Rotten Report: What brings you to Highfields?
Jim Davis: I came to Highfields because I saw it as an opportunity to work with a really interesting group of people. I already knew Tom Gilbert [former HCC executive director] and Andrew Meyer from Vermont Soy. This was a chance for me to bring my experience—managing non-profits and running small businesses—into a whole different industry. I’m really interested in reducing my own carbon footprint, and Highfields presented a unique opportunity to work in the environmental field.
RR: How would describe your job at Highfields?
JD: Hectic! And fun. I see myself kind of like a bandleader, guiding all the different parts of our organization to create some harmony and accomplish our goals. We’re a symphony of organic recycling, and it’s my job to guide all the players together to make some music!
RR: What do you like about the work you’re doing? What do you find challenging?
JD: I love the diversity of this industry. There are so many things going on with agriculture in Vermont, especially in Hardwick, and you never know what tomorrow will bring. It’s really exciting. I’d say the biggest challenge is the same thing: the diversity. You could easily get off track. There are so many cool, interesting things on the periphery…we get interested in creating new systems with a farmer, developing heat recovery projects, et cetera. But we have to stay focused on the mission of the company.
RR: What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
I see myself kind of like a bandleader, guiding all the different parts of our organization to create some harmony and accomplish our goals.
JD: I love designing efficient, tiny homes with unique built-in features. We all have to get away from the 80’s mentality of the McMansion. It’s a passion of mine to work on reducing the burden on Mother Earth. I also spend quite a bit of time supporting my son’s athletic pursuits and just being a Dad!
RR: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
JD: I’ll be leading Highfields into becoming a cutting-edge, innovative, and successful non-profit, with a national reach. Personally, I see myself on my 15 acres in a tiny house, being self-sufficient.
RR: Besides leading a nonprofit, what job would you most like to do, and why?
JD: Fireman. I’ve always had the desire to help people. Being a fireman combines the adrenaline rush of a rescue job, with my innate drive to help people.
RR: What job would you least like to do, and why?
JD: Oil Rig Operator. The oil industry is all about BIG MONEY and often you see them siting a facility in the middle of a beautiful nature preserve. I dislike the smell, the process of acquiring oil through drilling or fracking, or the fact that pollution is an acceptable cost of producing oil to feed our habit for material pleasures.