Industrial symbiosis is an important concept for regional development in which industrial organizations seek to use one another's outputs and inputs, reduce waste and achieve economic benefits. Though the technical details of this phenomenon are well known, the roles of key individuals and, particularly, their championing processes remain unclear. This paper includes a pre-study of a national industrial symbiosis system, followed by an in-depth case study of a regional industrial symbiosis related to heat reuse. The findings reveal novel implications about how champions facilitate collaboration among regional organizations and other stakeholders, leading to the emergence of industrial symbiosis.