RTI presents Food Waste solutions at Climate Week NYC. Thu, September 17, 2026 at 12:50 PM PDT * Restaurant Technologies will participate in Climate Week NYC 2026 to discuss food waste reduction in commercial kitchens with environmental leaders from various sectors. Restaurant Technologies (RTI), a leading provider of automated cooking oil management for commercial kitchens, will unite with environmental leaders across policy, business, hospitality, and civil society at Climate Week NYC 2026 to discuss the role of commercial kitchens in waste reduction and providing solutions to the climate crisis. RTI will join Food Tank's Solving Food Waste: A Key Solution to the Climate Crisis from 9 AM to 12 PM ET on Monday, September 21, at WNYC-NPR Studios' The Greene Space in Manhattan. Presented in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Food Planet Prize, NRDC, Walmart Foundation, CookUnity and Mill, the event will bring together a diverse group of leaders from government, business, hospitality and sustainability sectors to explore how reducing food waste can cut emissions, strengthen food security and build more resilient food systems. Diana Geseking, Chief Legal Officer and Impact Committee Chair at RTI, will speak on the panel Food Waste Action in Commercial Kitchens and Food Service and share insights on ways businesses can transform food waste from an operational challenge into an opportunity to reduce environmental impact and contribute to the circular economy. "Climate issues are addressed most effectively when industry, government, and society work together to find solutions," said Geseking. "Restaurant Technologies is proud to stand alongside UNEP, NRDC, and our fellow co-hosts in advancing practical, scalable solutions to food waste, and to demonstrate how meaningful climate progress can make a big difference in kitchens around the world." Restaurant Technologies addresses food waste through the automation of cooking oil delivery, filtration, monitoring and collection of used cooking oil for over 45,000 commercial kitchens nationwide, which includes McDonald's, Shake Shack, Sheetz, Kroger, and more. In 2025, RTI recycled almost 400 million pounds of used cooking oil (UCO), and converted nearly 100% of its UCO into renewable diesel or biodiesel for vehicles on the road, or into sustainable aviation fuel for aircrafts. Geseking will join an accomplished group of food system and sustainability leaders participating in Food Tank's Climate Week NYC event, including: Julie Gehrki, President, Walmart Foundation and Senior Vice President, Philanthropy, Walmart Inc.; María Bengochea, Director of Sustainability, Nutrition & Standards, CookUnity; Veleké Brown, Executive Director, E-RoadMap Corporation (Operation No Food Gap); Robert Jones, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Industry Leadership, and Impact, Culinary Institute of America; Matthew Jozwiak, CEO and Founder, Rethink; Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality, Brazil's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank; U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas, Oregon's 6th Congressional District; Gwyneth Rampton, Vice President of Sustainability, Compass Group USA and many more.

Veteran HR executive Rick Copeland joins Carpe Diem Global Partners. September 16, 2026 Carpe Diem Global Partners Carpe Diem Global Partners today announced that seasoned HR executive and search leader Rick Copeland has joined the firm as Managing Partner in their Executive Search practice, bringing more than 25 years of experience building high-performing HR functions and leading retained executive searches for organizations across manufacturing, industrial applications, technology, distribution, logistics, and business services. In this role, Mr. Copeland will help expand Carpe Diem's retained search capabilities across these sectors, with a particular focus on C-suite, HR, and senior leadership mandates for growth-stage and private equity-backed organizations. Rick's search experience is grounded in more than two decades of corporate HR leadership. As Vice President of Human Resources at Restaurant Technologies, there he led the Human Resources and Risk Management functions for 850 employees across 26 states and 41 facilities, and helped grow the company's revenue from $150 million to $580 million, with a 225% improvement in EBITDA. At G&K Services, Rick was promoted to Corporate Director of Human Resources, Field HR Operations, where he saved $540,000 annually by reducing the company's executive search firm roster from 56 to 5 strategic partners, and designed a shared services model that saved $2.2 million in labor cost and recruiting expense. Earlier, as Regional Director of Human Resources at G&K, he drove a leadership business review and performance management turnaround to an $11 million revenue growth and directly led the HR integration of five acquisitions. Earlier in his career, Rick worked at organizations including Broadriver Communications, a technology start-up, and held senior HR leadership roles at Honeywell, Sunbeam-Oster, Lucas Industries, and Tenneco. Most recently, Mr. Copeland joins Carpe Diem after founding a retained search firm in 2024, where he served as President, partnering with C-suite executives, boards, and private equity sponsors to build leadership teams that accelerate business performance and create long-term enterprise value. Rick advised organizations such as Diversified Distributors, Lube Tech, QualiTru Sampling Systems, Osmose Utlities, Restaurant Technologies and Consolidated Plastics on executive search, leadership assessment, succession planning, executive coaching, and career transition, with significant experience supporting private equity-backed companies in making high-impact talent decisions that strengthen executive teams and reduce leadership risk. He also founded a high potential Leadership Group, an annual developmental cohort program for early-career and high-potential employees, and serves as a Career Transition Coach... Before that, he founded c6 Consulting Services, providing fractional HR support and business development for small business owners across healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and professional services, with clients including Binswanger Glass, Culligan Water, Choice Hotels, eyebobs, Wingman Uniform, and Digi International. Having served as both a corporate HR executive and an executive recruiter, Rick now brings a rare, dual-sided view of talent decisions - understanding what clients need from both the inside and the outside of the search process. His deep HR credentials bring new depth to Carpe Diem's leadership development and organizational advisory capabilities. Mr. Copeland holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Development from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University. He is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Six Sigma Green Belt. He is based in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and maintains a broad network of executives and private equity sponsors across multiple industries, which he will leverage to support Carpe Diem clients with their most critical leadership needs. Carpe Diem Global Partners is a disruptive innovator helping organizations build stronger leadership for growth, transformation, and succession - integrating executive search, leadership development, and organizational advisory in one corporate partnership. Carpe Diem Partners is experienced operators who have sat in the chair for decades - Carpe Diem Partners assess and develop leaders and boards, the way its clients actually need them to perform.