Catherine Merritt Of SSC Services for Education: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become More Sustainable
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Teach children to be a part of nature by providing hands-on learning. Let them know the good and the bad, but also let them see how what they do can make an impact. As they grow, their impact and knowledge can expand.
As part of our series about how companies are becoming more sustainable, we had the pleasure of interviewing Catherine Merritt, Vice President of Operations, SSC Services for Education, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Catherine has been with SSC for over 17 years, and recently got promoted from Director of Communications to Vice President of Operations. She strives to build healthy environments, inside and out, for students to thrive in while focusing on practices that will leave our environments healthy for future generations. Catherine received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from Mars Hill University.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
After graduating college and starting to search for a job, I finally understood my father’s eye roll surrounding my English literature degree. One day, I circled an ad in the newspaper and faxed in my resume for the position. A week later, I was working as a receptionist for SSC Services for Education. On day two of my new job, I was sitting at the front desk, a little bored, and reading Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, when a sweet old man in the office started chatting with me about my book choice. The very next day, I was promoted to administrative assistant. The sweet old man turned out to be the president of SSC! He figured if I engaged in Russian nihilism for fun, I could handle the regional manager, who had gone through multiple assistants in the last year.
For the next 17 years, I spent every day learning all aspects of the business. The regional manager, Seth Ferriell, was promoted to division vice president and eventually CEO. He has never stopped teaching, and I never stopped learning. I enjoyed problem-solving and the daily continuing education. I would always raise my hand to ask for new challenges, so I was able to participate in operations, legal, sales, marketing, communications, HR, safety, and mergers and acquisitions over the course of my assignments. If the day-to-day of the job started to become repetitive, I would look for new ways we could improve. Throughout my roles and years of growth within SSC, our teams built a trust and respect for each other that allowed us the confidence and safety to take risks, because we knew we were all working toward what was best for the company and the people and communities we serve.
What is the mission of your company? What problems are you aiming to solve?
All students should have a safe, healthy environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive. SSC manages and maintains the facilities (custodial, grounds, and maintenance) in K-12 and higher education campuses so educators can focus on teaching our next generation of leaders, engineers, astronauts, performers, writers, teachers, and world changers.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
Environmental sustainability is a daily conscious choice for SSC. Our Grounds Manager, Vice President George Bernardon, said it best during our 50th-anniversary celebration: “I never want a student to have to go to school to learn how to undo what I did to their planet.”
Sustainability comes naturally to our grounds team, since their hands are literally in the soil every day. They are always looking for organic enrichment, from green cycling to water system health to native species to a focus on pollinators. They look to build the long-term sustainable health of a campus and preserve the pristine natural resources we already have for future generations.
The maintenance teams highlight the importance of Preventative Maintenance (PM) vs. Corrective Maintenance (CM) in controlling and reducing energy consumption. On the custodial side, one of my favorite current initiatives is the transition from traditional cleaning chemicals to the on-site generation of a product called Aqueous Ozone.
Essentially, Aqueous Ozone is a safe cleaning agent made from water, oxygen, and energy inside an onsite generator. With it, we don’t have to worry about harmful side effects like chemical residue, water system contamination, and volatile organic compounds. It is a powerful oxidant that effectively and rapidly eliminates contaminants but is as safe to interact with as bottled water. Implementing this product is not only safer for students and faculty, but sustainable too.
On-site generation means lowered carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and shipping of supplies. We see landfill diversion from the removal of product packaging. It also eliminates the health and safety hazards for employees associated with using harsh chemicals. Because it is just water, its disposal is safe for our water systems. It protects our most vulnerable populations in ways that other cleaning chemicals can’t. The use of aqueous ozone removes the risks caused by VOCs found in more traditional chemicals and is safe for asthma sufferers. The toxic quats from harsh disinfectants that can cause burns or cross our skin into our bodies are not present with aqueous ozone. Additionally, testing has proven that it removes peanut protein while still being food safe.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
In the case of Aqueous Ozone, it’s a matter of simplification. There used to be about five specialized cleaning products that we used. With Aqueous Ozone, there’s just one. While the upfront cost for this product is heavy, there is a longer-term ROI. There are no more manufacturing, transportation, or waste disposal costs. There is also a reduced likelihood of costs associated with chemical injury.
Our maintenance team also focuses on facility energy use, analysis, and savings. Preventive maintenance is done on HVAC equipment to keep it running at peak efficiency to reduce energy costs. Our deferred maintenance plans replace outdated equipment with more energy-efficient pieces that work with building automation systems and tracking systems that can monitor energy savings in real-time. One energy analysis we performed found hundreds of thousands of dollars in incorrect charges from the local electric company that was able to be refunded to the school.
The youth led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion what are a few things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.
- Get outside. Spend time in nature. Let kids see the impact of litter and trash or the vibrancy of a forest compared to a concrete jungle.
- Grow a garden. Plant organic food so children can eat straight from the vine. You can also compost your leftover food to feed their future food. Teach them that nature is cyclical, and they can choose to be a responsible part of it.
- Plant native wildflowers and have children spend an afternoon counting how many different native pollinators visit.
- Use rain barrels. See how many uses children can find for the freely available water that they’ve collected. You can also try collecting jars of water from various sources. This could be rain gutters, rivers, lakes, or holding ponds. Let children see the difference in the quality of the water. Examine the jar’s contents for pollutants like oil, debris, trash, or sludge.
- Teach children to be a part of nature by providing hands-on learning. Let them know the good and the bad, but also let them see how what they do can make an impact. As they grow, their impact and knowledge can expand.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Two people who greatly helped me in my career are Don Williams, former president and CEO of SSC Services for Education, and Seth Ferriell, current CEO. These two leaders learned from Baxter Lee, the founder of our company. They continue to teach each other and me–you always have knowledge to pass on! They’ve shown me that there’s always something you can teach to the person next to you, and there’s always something you can learn from the person next to you. I never take that for granted. Don and Seth have never shied away from teaching. Seth is always available to talk through a circumstance and offer a countering viewpoint to ensure I’m continually challenging myself for growth.
After 15 years at SSC, I decided to get my MBA. It was a big decision, considering I’d be working full-time while raising a family, and after one text to Seth, I was confident in the next steps, knowing I had his full support. Over the course of studying for my degree and through all the work, projects, and unexpected opportunities and challenges in my current role, Seth not only helped remove roadblocks for me but was a constant sounding board and inspiration for my improvement. Though he had been retired for many years, Don became a new mentor for me over the course of my degree and beyond. Anytime I need him, I know I can find Don enjoying his retirement working in his nursery, ready to impart business knowledge from his first-hand experiences, explain an obscure Scottish Idiom, or, most commonly, convince me to buy a cartload of wildflowers native to East Tennessee.
You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Circling back to my eye-rolling English literature degree, one thing I’d like to inspire people to do is read more. Set a goal each year for how many books you’d like to read. Whether it’s hardback, novella, library book, mass-market paperback, graphic novel, or audiobook, just read! I truly love working in an environment where I’m immersed in the world of education, and books are the number one avenue to this. It doesn’t matter if a book is fiction, history, poetry, true crime, thriller, professional development, biography, or collection of essays, you can never make a bad choice. Reading expands your lens for interaction with the world.
I feel my passion for reading has helped me succeed in my career. It’s helped improve my focus, creativity, productivity, memory, empathy, and communication skills.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
As much as I wish I could list a quote worthy of an office motivational poster, mine comes from collegiate football: “If at first the game — or the breaks — go against you, don’t let up . . . put on more steam.” -General Robert Neyland.
So many times, plans do not turn out as envisioned. For me, that is simply an indicator that I missed something, didn’t work hard enough, or misjudged a timeline. The game isn’t over in a single play, and it is my responsibility to put on more steam to reach my goals for my business and life.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
My LinkedIn page: Catherine Merritt.
This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Catherine Merritt Of SSC Services for Education: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.