufacturing,” Cassie says. “It’s now been a little over seven years, and it’s definitely never been a dull moment at Jabil.”
Cassie has held various roles, including Business Development Manager, Director of Compliance, and Vice President of Sustainability, for a publicly traded European company while also chairing their U.S. Board of Directors. Titles can be challenging without trust, combined with effective leadership and shareholder alignment. There was a brief point in her career when she was motivated by climbing the corporate ladder, but she soon realized that the true value of a role is driven by purpose and passion. She also came to understand that being empowered by her leadership in an influential position within a diverse and inclusive workspace was fundamental and of utmost priority.
Challenges and a Moment of Enlightenment
Cassie feels she was not taken seriously early in her career. Then, she was an over-energetic young woman. She recalls moving faster than most people could process in their minds. “I don’t know if that was equal parts intimidating and, at the same time, ignorance because I only knew what I knew,” she says. She also recalls being too afraid to ask questions at times. Now, she tells others, “There is never a dumb question.”
When she first started her career, Cassie remembers dressing in full suits. “I wanted my button-up shirts pressed, just like the men around me,” she says. As men at work surrounded her, she felt the need to fit in. Also, Cassie felt more confident when she walked into a room wearing a full suit.
“So, it was like, a part of me wanted to camouflage, yet another part of me just wanted to stand out,” she says.
Cassie holds a different perspective now. She does not need a full suit to stand out or feel confident. She doesn’t remember exactly when she decided to step out as herself, but she does recall a moment of enlightenment. Cassie, who is 47, remembers having an epiphany at the age of 33 that truly sparked her authenticity as a leader.
“Life tasted so sweet to me. I felt like breathing fresh air was truly a gift — a gift I could abundantly absorb,” Cassie shares. “And I think I realized at that moment that anything achievable is possible.”
She remembers that she thought, “I could roll out of bed, and I have legs, so I could just run like Forrest Gump.” She shares that these are gifts that many of us often overlook, too busy to slow down, realize in moments of presence, and find deep gratitude.
Biggest Achievement: Writing a Book
Cassie is an artist. She began painting when she was about five years old. Writing is something she always wanted to do, but she lacked confidence in her writing skills. One day, Kristy Guo, the curator of “The World’s Thought Leaders,” also one of the authors, whom she had met during a conference in Hong Kong, asked her if she would be interested in co-authoring a book with her and other writers. Kristy was working on two book ideas – The World’s Thought Leaders and Dare to Dream, according to Cassie. As Kristy learned about Cassie’s journey, her trials, tribulations, triumphs, and career achievements, she said that she would be equally good at co-authoring both books. “I couldn’t do both,” Cassie says. “I chose ‘The World’s Thought Leaders’.” She felt that she could touch everyone, regardless of gender, as well as future generations through her thoughts in the book. The suggested word limit was 6,000 to 8,000 words, but Cassie ended up writing 14,000 words in her chapter, “Little But Fierce”.
As she is not a professional writer, she found the writing process enjoyable. She learned not to mix writing and editing. Initially, she wrote a paragraph and then immediately edited it. “My writer friends told me not to do that,” she says. She found the editing process – she edited her chapter as well — both enlightening and daunting. She was utterly committed to writing, as she wanted to inspire people and motivate them not to hold back.
Cassie has a series of significant achievements in the sustainability and circular economy space, as well as being a parent and raising two beautiful children, Tristan 26, and Trinity 22. But, at the moment, she considers the book her greatest one. “For those who have never had their words published, it’s such a surreal feeling to see it happen,” Cassie says. “I sometimes still can’t believe I did it.”
She shares that she has been receiving emails and text messages from people with snippets of what she wrote – parts that made an impact on their lives. “There are so many things I have done that I’m proud of, both personally and professionally, especially within sustainability in my career,” Cassie says. “But the book is probably my biggest achievement because it is not just something I checked off a list and moved on. The book is there. It’s living. It will always exist.”
Cassie adds, “For anyone who has considered or always wanted to write a book, there is never a better time than now.”
A Sense of Fulfillment
Cassie is not just working for a manufacturing solutions provider. As she believes in being of service to others, she is involved in numerous causes that benefit humankind, in addition to sustainability efforts. This gives her a sense of fulfillment.
“Success is feeling fulfilled,” Cassie says. She believes she is successful when she experiences a sense of ultimate balance. For her, one of the most gratifying things is meeting people, building trust with them, inspiring them, and making a positive impact in their life. For her, another source of fulfillment is the environment, which she remains extremely passionate about.
Cassie says that sometimes things constantly shift and priorities change, but along the way, “if I’m filling the love buckets properly and nothing is completely lacking, that, to me, is success.”
Responsibilities of a Director
Cassie works closely with some of the world’s largest brands across 16 industries to drive Jabil’s circular economy and Scope 3 emissions strategy and programs. She and her team are also responsible for conducting corporate due diligence regarding non-financial public disclosure for Scope 3. Since joining Jabil in 2018, Cassie has been instrumental in supporting customers across diverse, highly regulated industries to achieve their circular economy goals through comprehensive value chain solutions. She shares that these initiatives would not have evolved, or been successful for that matter, without the dedication and commitment from her team.
Cassie points out that brands and companies in Asia can be “dramatically different” from companies in Europe – this can pose challenges when attempting to standardize practices. Industry or sector, as well as product type, can also heavily influence choices. There is also the pressure of a constantly changing regulatory landscape. This builds the foundation of how organizations prioritize and collaborate on sustainability and the circular economy. Cassie highlights that policy and legislation are shaping how companies and their supply chain partners are accelerating sustainability and setting their goals and initiatives, but brands are paving the path as well. This determines how organizations collaborate with customers.
“So, there’s not a one-size-fits-all for the circular economy,” Cassie points out. “Thus, whenever we can, we try to create best practices that can be redeployed at any time.”
Cassie is also actively involved in advocacy within the industry. She engages with industry stakeholders to standardize, build, restructure, and centralize standards, as well as to digitalize processes and promote interoperability in the context of the circular economy and Scope 3.
Cassie feels a part of her calling is connecting the dots in her role across Jabil, and with these organizations across the value chain to avoid replication, leverage existing work and build a stronger ecosystem that can thrive through the circular evolution.
The Leadership Strategy
Cassie is a leader who believes it all starts with service. But she also adds, “When you serve, you lead as well.” For her, true leaders are those who have walked across hot coals, experienced pain, and faced more challenges than they could talk about, yet they show up every day because they want their team to be better. For authentic leaders, it can be a struggle to find balance, says Cassie. “It can be a challenge to hold people accountable but still be of service to them,” she adds. When leaders do not hold their team responsible, empower them to make choices, take risks, and execute a strategy, the team purpose weakens,” she explains. Cassie believes that within a wider ecosystem, we must develop healthy mini-ecosystems to flourish.
Cassie reveals that whatever leadership strategy a leader follows, it should yield a positive outcome for both the organization and its people.
Plans for the Future
Cassie does not know where her path will lead over the next decade, but she is certain that she will continue to be part of sustainability and circular economy. “I’ve spent 20 years in electronics, reuse, recycling, sustainability, and circular economy,” she says. “I will always be a part of this industry and contribute to sustainability.” She sees herself being more involved in advocacy at some point.
Cassie is also certain that she will continue to be of service to others — by mentoring people and giving more motivational speeches. She is noticing the amazing work happening in mental wellness, resiliency, mentoring, and coaching. She wants to build upon that. Cassie reveals that she has founded a brand called Circular Bound.
She named her brand Circular Bound because, she says, everything is connected. “It’s like the circle of life,” she says. “It’s about unity, developing and lifting humans and bringing them together.” This endeavor evokes both movement and commitment.
Cassie’s ultimate goal is to make things better for humankind. “I strive to leverage what exists, both in sustainability and circular economy, by helping humankind and creating a space where they can thrive off of one another.”
In essence, Cassie is already driving a Circular Bound environment today in almost everything she does, both intellectually and emotionally.
Message to Aspiring Leaders
Cassie advises aspiring leaders to join an organization where they can thrive. “If you’re going to commit and work for an organization,” she says, “find one that will empower you, prioritize your voice, and value the diversity and inclusion of others.”
Cassie also encourages aspiring leaders to invest energy and remain passionate about their interests. “Results are not solely measured by time; effort and consistency are key. Embrace your authenticity and do not let setbacks or anyone stop you from propelling forward,” she adds.
The Final Word!
“I’ll end with this: regardless of what we, or any organization, are trying to achieve, or what we want to accomplish, for example, when we speak of tackling climate change globally, it all starts with us,” Cassie says. “It starts with humankind. If we don’t change, we won’t be able to change the world.”
