The Family Business CEOs to Watch Class of 2024 comprises 20 exceptional business leaders who are charting the course for long-term success of their enterprises. They include members of the second through fifth generations of family ownership as well as non-family leaders.
Jennifer Lahoda
CEO | Third generation | Pacific Resource Recovery, Los Angeles, Calif.
Jennifer Lahoda is the CEO of Pacific Resource Recovery (PRR), a waste management company founded by her mother and grandfather 30 years ago in East Los Angeles. PRR specializes in fuel blending, a waste-to-energy process that converts flammable industrial waste into supplemental fuel for powering cement kilns.
Before joining the family business, Lahoda spent eight years as an entrepreneur and four years in non-profit development. In 2012, she assumed the role of HR director for both of her family’s companies: Ellis Paint Company, an industrial coatings manufacturer, and PRR. Her strategic vision and leadership were instrumental in the successful growth and sale of Ellis Paint Company in 2018.
In 2019, Lahoda became the third generation to lead PRR. In 2022, PRR was named a Best Place to Work by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Among other community involvement, Lahoda recently finished her third term as president of the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce and remains actively engaged in the Boyle Heights community where she works and lives. She is also a member of the Beverly Hills Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and serves on the chapter board of directors.
Lahoda studied organizational communication at Arizona State University, where she was a nationally ranked member of the university’s speech team.
Evan Cramer, CEO of Willey Family Ventures/UCW Logistics in Greenville, S.C., has participated in a YPO family business forum with Lahoda. “Her career did not start in the family business, but once she took a role in the human resources department, she began to see a role for herself leading the company and giving back to her family,” Cramer says. “The family and the company have a great story in the development of modern Los Angeles, and Jennifer pays tribute to that every day with the way that she manages her current team and builds for the future. I believe that Jennifer is a great model for family business leaders of how to navigate family dynamics while also giving full attention to the needs of the business and the business’s stakeholders.”
“When I talk about my journey to becoming the CEO of PRR, I often joke that I am a ‘reluctant’ third generation-leader,” Lahoda says. “As a child, I always admired my mother for being such an incredible force in an industry that few women were a part of, but I could not see how my love of art, fashion, party planning and theater would lead me to the business world, let alone in the hazardous waste industry. In many ways, the fact that I spent my early career outside of our family business gave me an advantage, because I was able to make mistakes and learn lessons on my own time and grow comfortable in my own skin before taking on a role in the family enterprise. The years that I spent as a creative entrepreneur and in non-profit development shaped my approach to leadership, team building and community engagement. I am so grateful for those experiences.”
Lahoda says the commitment of the company’s employees — “Team PRR” — inspires her. “Our success at PRR is deeply intertwined with the dedication of our employees, many of whom have been with us through multiple generations. Their unwavering commitment to PRR as we grow into the future is the heart of our company. It is their hard work and passion that drives us forward, and they deserve all the recognition for the incredible work that is being done here.
“Leading PRR as its CEO is not just a professional role for me; it’s a deeply personal journey rooted in my family’s legacy of environmental stewardship, employee care and community service. Every day, I am inspired by our world-class team, who are dedicated to innovation and making a positive impact on our community and the environment. I am honored to be a part of Team PRR!”