Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes Chad as "the paradigm of personal responsibility for our waterways…a genuine American hero single-handedly fighting to restore our country's great natural legacy."

Growing up just 67 feet from the Mississippi River, Chad grew outraged as countless abandoned items floated by and lodged in the riverbed behind his house. One weekend he decided to do something about it, wading into the river and hauling out junk by hand until his backyard was filled. A passing fisherman contacted the local news station, saying they needed to get out there quickly to see what one motivated teenager was doing with his spare time. The local coverage gained the attention of ALCOA who wrote a check for $8,400, enabling Chad to purchase his first boat and establish his nonprofit organization, Living Lands and Waters.

Eleven years later, the project has evolved into an operation with four barges including one which serves as a floating dumpster, mobile classroom and houseboat to the full-time 9-person crew who runs the organization alongside Chad. Sponsorship from more than 60 major corporations and foundations has enabled Chad's team and volunteers across the country to removed more than a thousand tons of garbage from our nation's biggest rivers. A sampling of this haul includes over 15,000 tires, 500 refrigerators, 3,500 55-gallon drums, 30 air conditioners and 65 toilets—or as Chad likes to say, "Results, not rhetoric!"

Chad writes a weekly column for the Quad City Times in Iowa and Illinois and he has delivered over 300 presentations to corporate, public and student audiences world-wide, emerging as a strong, articulate and passionate voice for making a difference, one person at a time.

From the Bottom Up: One Man's Crusade to Clean America's Rivers
In this inspirational story from his recently published book of the same title, Chad takes us on his personal journey to restore pride to one of our nation's great legacies, haul by haul. Hear the stories of the people and places he encountered along the way, and the lessons learned on the journey.

Results, Not Rhetoric: How to Mobilize your Team
As CEO and Founder of Livings Lands and Waters, Chad has learned to navigate political as well as physical landscapes, facilitating change and responding to challenges and opportunities with grace and precision. From wide-eyed teenager to young entrepreneur, Chad recounts the pitfalls and serendipity he encountered along the way to creating a powerful and mobilizing nonprofit organization.