Robert Bahret got more than a typical “Happy New Year” when Clean the World CEO Shawn Seipler called him at the beginning of 2012. That call launched Bahret on a new career path – and landed him in a new state just a few days later.
“Shawn wanted me to run the facility in Las Vegas and help move it to a new location,” Bahret said. “There were some issues with the original crew in that shop and things weren’t going well.”
It was like a homecoming for Bahret, who was part of the original crew that launched Clean the World in 2009. His primary responsibility early on was shooting video to document the growth of this new social enterprise. But with a small group of about eight people, it was all hands on deck for everything from operations to partner relations. So along with everyone else, Bahret learned about soap recycling from the ground up.
He left for about a year to pursue another opportunity, but was eager to come back when the organization needed him. His official return date was Jan. 6, 2012, and on Jan. 13 he arrived in Las Vegas with Kevin Williams, who relocated from the Orlando operations center.
The new two-man Vegas crew jumped right in to ensure our partners were receiving the level of customer service they expect from Clean the World. They found a new, larger facility and coordinated the move. Then they settled into a regular routine with Bahret running the shop while Williams drove the collection routes.
As more properties came on board, Bahret hit the road to help with collecting soap and bottled amenities. And when they a little extra time on their hands, the two transplants sorted bottled amenities that could be sent back to Orlando and included in ONE Project hygiene kits.
Things settled down a bit after Shae Hagen joined the Las Vegas team as volunteer coordinator. By August, Bahret was back in Orlando. A stint in the Operations department gave him a chance to get familiar with all the machines on the production line.
From there Bahret transitioned to the Digital Media department and provided support for Clean the World’s many video production projects. It marked a return to the work that fits in with his original 2009 goal, which is to help create a Clean the World documentary.
It’s a long-term goal. And that’s a good thing because Oscar Gonzalez from Customer Service recently tagged Bahret and asked him to come over and help out on his team.
“Oscar’s department was down one person. I figured that was the last piece of the puzzle for my complete Clean the World orientation, because I’ve pretty much done everything else: logistics, media, operations – and now customer service.”
But the documentary is something Bahret always thinks about.
“The potential is there to do something great. It’s such a great story. I imagine it being featured on the History Channel or National Geographic. Slowly but surely we’re getting there.”
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