Jake Gordon joined Geared for GREEN two years ago and currently serves as Director of Client Services and Sustainable Business Development Manager. In this role, he is responsible for guiding clients through the development and implementation of circular-economy solutions, with a focus on recovering value from materials that are traditionally difficult to recycle. Jake partners with organizations to create seamless, closed-loop programs — managing everything from vendor coordination and logistics to data tracking, diversion reporting, PCR-content integration, and impact communications that demonstrate measurable results.
Jake earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Syracuse University in 2013. With a background in private equity and financial markets, he quickly connected with the business case for sustainability and circularity. He credits several mentors at Geared for GREEN for shaping his growth, including Founder & CEO Danny Schrager, who helped him understand the plastics industry at a high level; Larry Gay, who provided guidance on logistics and operational execution; Jeff Feldman, who offered mentorship on strategic growth and partnerships; and Nick Berman, who deepened his expertise in sustainability and circularity across industries.
Through his work, Jake found a direct path into the plastics industry and has come to appreciate its complexity and opportunity — particularly as sustainability becomes a central priority across sectors. He values the industry’s collaborative, solutions-driven nature and believes meaningful progress happens when manufacturers, brands, recyclers, and organizations work together to improve design, collection, recovery, and end-market development. His career has also influenced his personal life, making him more intentional about how he purchases, reuses, and disposes of products, and inspiring him to participate in local beach cleanups in South Florida.
As for key challenges facing the industry, Jake points to inconsistent recycling infrastructure, contamination, material complexity, and the need to scale end-markets for recycled content. He believes these can be overcome through better design for recyclability, stronger collection systems, clearer education, strategic investment, and partnerships supported by transparent data and improved incentives for consumer participation.
Jake has been involved with FLiP for about six months and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Community Impact Task Group. Even in such a short time, FLiP has helped him build meaningful relationships, learn from industry leaders, and stay engaged in conversations shaping the future of plastics. He encourages others from his generation to consider a career in plastics, noting the opportunity to build scalable solutions that create both business value and measurable environmental impact.
When asked to name a “can’t-live-without” plastic product, Jake quickly pointed to his dog Frank’s toys — without them, he jokes, his furniture would not stand a chance. Outside of work, Jake is an avid New York Rangers and New York Knicks fan who enjoys golfing, staying active outdoors, and getting to the gym. He values time with his girlfriend, Elise, their dog, Frank, and his family — especially his new baby nephew. He also pursues interests in financial markets, reading, exploring new restaurants, and modeling and acting as creative outlets.
