Meet Our Leaders
Dedicated to replacing plastic food packaging with safe, renewable biopolymers.
Marc Schechtman
Founder
A founder of Hold the Plastic, began his career as a classroom teacher in 1975, after graduating from the University of Illinois. He served in the United States Air Force Reserve as a Chaplain's Assistant during the Vietnam War. Marc and his family have been leaders in the food industry for three generations, including growers, producers, and brokers.
Carl Christian Carstensen
Director of Business Development
He spent 40 years as a leader at IBM in Europe, including serving as Country Leader. He has experience in business planning, team building, leadership, marketing, and finance. Carl is dedicated to our mission of replacing petro-plastic food packaging with plant-based biopolymers.
Ramsey McPhillips
Vice President of Communications
Ramsey McPhillips, known internationally as “The Hortivangelist,” has spent more than 40 years advancing sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and zero waste solutions. As founder of TAINABLE Regenerative Agricultural Laboratory and Zero Waste McMinnville, he has championed innovative approaches to soil regeneration, circular economy systems, and reducing plastic in the waste stream that has led to landfill dependence in agricultural communities. Zero Waste McMinnville has innovated many first in the nation programs related to the reduction, elimination, and collection of hard to recycle plastics. Now serving as Vice President of Communications for Hold The Plastic, Ramsey brings decades of experience connecting environmental innovation with public engagement, helping advance the company’s mission to replace plastic food packaging with safe, renewable, plant-based biopolymer materials. Ramsey also manages his family’s 165-year-old 600-acre Oregon sheep and grass seed farm with the help of his two loyal livestock guardian dogs, Vivian and Sugar. In addition to his degree in Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College, he is a graduate of the Grassroots Project at Sterling College, a pioneering program in the regenerative agriculture movement.