Ron Swinko

Ron Swinko is Executive Director and Founder of EcoThrive Initiatives, Inc., a nonprofit organization in the water and sanitation sector. He is the former CEO of Jet Inc., a privately held, global supplier of residential Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems and Commercial Package Plants that provide sanitation solutions in the U.S. and internationally with an emphasis in countries with underdeveloped water and sanitation infrastructure. Appointed by the Secretary of Commerce as a member of the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC)/ U.S. Department of Commerce in 2010, Ron served as Chair from 2012-2018. In 2014, Ron was also appointed to the Northern Ohio District Export Council (NODEC). He participated as a U.S. representative on an ISO Working Group developing global standards in the sanitation sector as part of Technical Committee (TC) 224, “Service activities relating to drinking water supply, wastewater, and stormwater systems”, and on ISO Project Committees (PC) 305 and 318 where he also served as Liaison between the PCs and TC224. Prior to joining Jet, he held executive positions for multiple international companies in testing and manufacturing. Ron is a graduate of Cleveland State University and has an Executive Certificate in International Management from The Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Why are you involved with EcoThrive Initiatives?

During my tenure at Jet and my participation on various ISO committees, I had an opportunity to personally observe and understand the negative effects on people’s health and development when there is a lack of access to clean water and safe sanitation, especially in settlements and rural communities. These experiences created a powerful desire to launch a program not just to install facilities but to ensure sustainability of those facilities. Ecology and economy are inexorably linked, but a third key criteria is community involvement. One solution does not work in every situation. EcoThrive asks community leaders to tell us what they need. We then award microgrants and provide training to local entrepreneurs who want to create a positive economic impact locally by launching small businesses that install water and/or sanitation equipment and properly service the new facility. Sustainable economic development creates thriving communities in low- and medium-income countries where increased focus in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector is emerging.