Hall of Fame Award
The National Waste & Recycling Association’s (NWRA) Hall of Fame is the ultimate industry recognition. Inductees are selected from among NWRA members who are industry visionaries and icons who have created an enduring legacy through their inspirational leadership, core values and significant contributions. The Class of 2023 will join the 208 inductees from 1986-2022 who have helped guide, build and transform the industry into what it is today.
Nomination Guidelines
A sample of a successful Hall of Fame Nomination Form is available here.
Instructions for the Nominator
Please provide detailed and complete information. Do not assume that the Awards Committee will fully know a nominee’s contributions or character. The committee will consider no more than five letters of recommendation per nominee. Letters of recommendation from current members of the NWRA Hall of Fame will be given additional weight.
The committee will present a select number of individuals to the Board of Trustees for consideration as 2023 Hall of Fame inductees. There is no pre-determined number of inductees in a given year.
NWRA will accept Hall of Fame applications in September. Please contact Jim Riley at jriley@wasterecycling.org with any questions.
Judging Criteria
Hall of Fame nominations will be considered by the association’s Board of Trustees based upon the following criteria. Nominations should include specific examples of significant contributions by the nominee in the following areas:
- Recognition within the industry as a founder, pioneer, visionary or icon
- Enduring legacy and impact of contributions to the industry for a minimum of 25 years
- Steadfast values such as integrity, respect, courage, mentorship, volunteerism and inclusiveness
- Inspirational leadership at an NWRA service provider/supplier and on issues important to NWRA at the national, state and/or local level
- Active association engagement and service as an ambassador of the industry
- Recommendations, particularly from current NWRA Hall of Fame members
Completing the Application
All applications must be submitted via email. Please complete each section in full.
Nominations should include specific examples of significant contributions in key areas, such as:
- Strong and sustained environmental stewardship
- Innovation in manufacturing, equipment, product design or process
- Involvement and advancement of NWRA and industry standards, practices, reputation or other prominent area
- Design and implementation of inventive business practices with dramatic results
- Achievements in establishing model employer/employee relations
- Groundbreaking safety policies, trainings and operations
- Early adopter of advances in science, engineering and alternative technologies
- Proven record as a civic, community and philanthropic leader
- Advocacy that improved public perception of the industry or sentiment on issues that are important to the industry
- Effective engagement in the legislative and regulatory process
Please contact Jim Riley with any questions about the nominations process at 202-364-3744 or jriley@wasterecycling.org.
2023 INDUCTEES
Nicolas Belanger
Belanger served in the waste and recycling industry for 25 years. He quickly rose through the ranks, and in 1999, he established Machinex’s presence in the United States market and drove the company’s growth more than four-fold as president of Machinex Technologies Inc. He was recognized as a leading industry expert for automated recycling facilities and robotic sorting. He was highly sought after as one of North America’s most intelligent, visionary and talented systems design engineers. Belanger died in 2020.
Bob Lee
Lee has more than 50 years of experience in the area of environmental management, directing activities in every facet of the solid waste industry. Over the years, he has been closely involved in environmentally sensitive public relations issues along with local, state and federal zoning and permitting affairs. In 1998, Lee established Ecotech Environmental as a solid waste consulting firm, which evolved into a solid waste broker and finally acquired a solid waste collection truck in 2001. In 2004, he signed an agreement to manage and operate the Clark-Floyd Landfill.
Tommy Stump
Stump dedicated his entire career to the waste and recycling industry. He spent more than 40 years at First Piedmont Corporation (FPC). After graduating college in 1980, Stump began his career as a dispatcher and sales representative. Within two years, he became chief operating officer, and in 1996, he was promoted to vice president. In 2000, he became president and CEO of FPC and served in that role until his death in 2021.
Richard Wojahn
Wojahn’s career spans more than 40 years with WM, Allied Waste, Mountain Jack Environmental Services and Waste Connections. He has done more than 500 deals and touched every public company and hundreds of small and regional companies. He has been a key element in growing and strategically positioning companies to become the top public waste and recycling companies in North America. Wojahn is a recognized leader in mergers and acquisitions in the industry.
2022 INDUCTEES
Willie K. Goode
Willie Goode started out working in the industry for his uncle at the age of 13. In 1991, he bought his first truck and started Goode Companies with a goal of having three trucks. Over the past 30 years, Willie continued to acquire assets in the Washington, D.C., Richmond, Va., Norfolk, Va., and West Palm Beach, Fla., markets, which he has merged into WB Waste Solutions. He is passionate about helping small haulers share in success as well as promoting and providing opportunities for small minority businesses by assisting them in bidding contracts, purchasing equipment and securing loans.
Don Slager
Don Slager rose from being a young welder with a part-time job to president and CEO of Republic Services, a Fortune 300 company. He started out in the industry as a driver before working his way up to managing schedules, maintaining fleets and training employees. As CEO, he took Republic Services from being an amalgamation of smaller brands to a nationally recognized and respected brand in the industry with 35,000 employees. Today, it is the second-largest company in the industry in North America by revenue.
Joe Winters
Joe Winters was the chairman and CEO of Winters Bros. Waste Systems of Long Island. His time in the industry dated back to working for his family’s waste company E&R Carting where he did everything from washing trucks to driving routes. In 1998, he cofounded Winters Bros. Waste Systems of Long Island with his four brothers. Today, Winters Bros. is the largest independent waste services company in the Northeastern U.S. Joe Winters died from complications of COVID-19 on January 5, 2021.
2021 INDUCTEE
Richard Burke
Burke is the former chairman and CEO of Advanced Disposal Services. His career spans more than 30 years, most recently leading Advanced Disposal through its merger with Waste Management.
2020 INDUCTEES
Terry Guerin
Guerin is the vice president of corporate government affairs at AZO Services. He has chaired NWRA’s Services Board of Governors and has previously chaired NWRA’s Indiana Chapter. For more than 30 years, he has been at the forefront of industry issues, often serving on appointed boards and commissions in Indiana.
Guerin is equally involved in his community, having served in multiple leadership roles within his church, where he currently serves as a vestry member.
Michael E. Hoffman
Hoffman is the managing director and group head of diversified industrials at Stifel Financial Corp. He has spent 32 years as an analyst and has dedicated himself to the business of waste collection and disposal.
Hoffman served his country as a U.S. Naval Reserve Officer for 10 years. He also founded the Blue Ridge Valley Foundation, which sponsors charitable equestrian events, raising funds for women’s and children’s health and welfare programs.
Michael Sangiacomo
Sangiacomo is the president and CEO of Recology. He has a legacy of contributions spanning his 36 years in the industry. He led the implementation of San Francisco’s first curbside recycling program.
In 2008, Sangiacomo introduced the Recology Volunteer Program, a companywide effort to serve the communities where Recology employees work and live. In that time, the program has held more than 30 volunteer events, gathering nearly 3,800 volunteers to plant trees and provide landscaping services and meals to those in need.
Kathy Trent
Trent is a government affairs director for Waste Management. She has been an active participant in the industry. She is a founding member of the NWRA Women’s Council and has served in several leadership roles with the council and has served as the Ohio Chapter Chair and Board of Governors Representative for more than 30 years.
2019 INDUCTEES
Ray Burke
Ray is the Vice President of Solid Waste at Clean Energy and a member of the Board of Directors of Clean Energy Renewal Fuels. Ray also co-founded the Garbageman Invitational Charity Golf Tournament. Ray has been a leader in the expansion of natural gas in the waste and recycling industry. In the 1990’s Ray installed the first natural gas fueling station in the country. Ray and his family actively support several charitable organizations in their community notably the Alzheimer’s Foundation and the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.
Paul Mitchener
Paul is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) Inc. Paul has been active and supportive of the NWRA Safety Committee and ANSI committees. For almost 40 years, he has been an innovative leader, supporting the next generation of industry leaders. Paul started in the industry in 1982 in the United Kingdom and since then has worked on projects or managed operations in over 50 countries.
Ven Poole
Ven is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Waste Industries. Ven joined Waste Industries for the first time at age 12 painting dumpsters and washing trucks. He returned to Waste Industries in 1990 as the Risk Management Director after working in the aerospace industry as an engineer. From 2001 to 2009, he helped lead the acquisition of 150 companies, as Vice President of Corporate Development. Ven also co-founded the Waste Industries Full Circle Project, a charitable giving effort through which Waste Industries engages in its substantial corporate philanthropy efforts.
John Spegal
John is the Chief Operating Officer at Advanced Disposal. He is a recognized leader in the industry by his peers, personally engaging in many important industry initiatives. John currently serves on the National Waste and Recycling Association Board of Trustees and has been actively involved in industry wide issues that impact the association and the entire industry. In the mid 1990’s, John was instrumental in the development of a strategy for the privatization of one of the largest cities in North Carolina, which has become a model for the industry. John is also a leader in his community, founding and supporting literacy programs for solid waste drivers and volunteering with local organizations, like the Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, and K9s for Warriors.
Jim VanWeelden
Jim retired this year from Republic Services as Senior Vice President.He is considered one of the architects of the modern waste disposal business, entering the industry at a young age, helping his father with the family disposal business. He was the original champion for being a good neighbor; it was important for landfill operators to be responsible members of the community. Jim was active in his community, too. He dedicated time to the Boys Club, coached AAU basketball teams, and is actively involved in his church.
2018 INDUCTEES
Scott Dols
Scott Dols is CEO of Big Truck Rental. His decades of leadership in the industry have influenced policy decisions at the federal, state, and local levels of government. He has served as the chairman of NWRA and served on its Board of Trustees. Dols was among the first contributors to the NWRA Women’s Council in 2005.
Steve Menoff
Steve Menoff is the Senior Vice President at Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. He is a pioneer in landfill design and engineering. His contributions helped the industry transform to the modern, environmentally secure landfills of today. Menoff’s experience has led to a comprehensive understanding of integrating business, operations, cost structure and profitability requirements with environmental programs and management.
James Trevathan
James Trevathan is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Waste Management. Trevathan has been an innovator and leader in efforts to improve safety, and introduce the use of technology to improve productivity.
Larry Henk
Larry Henk is the President and CEO of Premier Waste Services, Inc. During his 33 year career he served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Allied Waste Industries, Inc. and Capital Environmental Resources, Inc (WSI). Under Larry’s guidance Allied led an aggressive acquisition based growth, acquiring over 245 companies from 1997-2001. Laidlaw, American Disposal and BFI being some of the largest.
2017 INDUCTEES
John and Douglas Casella have been pioneers in the solid waste and resource management industry for over four decades. Casella Waste Services, Inc. is leading the industry today in sustainability initiatives, environmentally sound landfill design and construction, design and development of innovative waste handling equipment, the construction of models that preserve recycling as profitable business offering and the development of a robust transfer station and land disposal network throughout the Northeast.
Kenneth Burkett is the founder of American Waste Control, which he started in 1970 collecting residential waste with one truck he drove himself. Kenneth now has over 10,000 commercial drivers and 30,000 residential drivers at his company. He started his first recycling operation in 1987 and has recycled over a billion tons of material. One of his landfills is recognized as one of Oklahoma’s most compliant by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
Ronald Mittelstaedt has served in numerous leadership roles throughout his career in this industry, but is most notable in founding Waste Connections, Inc. in 1997. Waste Connections is now the third largest integrated waste company in North America. The company has an $18 billion enterprise value and has created more value for shareholders than any other solid waste company in the past 20 years.
2016 INDUCTEES
Michael Paine started with his company in 1972 working the family farm and supporting their family hauling company. With a great deal of focus and hard work, the hauling company grew and began to thrive in the 1970s. He worked on the routes during the day and then courted new customers and worked on the equipment into the evening. He became the President in 1989 and vowed to maintain the focus on customer service that put Paine’s on the map. Some 27 years later and after vast growth, Paine’s still treats each and every customer with the same care as it did 87 years ago.
Bill Meyer has devoted his entire professional life to the trash business. In 1974, Bill and his father purchased Able Disposal, a two-truck operation at the time, located in Chesterton, Indiana. He knew it would be an ideal place to grow his company and raise a family. Bill single-handedly built Able Disposal, growing the company into a 50-truck operation with approximately 100 employees. Able Disposal became the largest independently operated company in northwest Indiana, before it was acquired by Republic Services. Bill continued with Republic setting a mark for performance and excellence in area operations.
Throughout his career, Kevin Walbridge has held senior leadership roles in the private and public sectors at National Serv-All, Waste Management, Browning-Ferris Industries, Republic Services, and Progressive Waste Solutions. Kevin serves as a member of the NWRA Board of Services Governors and currently serves on the NWRA Board of Trustees. He has also served as Chairman of Environmental Research and Education Foundation. He was one of the first advocates for the use of alternative fuels to power our waste and recycling trucks and is a tireless advocate for industry safety.
Last year, our industry lost one of its giants when Charles Walton, founder of Wastequip, passed away at the age of 83. Chuck Walton was a visionary in the waste industry because he recognized the opportunity to consolidate the fragmented waste equipment manufacturing sector of the waste industry. Walton invested his life savings, combining it with $10 million he raised from venture capital firms in Cleveland, to found Wastequip in 1989. During his nearly 20 years with Wastequip, Walton completed 24 acquisitions and started 4 businesses.
2015 INDUCTEES
Thomas K. Blackman
Tom Blackman began his career in 1966 throwing cans for his father’s company in Santa Ana, California. After the family business eventually became part of Waste Management, Inc., Tom rose through the ranks and led Waste Management’s operations in eight Western states. Tom’s heart was always in California, where he eventually returned to start Metropolitan Waste Disposal, now CalMet, with his partner and fellow Hall of Fame enshrinee, Art Kazarian. Tom’s visionary leadership led to advances in e-Waste recycling, green waste processing and the deployment of wide-scale CNG trucks. In 2014, after a valiant battle, we lost Tom to cancer. However, his legacy lives on by the example he set as a family man, as a leader in his industry and community, as a partner and as a friend.
George Fink
George Fink retired in 2014 after 41 years with Volvo Construction Equipment of North America. George started in the business at the age of 14 picking up trash at the local drive-in movie theater. With that early job, the seeds were planted for George’s career interest in waste management, and, of course, having the proper equipment. Under George’s visionary leadership, Volvo has become a major supplier to the waste industry. George is legendary for his focus on customers and colleagues and his private motto: “It is what it is, do what’s right.” Throughout his career as a valued partner to the waste industry, his focus has not only been on delivering productive and cost-effective solutions, George has also been a tireless advocate for safety.
Garry E. Mosier
For decades, Garry Mosier has pioneered and advanced safety in our industry. Whether he is serving on national standards and steering committees in his work at continuous improvement of safety systems and technologies, or building world-class safety programs and cultures at leading waste companies, his focus on continuous improvement is legendary. Many may know Garry for the “Garbage Gus” campaign targeting child safety. As Garry says, if one child was kept safe thanks to Garbage Gus, all the effort was worth it. For 24 years, Garry was a regional group safety director for Waste Management, Inc., until he took on the challenge of building the safety program at Republic Services, Inc. for 12 years. He is now Vice President of Operations for Alliance Wireless Technologies, a leader in vehicle electronic safety technology. His commitment to innovation and advancement of our industry is reflected not only by his career accomplishments, but also in his ongoing work in developing the patented technologies for Alliance Wireless’ 3rd Eye Cam driver enhancement technology.
Bruce Ranck
The history of the waste and recycling industry over the past 40-plus years could have been much different without Bruce Ranck’s vision and leadership. He started in the business in college, and over a career that has spanned more than 45 years and ultimately led to being Chief Executive Officer of BFI. Bruce is truly an industry icon, and three words are often used to describe Bruce’s career: “Integrity” “Pioneer” and “People.” Early on, he made safety a priority, championing frequent training, ongoing education and advancement, especially for front-line employees. He pioneered many areas that are hallmarks of our industry today: recycling, landfill-gas-to-energy technologies and modern medical waste systems. His pioneering of standardizations for safety were credited with substantial reductions in injuries and accidents during his tenure set the pace for the entire industry and are standard practices today.
2014 INDUCTEES
Izzie Abrams
Izzie Abrams, has held numerous positions in the waste industry since 1972 in both the United States and Canada, including Canadian Waste Services, Dual Removal Systems, and Triwaste Services, which whom was the founder and President of. Izzie has been involved in industry organizations throughout his entire career, including the National Solid Wastes Management Association, Environmental Industries Research and Education Foundation, Detachable Container Association and the Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA) and served on their organizational Boards. Izzie is also the past chair of the NSWMA Haulers Association and past Chair and Secretary/Treasurer of OWMA. In his “free time,” Izzie has a dedicated record of service to the Beth Tzedec Congregation and Foundation, the United Way of Toronto, United Jewish Appeal, Ben Gurion University and other groups.
Charles C. Appleby
Charlie Appleby is one of the founding organizers of Advanced Disposal Services at its inception in 2000 and serves as the company’s chairman and chief executive officer. As part of the company’s management team, he has grown the business to become the largest privately-held solid waste business in the United States and the 4th largest overall. Under his leadership, the company grew from a 3-truck operation to operating in 17 states and the Bahamas with 91 collection operations, 42 landfills, 25 recycling facilities and 72 transfer stations. In addition to his waste-industry background, Charlie retired after 31-years of military service, as a Colonel in the Florida Army National Guard, who was selected for promotion to Brigadier General. During this period, he received numerous decorations and achievements, including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, the Florida Cross, Senior Parachutist, Ranger and Pathfinder awards. At the 2013 NW&RA Executive Roundtable Conference, Charlie was awarded the elite Distinguished Eagle Scott Award by the Boy Scouts of America.
Tom Brown
Tom Brown’s 35-year career in the waste and recycling industry began at Waste Management. Steadily rising the ladder at WM, Tom climbed to Regional President of the Western Carolinas and East Tennessee regions before joining IESI in 1997 and supervising its growth into the third largest solid waste company in North America. Tom continued to rise, becoming President and COO of Progressive Waste Solutions before his retirement. Tom also has been a dedicated servant to the industry, chairing the National Solid Wastes Management Association’s Texas Chapter chair for 10 years and served on an advisory committee for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He was instrumental in preserving free choice for waste industry customers in Dallas, leading the industry’s fight against flow control as head of the Dallas Flow Control Task Force and then in federal court. He earned the NSWMA Special Governor’s Award in 2009 and was recognized as NSWMA’s Member of the Year in 2011 for his leadership relating to the Dallas flow control issue.
John M. Curotto
With 31 years in service to the waste industry, John Curotto is now president of The Curotto Can Company in Sonoma, California. As a fourth-generation waste hauler now leading his family business John will tell you it’s easy to get sidetracked on neat engineering, or employee engagement—or any of the myriad distractions in business—but that the folks at The Curotto Can are focused on making a product to exceed customers’ expectations. Working alongside his father, John Senior, John was instrumental in developing his company into the nation’s largest single automation collection system, resulting in increased efficiency and worker safety and reduced contamination for a cleaner product. He has been a leader both in service and innovation. John was instrumental in the industry’s adoption of the Automated Front Loader. Additionally, John has offered his service to the National Waste & Recycling Association Future Industry Leaders Alliance, the National Waste and Recycling Supplier Advisory Board, DCA, CRRC and EREF. He has also served in leadership positions with the WASTEC Strategic Planning Committee and the National Waste & Recycling Association Suppliers Advisory Board.
Joseph Garbarino
Joseph Garbarino has dedicated an incredible 65 years to the waste and recycling industry. Today he is Chairman of the Board and Co-Owner of Marin Sanitary Service in San Rafael, California, but Joseph has wielded a heavy hand in helping shape the face of the modern waste industry. He is credited with developing several technological improvements for refuse trucks and waste facilities, but perhaps most notably, he developed the nation’s first countywide residential curbside recycling program and opened the country’s first curbside Materials Recovery Facility in 1980. Today, MRFs are an indispensible component in managing America’s waste streams. He has also been a leader on the renewable energy front, partnering with the Central Marin Sanitation Agency to use food waste in anaerobic digestion systems to generate electricity and increase landfill waste diversion to 75 percent. Joseph’s service to his community includes serving on the Marin County Waste Management Committee and dedicating space at Marin’s recycling facility to educational efforts, hosting 2,500 schoolchildren and community group members each year. Joseph is a decorated professional, receiving the John P. Moscone Award from the California Refuse Removal Council in 2004, the Governor’s Environmental Economic Leadership award in 2008, and the “Heroes of Marin” innovation award from Pacific Sun in 2012.
Marvin Goldenberg
Marvin Goldenberg was founder, owner, president, and CEO of Trucks and Parts of Tampa. He founded the company in the 1970s but draws his roots in the industry back to the company he started in Indiana in 1950. Marvin’s induction to the Hall of Fame is backed by his foresightedness on two major industry fronts. First, Marvin emphasized “being green” long before “being green” was a thing. He hated the term “junk yard” and was among the first to make an effort to manage waste and contaminants. He was rewarded for these efforts with a National Beautification Award for business, which he received from Lady Bird Johnson in 1966, and he was also recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the state of Florida for an emphasis on safety and the environment. Secondly, but equally importantly, Marvin recognized the value of sustainably managing older vehicle fleets, and he raised the bar on both the refurbishing and marketing of used refuse trucks. It’s not a stretch to say he is the father of the rental waste collection truck industry, and he helped build his company into the industry leader.
Richard Van Hattem
Richard Van Hattem planted seeds that both grew into successful business ventures and changed the course of the waste industry for the better. He founded the one-truck operation National Scavenger Service in Chicago in 1972, and it became one of the region’s largest independent haulers until its combination with Allied Waste Services in the 1990s. Recognizing the value of recycling, Rich built a Materials Recovery Facility next to a Chicago transfer station, helping better manage the community’s needs and waste stream simultaneously. The merger of NSS and Allied Waste was one of the first instances of vertical integration of landfill, transfer station and collection assets in the company’s history and served as a model for future growth and acquisitions. As Allied Waste grew into the country’s second-largest waste company, Rich held a series of increasingly senior positions, eventually earning the position of Vice President of Governmental Affairs before his retirement in 2006. Rich also was active in the Environmental Industry Associations, serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for nearly 10 years. An active member of the NSWMA Illinois Chapter, he received the NSWMA Distinguished Service Award in 2003 and has served as a mentor to many of the industry leaders, including some current CEOs.
2013 INDUCTEES
Ellen Harvey
When Ellen Harvey joined E.L. Harvey & Sons in 1989, she already had a long history of designing and developing corporate educational programs starting with a B.A. degree in Education and a M.A. degree in Education Administration. At E.L. Harvey, she became the Executive Vice President of Public Relations, working with local, regional, and national media to favorably promote her company and the waste management industry. As an NSWMA member, she designed and implemented the “Waste 101 Program” gaining national recognition for building the industry’s image. Ellen received a Special Governor’s Award in 1994 for this program. In 2006, she received a Distinguished Service Award for founding and organizing the EIA Women’s Council, serving for two terms as Chair, and helping to build a place for women in the industry.
Gary Hater
A recurring theme in Gary Hater’s career is a unique ability to acquire knowledge from a wide variety of fields, bring that knowledge into the waste industry, and create full-scale applications that protect the environment, are innovative, and make good business sense. He has ten patents ranging from biodegradation systems, treatment methods for contaminated soil, gas collection operations at bioreactors, and unique anaerobic composters. As a Senior Director at Waste Management, he has partnered with university solid waste management researchers and served on a variety of government research and development committees at the state and federal levels. Gary was a critical player in questioning U.S. EPA test methods for determining methane emissions from solid waste facilities.
Art Kazarian
In the 1940s, at the age of six, Art Kazarian entered the family recycling business rolling over-issue newsprint for sale to flower shops. By the 1960s, he was collecting and selling fiber to paper mills and by the 1980s, he had built wastepaper recycling operations in California, Texas, Hawaii, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Georgia. Art developed the first privately-owned transfer station in Orange County, California in 1982 and later, on a handshake and cocktail napkin, developed a transfer station in Downtown Los Angeles with Waste Management, Inc. He formed a joint venture, Mottra Corp., with Tom Blackman, Jr. in the early 1990s and expanded ownership to waste collection, disposal, and recycling facilities, including organics recycling facilities, C & D diversion operation, electronics recycling business, and medical waste management company.
Bill Wilkerson
Bill Wilkerson has made significant contributions toward the development of the solid waste industry’s first solar compactor and is a leading expert in the application and calculation of return on investment of compactors and balers. His experience as a high school football coach for 10 years before working for Marathon Equipment Co. provided him with unique sales and management skills. He quickly moved from a Regional Sales Manager to his current position as Vice President of Sales for Marathon Equipment Co. and Bayne Premium Lifters, part of the Environmental Solutions Group. Bill served two terms as Chair of WASTEC from 2007 to 2012 and was named Member of the Year in 2009. He has been instrumental as a participant on WASTEC’s Z245 Subcommittees on Balers, Mobile Equipment, Compactors, and Facilities.
Don Williamson
Don Williamson started his waste industry career in 1979 helping a friend collect waste on Saturdays while in college. Soon after, he became President of the company building it from 50 customers to more than 40,000 customers and 50 trucks. He has been a leader in the waste industry showing small hauling companies how to survive. As a regular presenter at WasteExpo, he has shared his knowledge. In 1995, when a large national company came to Minnesota and eliminated seven out of eight small companies, Don managed to survive and the large company moved out. In the process, he nearly doubled the size of his company. Don has served on the NSWMA Board of Governor’s since the 1980s, including serving as the Minnesota Chapter Representative and Chair of the Board. At the end of 2012, he stepped down from the EIA Board of Trustees after five years of service.
2012 INDUCTEES
Lee Brandsma
In 1973, Lee Brandsma entered the waste industry as a residential and commercial route driver for his father-in-law at Groot Industries and became the Chief Operating Officer in 1980 at the age of 26. Brandsma and his partner, Larry Groot, built the company from 20 trucks and 35 employees to more than 400 trucks and 650 employees, from 2 to 5 operating locations, 4 transfer stations, and a single-stream materials recovery facility (MRF). They also own a materials transport business and a mobile document destruction operation. Groot Industries started the first curbside recycling program in northern Illinois in 1986, the first single-stream MRF in the Midwest in 1997, and was the first to run its entire fleet on biodiesel in 2007. In 2009, working with Mack Trucks, the first 20 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles came off the production line and Groot Industries built and operated a CNG fueling station open to the public that same year. In the last 3 years, the company has received awards from the Illinois Recycling Association, Clean Cities Coalition, and the Energy Solutions Center. Brandsma served as the NSWMA Illinois Chapter chair from 1985 to 1987, chair of NSWMA’s Waste Haulers Council from 1987 to 1989, vice-chair of NSWMA from 1992 to 1993, and chair of EIA from 1994 to 1996. He was a board member of the NSWMA Foundation now the independent Environmental Research and Education Foundation from 1994 to 2000.
Susan Eppes
In 1991, Susan Eppes joined Browning-Ferris Industries as a Manager for Safety and Loss Control Services designing and developing award-winning safety and health training videos, modifying facility design elements to reduce accidents and injuries, and managing technical loss control support at landfills, medical waste processing facilities, and recycling operations. By 1997, she had moved up to become the Director of Safety and Health for 400 solid waste locations, 100 landfills, 30 medical waste facilities, and 98 recycling plants across the U.S. She held the same position for Recycle America at Waste Management, Inc. from 2000 to 2002 establishing health and safety program goals, evaluating program implementation, serving as the principal corporate resource for federal and state legislative and regulatory safety issues, and representing the company on safety matters before official government proceedings. In 2002, Eppes founded her own health and safety consulting firm, EST Solutions, providing services in ergonomics, OSHA and DOT compliance, fleet safety, processing equipment review, and start-up safety. Eppes is currently chair of WASTEC’s full ANSI Z245 Committee and also chair of the subcommittees on MRFs and transfer stations. She helped develop NSWMA’s “Be Safe, Be Proud” safety videos and is updating NSWMA’s Safety Manual. She regularly presents at WasteExpo and other conferences and has written numerous articles on safety.
George Fennell
George Fennell founded Fennell Container Company in 1973 and built the business from a barn on a dirt lot with one employee to become the largest privately-owned, solid waste company in South Carolina. The company operated the first, privately-held transfer station. Over the years, Fennell created several other companies, including Fenn-Vac, Inc. in 1983 to manage industrial and hazardous waste; Fennell Waste Systems, Inc. in 1991 providing collection services in upstate South Carolina; and, with industry partners, ECO Services of Memphis in 1991 and ECO Services of South Carolina in 1993. In 1995, Fennell merged his companies with Republic Industries and then helped merge and acquire many other companies. In 2002, he re-entered ownership in the waste industry with his son, Scott, and started Carolina Waste & Recycling LLC, now the largest commercial collection firm in the Charleston market. In 2008, he opened a landfill under the company name Carolina Landfill LLC for industrial waste and, in 2009, built a new transfer and recycling station, Carolina Processing & Recycling LLC. In 2011, Fennell was named Lowcountry Philanthropist of the Year and has served on the boards of many organizations, including the Detachable Container Association, South Carolina Trucking Association, NSWMA, Charleston County Solid Waste Advisory Commission, and Executive Association of Greater Charleston.
Dwight Schaubach
Dwight Schaubach, Chairman and CEO of Bay Disposal & Recycling, Inc., started Feather-n-Fin, a chicken and seafood restaurant, in 1969. Having experienced difficulty in getting the restaurant trash collected, he launched Bay Disposal in 1975, which grew into one of the largest private hauling companies in Virginia before it was sold in 1989. Schaubach started the first medical waste treatment company in Virginia in 1985, helping to write the initial medical waste regulations for the state. Incendere, with one incinerator, ultimately grew to collecting medical waste from Florida to New York while tripling its incinerator capacity. Schaubach got back into the solid waste business with Area Container. He was also a partner of ECO Services of South Carolina. Early in 1996, Area Container, ECO, and Incendere were merged into Republic Industries. In 2000, Schaubach took advantage of the name Bay Disposal, which now includes two MRFs and a soon-to-be-opened recycling facility. Bay Disposal & Recycling is, once again, one of the largest, independently-owned, waste companies in Virginia. He also owns a significant portion of a 64-acre construction and demolition landfill in Virginia Beach. Schaubach has served as president of both the Detachable Container Association and NSWMA’s Virginia Waste Industries Association. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year for 2011 by Old Dominion University. In addition, he has generously supported, with both his time and resources, numerous civic and charitable organizations over the years.
Bruce J. Parker
Over the years, Bruce J. Parker has held a number of positions at the Environmental Industry Associations (EIA), starting as in-house counsel in 1981 and becoming General Counsel in 1985. In 1992, Parker’s position expanded to include Deputy for Policy Development and Implementation and, in 1994, Executive Vice-President for Federal Legislative and External Affairs. In 1997, EIA’s Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Parker to President and Chief Executive Officer of EIA and Executive Vice-President of NSWMA. After a 30-year career, he will retire at the end of 2012. During his tenure as CEO, Parker worked with members to develop a strategic plan to create a more stable financial organization, increase the association’s presence at the national and state levels, and enhance the industry’s image with the media, all of which were successfully accomplished. Parker has testified on behalf of the association before Congressional committees and state legislatures. He has written many articles on key issues ranging from unfair competition to global warming, recycling, and sustainability. Parker fostered a culture of member service among staff, better integrated the relationship between NSWMA and WASTEC, and was instrumental in the success of the “Environmentalists. Every Day.” education program. He also served on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Labor Committee.
Stephen Smith
In 1974, Stephen Smith became an equipment operator at his father’s sludge management firm and, after graduating from college in Agricultural Engineering in 1978, became a staff engineer at Black & Veatch, where he designed beneficial reuse facilities for sewage sludge. In 1983, with a masters in Engineering, he designed and constructed his first landfill and transfer facility in Salt Lake City and, in 1984, founded ET Technologies, Inc., operating Salt Lake’s industrial and special waste facility that he helped design and build. In 1986, Smith founded another solid waste company developing a municipal waste landfill later sold to Browning-Ferris Industries. He also founded an asbestos landfill, 2 hazardous waste transfer and treatment facilities, and an 80-acre composting facility in the late 1980s. In 1990, he started Franconia Technologies, operating an 845-acre rail-haul facility, which he sold to Waste Management, Inc. in 1992, staying on as a Division President until 1995 when he joined SCS Engineers quickly advancing to Vice-President. Today, he works as the Vice-President, Construction and Operations for Clean Energy Renewable Fuels. Smith is an NSWMA representative on the EIA Board of Trustees and a member of NSWMA’s Executive Committee. He also served on an NSWMA special committee to develop the “Environmentalists. Every Day.” education program. He received a Presidential Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2007 from President George Bush.
2011 INDUCTEES
Victor ‘Skip’ Berg
Victor ‘Skip’ Berg, director of business development at Hanover Park, Illinois-based Sonrai Systems, began his career in the solid waste industry after college, when he joined in the family’s equipment business. In 1992, Berg served as the general manager for Refuse Equipment in New Jersey, and later, as the U.S. national sales manager for Labrie Equipment. In 2008, Berg started his own consulting company, Environmental Strategies. Berg joined Sonrai Systems in 2011. Berg is also a founding member of WASTEC, the Waste Equipment Technology Association, and has served as the WASTEC representative on the EIA Board of Trustees. He is also a former trustee and member of the Detachable Container Association.
Peggy Gaston
Peggy Gaston, director for government affairs for Waste Management’s southern group, began her career as a founding employee of Browning Ferris Industries in the late 1960s and by the 1980s, she had become the first woman district manager for the company. In 1994, Gaston became the first collection district manager for a newly formed company, Sanifill, located in Houston. After Sanifill merged with USA Waste in 1996, Gaston was made responsible for auditing operations and building synergies with new acquisitions. When USA Waste merged with Waste Management, Gaston returned to the position of district manager in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Gaston has served as a representative on NSWMA’s Board of Governors since 1999.
Ben Harvey
Ben Harvey, executive vice president and an owner of E.L. Harvey & Sons, Inc., began his career in the waste industry in 1971 after graduation from Delaware Valley College. Working for his family’s company, Harvey was involved in all aspects of the business, from driving trucks and operating heavy equipment, to negotiating sales of recyclables and managing contracts for the safe transfer of waste materials. A major focus of Harvey’s career was the development the recycling infrastructure in Massachusetts and promoting recycling throughout the state. Harvey takes active leadership roles in many trade organizations and associations. He currently is president of the Paper Stock Industry, a chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling, and he is a past president of the Eastern Paper Mills Association. He currently holds leadership roles on the Board of Directors of MassRecycle and WasteCap of Massachusetts. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the National Solid Wastes Management Association, on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, and on the Board of Directors of the Detachable Container Association.
John J. Jennings
John J. Jennings, founder, CEO and Chairman of Waste Pro USA of Longwood, Fla., began his career in the 1960’s as a helper on his father’s garbage truck. In the 1970’s, he took a turn on Wall Street after receiving his MBA, but later returned to the solid waste industry, becoming the owner of three garbage trucks in Florida and starting a small waste company called Industrial Waste Services. After merging that company with Attwoods, he founded Jennings Environmental Services in 1992, which he expanded until merger with USA Waste Services and, later, Waste Management, Inc. In 2001, he founded Waste Pro USA and, as the CEO and COO, built the company to 2400 employees, 67 operating locations, and more than $300 million in revenue. The company is known for its environmental leadership and innovation, building recycling centers, purchasing alternative fuel vehicles and using solar panels in company buildings.
Jim O’Conner
Jim O’Connor, former CEO and chairman of the board of Republic Services, Inc., began his career in the solid waste industry at Waste Management, from in 1972 after graduating from college. Starting as an accountant, he became a district controller and later a management trainee. In 1978, he formed his own company, Waste Collection, Inc., rejoining WMI in 1982 as a senior vice president in the Southeast. In 1998, O’Connor was named CEO of Republic Services, Inc. and, two years later, chairman of the board. He retired in 2010 after growing the company from $800 million in annual revenue to more than $8 billion, making Republic Services the second largest waste and recycling company in the United States. O’Connor continues to serve the industry on the EIA Board of Trustees and EIA Investment Committee, has helped raise funds for the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, and is the current president of the Detachable Container Association.
Robert Pioch
Robert Pioch, the founder and former CEO of Anchor Machine & Tool in Jackson, Mich., developed and patented the first waste collection compactor, the Anchorpac Refuse Compaction System. He later opened a second plant and began selling to European companies. In the early 1960s, he expanded the business further, engineering a number of innovative waste management systems and machines, including recycling handling equipment. Altogether, he was awarded over 30 patents before his death in 1975.
2010 INDUCTEES
Anthony Ciofalo
Tony Ciofalo began his career in the waste industry in 1972 at White Motor Co. Three years later, he accepted a management position with Mack Trucks, Inc. and, in 1981, started his own collection company, Solid Waste Services. In 1991, he was named vice president of corporate and government affairs for Allied Waste Industries and became the company’s first West region vice president, working on landfill projects in the southwestern United States. He accepted his current position as senior business development manager at Clean Energy in 2009. Clean Energy is the largest natural-gas transportation provider in North America, with a large customer base in the refuse, transit, ports, shuttle, taxi, regional trucking, airport and municipal fleet markets. Ciofalo served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of EIA from 1997 to 1998. He also served as chairman of NWSMA from 1994 to 1996. Ciofalo was also a founding member and the first chairman of NSWMA’s Iowa Chapter, and later served as chairman of the Arizona chapter. Today, he serves on the Board of Directors of WASTEC.
Michael Cordesman
Mike Corsdesman spent 30 years in the solid waste industry before his retirement as President and Chief Operating Officer for Phoenix-based Republic Services, Inc., in 2008. His 30-year career in solid waste began in 1980, when he answered a blind advertisement for a manager at a trucking company that led him to a management trainee program at Waste Management, Inc. One year later, he moved up to general manager in Fort Worth, Texas and later, general manager in Austin. In 1988, the company moved him out of Texas, first to Florida as a district manager and then, in 1992, to Virginia as a regional manager. Within a year, he became manager for the entire Mid-Atlantic region. Following the merger of USA Waste and Waste Management in 1998, Cordesman joined Superior Waste Services, Inc. In 2001, he joined Republic as regional vice president of the Eastern region. He was named president and COO of the company in 2002. Under Cordesman’s leadership, Republic Services experienced unprecedented growth and innovation, especially in critical areas such as safety, routing efficiency and return on capital investment. Cordesman maintained a hands-on management style and fostered a decentralized organizational structure, which placed decision-making at the local level with operational employees who could be the most responsive to customers. He played a major role in transitioning the merger between Republic Services and Allied Industries. Cordesman’s involvement with EIA is also lengthy. He served for seven years on the EIA Board of Trustees as the Republic Services representative and was a key advocate for the development of EIA’s Safety Program. He also has participated in many state chapters, in particular, Virginia, the Carolinas and Florida.
Bob Gregory
Bob Gregory is CEO and Principal Owner of Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) of Austin, Tex. TDS is the largest independently-owned solid waste collection and disposal company in Austin and central Texas, and one of the largest in the nation. Gregory was born into the scrap metal and recycling business, working for his father’s company in the 1960s. In 1971, he started his own scrap metal business, Texas Alloys (later Txalloy, Inc.), focusing on recovery of metals from electronic waste. In 1977, Gregory with his brother, Jim, entered the solid waste and recycling collection business, founding TDS. The company expanded in the late 1980s, adding a landfill. In 1991, TDS opened Texas’ first fully integrated landfill, composting and recycling facility. Today, the company employs over 500 people and serves more than 100,000 customers. Gregory is the former president of the Texas Solid Waste Management Resource Recovery Advisory Council and the former chairman of the Subtitle D Advisory Panel under the Texas Water Commission. He was appointed to the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission by Gov. Rick Perry in 2009. Gregory has been a member of NSWMA since 1978, and served as chairman of Texas chapter from 1991 to 2003 and as Board of Governors representative from 1998 to 2001. He received an NSWMA Distinguished Service Award in 1994 and the Member of the Year award in 2000.
Ronald McCracken
Ronald McCracken is president of Easley-based RJM Associates, a marketing, strategy, business and relationship-development firm focused on the waste industry. McCracken founded RJM Associates in 2007. Previously, he was president of RJM Waste Equipment Company, which operated facilities in North and South Carolina, Arizona and Connecticut. From 1982 to 1988, McCracken was the chief recycling officer and president of Linwood Manufacturing Co., where he implemented a program that turned discarded wood into a source of renewable fuel. In 1988, he was named president of Bes-Pac, Inc., where he grew the business into a regional waste equipment manufacturer. As an attorney, McCracken was in private practice in the late 1970s. He also served as assistant to the president of the University of Toledo, and as associate professor of law at the University Of Toledo College Of Law. McCracken was the first equipment manufacturer elected to the Board of Trustees of EIA, serving from 1994 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2002. McCracken also served as chairman of WASTEC from 2004 to 2006. He was the first recipient of the WASTEC Member of the Year Award in 1992, and was again selected Member of the Year in 2007. He is the only two-time recipient of this award.
Garwin McNeilus
Garwin McNeilus is the former president of McNeilus Companies, which manufactures packer bodies for the solid waste industry. McNeilus began his career in 1964 as a bookkeeper and batcher for a small manual-loading, ready-mix concrete plant in Minnesota. Later, he became a dealer for T. L. Smith Concrete Mixers, building a small shop that allowed him to mount the mixers onto a customer’s chassis. By 1975, he was manufacturing his own line of mixers. McNeilus opened his second line of manufacturing under McNeilus Companies in the early 1990s to ensure steady employment to his workers, who were vulnerable to the seasonal nature of the cement business. The company quickly achieved a solid reputation for a durable product and top-notch customer service. It was sold to Oshkosh Corp. in 1998, retaining the McNeilus name.
2009 INDUCTEES
Richard “Red” Gagnon
In 1958, Richard Gagnon accepted his first job in the waste industry as a helper on a truck for B. Ledger & Son, a company his father purchased in 1968. Three years later, he was a 10 percent owner and soon the operations manager. In 1972, when the company was sold to Waste Management, Inc., he continued to work as a manager. He bought back a part of the company in 1977 forming Commercial Disposal Co., which he sold in 1996. In 2002, he purchased The Master Garbologist and Full Cycle Composting, companies he still operates. He was one of the first haulers in Western Massachusetts to use a front loader and helped NSWMA pass legislation to build the first paper recycling plant in the state. He served as NSWMA’s Massachusetts Chapter chair and representative on the Board of Governors. In 1987, he founded a golf tournament to raise funds for special needs children and continues to run the tournament today. He is on the board of directors of Child and Family Services. In 2008, he received an award from the Center for Human Development for generosity and time helping disadvantaged children.
Mike Knaub
Mike Knaub began his career in the waste industry as a helper at the family business his grandfather started in 1915. In 1979, he joined Rubbermaid Applied Products as the midwest regional manager for roll-off refuse/recycling containers. When Schaefer Systems International formed a new regional team in 1991, he became the company’s midwest regional sales manager for waste for the Waste Technology Division. After three weeks, he was invited to join the management team and was advanced to general sales manager. He is now the senior vice president – managing director, WTC. In 1998, he joined WASTEC, participating on the WasteExpo Exhibitor Advisory Committee. He serves on the ANSI Z245 full committee and cart systems subcommittee. In 2001, he was named WASTEC Member of the Year. From 2006 to 2008, he was WASTEC’s Board of Governors chair. He also is active with the Solid Waste Association of North America, American Public Works Association, and the Detachable Container Association. He is a member of the East Charlotte Rotary and a strong supporter of Toys for Tots.
John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin did not plan a career in the waste industry. He started working on the family farm as a child and was the first in his family to graduate from college becoming a radio and television broadcaster. During his broadcasting career at the University of Nebraska, he was innovative in using the TV network to teach farmers the latest agriculture technology. He returned to the farm in 1971, when he co-founded Scranton Manufacturing, Inc. making livestock feeding and handling equipment. In the 1980s, he diversified the product line by acquiring the New Way line of refuse trucks and then built a network of dealers throughout the U.S. Today, the company manufactures front, rear, and automated side loaders, satellite and recycling bodies, and has expanded its facilities by over 50 percent. Recently, he acquired K-PAC compactors. He serves on the boards of Men for Missions International and OMS International, where he has helped build churches in South America and teach business ethics in Russia. To increase missionary work, he led a team of people and built a radio broadcast center near Cap-Haitian, Haiti.
Thomas Rumpke and William Rumpke, Sr.
Thomas Rumpke was an owner, co-president, and chief executive officer of Rumpke Consolidated Companies until his death in 2004. William Rumpke Sr., Tom’s cousin, is the president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of the company, which Bill’s father started in 1932. In 1932, the company was a hog farm where the young cousins helped collect garbage to feed the hogs. In 1965, they partnered to create Rumpke Container Service. About 15 years later, they formed the corporation’s Environmental Affairs and Compliance Department, recognizing the need to further point their business toward long-term environmental sustainability. In the 1970s, the company expanded to include service markets in Indiana and Kentucky and, in the late 1980s, they developed their own hydraulic systems (Rumpke Hydraulics & Machining), container shop (Rumpke Industrial Equipment Service Center), and then purchased a recycling company, Pickaway County Community Action Recycling. Following more than 200 acquisitions, the company’s revenue exceeded $270 million annually. Today, revenue is at $376 million and the firm is one of the largest privately-owned waste and recycling hauling companies in the U.S. with 2,300 employees, 1,700 trucks, 8 landfills, 7 recycling centers, and 20 transfer stations. In addition, in 1984, they partnered with Getty’s Synthetic Fuel (now Montauk Energy Capital) to collect methane gas, a clean renewable source of alternative energy, from the company’s largest landfill in Ohio. Thirty-three thousand homes are heated every day with this renewable fuel, and the company also is investigating technology to fuel their collection fleets with methane if feasible. At the same time the company was expanding its waste collection and disposal services, the cousins formed Rumpke Amusements and built a ballpark in Cincinnati, called Rumpke Park, which today still serves the local community for softball and youth baseball. They have funded the local boy scouts, built a new weight room for a Cincinnati high school, and regularly made donations to schools, hospitals, and other local events, a practice that continues at the company.
2008 INDUCTEES
Norman Aardema
Norman Aardema and his brother bought their first garbage company in 1981, running four trucks. They sold the company, then called Chicago Disposal in 1998 with 100 trucks. In 1999, he merged two medical waste disposal companies to form Midwest Waste Services. He joined NSWMA in the early 1980’s, serving as Illinois Chapter Chair, Legislative Committee Chair and representative on the Board of Governors. Aardema was elected to be the EIA Board of Trustees Chair in 2000 during the time when EIA sold WasteExpo and Waste Age magazine. When he left the Board, he continued to serve on the EIA Financial Committee. He received an NSWMA Distinguished Service Award in 1997.
Jim Cosman
Jim Cosman started his professional life as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. He became a garbage truck driver for BFI in 1972. Within three years, he was a District Manager for BFI. Later he became Regional Vice President for BFI. In 1997, he became the President and COO for Republic Services, helping to grow the company from $611 million to $2.1 billion in annual revenues. He was responsible for BFI becoming the first publicly held sold waste company to enter the New York City market and for implementing a very strict environmental compliance program at BFI. He retired in 2000 to open a consulting company, Doing Things Better, LLC, and helped revamp Pittsburgh’s waste management program.
Mickey Flood
From 1976 to 1984, Mickey Flood was employed with SCA Services, leaving company as a Regional Vice President. In 1986, he became the President of Laidlaw’s U.S. Operations, and in 1989, he became a Regional Vice President and later Group President of Waste Management, Inc. His greatest accomplishment was putting the right people together to build IESI Corp. in 1995. The company started with two trucks. Today, after selling the organization to BFI Canada Income Fund, IESI Corp. is the sixth largest solid waste company in North America. Flood served on EIA’s Board of Trustees Chair from 2003 to 2006 and currently serves as the Flow Control Task Force Chair.
Steven Krause
Steven Krause is the Chairman and CEO of Krause Corp., a company his grandfather founded in the 1960’s. He began working for the company as a teenager and then served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1970 in the 1st Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War. When Krause returned, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and rejoined the company as a Production Manager. During his time at the company, he developed a roll-off hoist, a container carrier and compaction equipment, some of which they patented. In 1996, they entered the hook lift business by acquiring American Hook Lift. He was the first Chair of WASTEC’s Statistics Committee more than ten years ago.
Jerry Schwartz
Jerry Schwartz began his waste industry career in 1968 as Publisher of Solid Waste Management magazine. in 1980, he joined NSWMA as the Publisher of Waste Age magazine. Within 18 months, he had captured 75 percent of the advertising targeting the waste industry and created the dominant trade magazine for the waste industry. When he passed away in 2003, he still was serving in an emeritus capacity. Jerry conceived the idea for the Driver of the Year award program and the EIA Hall of Fame. He also was active in pushing for industry safety standards to be officially recognized by ANSI. His business card read, “Schwartz is my name, garbage is my game.”
2007 INDUCTEES
Dean Buntrock
Dean Buntrock began his waste industry career in 1956 at Ace Scavenger Service, his family’s business. In 1968, he combined his company to form Waste Management, Inc. (WMI) with annual revenues of $5 million. In 1971, with Buntrock as the Chairman and CEO, WMI went public with revenue at $10 million. By the 1980s, WMI’s revenue was $800 million and by the mid-1990s, revenue was over $10 billion and the company was operating in 21 countries. He was named Outstanding CEO in the Pollution Control Industry by Financial World Magazine and Wall Street Transcript. Buntrock retired in 1997. He is a founder of the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA), serving as its first President in the mid-1960s and remaining its Secretary/Treasurer and Director for nearly 20 years. Buntrock’s community service includes support of the arts on the Boards of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Terra Foundation, education serving as Chairman and a director for 20 years on the Board of St. Olaf College, and the environment through wetlands sponsorship at Ducks Unlimited and as a Director of the National Wildlife Association. Buntrock said, “I love business and found an industry where I couldn’t wait to go to work in the morning. Work is hard so you need to find a career where you can always enjoy your job and make best use of your talents. To be included in the Hall of Fame is very special and gratifying.”
Robert Rasmussen
In 1959, Robert Rasmussen became a draftsman for an incinerator business. He began manufacturing containers and compactors 10 years later and in 1973 started his own company, Accurate Industries, which he sold to Wastequip in 1992. In 2001, Rasmussen became the President and CEO of Wastequip, which manufactures a wide variety of waste industry products. Since then, he has tripled sales, expanded operations to the West Coast, and increased company productivity by 50 percent. During his career, he was instrumental in developing intermodal containers to transport sludge and solid waste by rail. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC) where he helped establish compactor ratings and safety standards. He was twice named CEO of the Year by Wastequip’s parent companies — in 2003 by the CIVC Investment Group and in 2006 by the DLJ Private Equity Group. Rasmussen is a volunteer youth coach and supporter of safety films for children. Rasmussen said, “Developing people is the most important aspect of business success and, ultimately, personal success. You have to be humble because the whole team is what makes the difference.”
Fred Van Arsdale
Fred Van Arsdale began working for Heil Environmental Industries in 1979 first as the Transfer Station Production Manager, then as the National Accounts Manager. In 1998, he moved on to work for McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc. as the Republic Services, Inc. National Accounts Representative, a job he held until his death in June 2006. At Heil, Van Arsdale expanded the sales focus from municipal customers to rapidly growing private companies — USA Waste, Waste Management, and Allied Waste Industries. He helped develop the half-pack front- loader and engineer and bring to market a turnkey system for transfer stations. He was an innovator of safety features on trucks, a mentor to young colleagues just learning the ropes, always followed through with commitments, and was well-respected and widely recognized in the industry. Van Arsdale was a supporter of youth sports and a center serving disabled adults. Jim Johnson, President, Autocar, LLC, said, “Fred Van Arsdale sold his products the old fashioned way. While others were worried about building a book of business, Fred focused on building relations. He understood that a relationship built on honesty and trust was just as important as the quality of the equipment he sold.” Jerry Wickett, Vice President, Purchasing and Maintenance, Republic Services, Inc., noted, “One of Fred’s strongest attributes as a salesman was that he represented the customer well back at his company.” “My husband was loyal to a fault,” said Marilyn Van Arsdale. “He treated people in the same way that he wanted them to treat him. He never expected people to do more than they were capable, but he expected high things from everyone, including himself.”
2006 INDUCTEES
Felix A. Crawford
Felix Crawford entered the waste industry in 1971 when Industrial America asked him to straighten out a troubled waste company in Orlando, Florida. When that company was sold, he worked for the new company, Waste Resources, for a while and then bought a small waste hauler with 6 trucks. Nineteen years later, his company, Southland Waste Systems, was worth about $38 million. In 1995, Mr. Crawford became one of the first to merge his company into Republic Services. After his non-compete ended in 2000, he founded his current company, Advanced Disposal Services. Mr. Crawford and his wife started a foundation to help build an early literacy program for pre-K children. He is an active member of NSWMA. He served on the Board of Governors and the EIA Board of Trustees. Mr. Crawford now serves on EIA’s Investment Committee.
Paul F. Hardiman
Paul Hardiman began his career at FleetBoston in the commercial lending, specialized finance area in 1965 and retired in 2002 as a Managing Director. He became quite interested in the potential of the solid waste business in the early to mid-’70s because complying with all the emerging regulations required capital. Mr. Hardiman was the first to start a banking area to finance companies remediating hazardous waste clean-up sites and to fund the many consolidations that took place in the solid waste business. Today, he still serves the industry as an outside director of Waste Industries. Mr. Hardiman helped find funding to consolidate two specialty hospitals in Massachusetts, served on the U.S. EPA District 1 Advisory Board, and worked with the Clinton Administration to discuss how to raise capital for emerging environmental technologies.
Ralph G. Mastrangelo, Sr.
Ralph Mastrangelo started his career in the early 1950s working for United Carting Co., which his grandfather founded. From 1954 to 1973, he was President of the company, expanding it by using new types of equipment. He was one of the first to use roll-off trucks and stationary compactors. Later, he sold the company to SCA Services and then bought it back in 1983. In 1995, he sold the company to BFI and passed away in 2003. Mr. Mastrangelo loved working with NSWMA serving as the New Jersey Chapter Vice-Chair and on the Board of Governors. He was the first to fight flow control in New Jersey. As a Eucharistic Minister and supporter of education for the blind, he was a strong man with a soft heart.
Dennis C. Pool
Dennis Pool’s uncle had a garbage company and asked him to go for a ride one day. He went out in the truck and began hooking chains and then continued to work for his uncle on weekends, in the summers, and then after high school full time. Several purchases later, he found himself on the manufacturing side of the business making recycling and waste handling equipment. After a short stint with his brother’s car dealership, he joined SP Industries and moved up the line to become President in 2002. Mr. Pool became involved in WASTEC in 1986. He was frustrated with industry safety so he got involved in the ANSI Z245 committees chairing the committee on compactors. When not at work, he spends time with his kids. He’s coached softball and baseball. Mr. Pool also helped build a middle school in the district where he lives.
Robert J. Riethmiller
Robert Riethmiller became President and CEO of Philadelphia Tramrail, now PTR Baler and Compactor Co., in 1968. His family started the company in 1907. Shortly after he started, the market for his company’s main product dried out so he began making balers and compactors, now sold worldwide. His company received the Family Business Award in 2002 from the Wharton School of Business. Mr. Riethmiller was a charter member of WASTEC and continues to serve as the Membership Committee Chair and Representative on the Board of Governors. He is also the current Scholarship Chairman at the Environmental Research and Education Foundation. He is an active supporter of Mercy Vo Tech trade school and a board member of the Abington Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Gordon C. Shaw
Gordon Shaw became President of Marathon Equipment Co. in 2003 after moving up the line from his first position as a sales person in 1981. He’s been behind buildings all his life packer poking. Him and his college roommate decided to go into the garbage business when they graduated in 1972. Mr. Shaw stated that his WASTEC experience has been absolutely one of the most enjoyable experiences he’s had in the industry. He served as chairman for 2 terms and helped to develop ANSI standards. He is currently on the EIA Board of Trustees. Mr. Shaw is on the Executive Committee of the Mark Mitchell Shelter for battered women and sponsors the Catch a Dream Foundation for children with life threatening diseases who want to catch a fish or go hunting. He also supports the Boy Scouts.
2005 INDUCTEES
Larry Stone
In the more than 30 years that Larry Stone has worked in the garbage collection industry, he has sold equipment, owned a hauling company, and been chair of an NSWMA state chapter. Today, he is responsible for all of Heil Environmental’s New York City market, trade show commitments, and sales in the Northeast. During his time at Heil, he played an instrumental role in building a dual compartment rear loading collection truck. Larry began his career in 1975 when he bought a carting company managing two drivers, two trucks, and 230 accounts. Two years later through acquisitions, his company quadrupled in size. He has been an active member of NSWMA and now WASTEC. As the Massachusetts Chapter Chair in 1983, he organized an industry protest by circling the state capital with a convoy of garbage trucks. His effort led to new landfill sitings in the state. Larry volunteers at his daughters’ school fixing soccer fields and participates on the Auction Committee of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation.
Tom Van Weelden
Tom Van Weelden started working for his father’s garbage company in 1968 at the age of 14, washing trucks and collecting trash. He was a college student when the company was sold to Waste Management, Inc., which then hired him to help during summers and breaks. As a junior in college, in 1975, he founded Vermillion Waste Systems in Southern, Illinois, and over the course of several years expanded the two-truck collection company to include four landfills. In 1989, after forming the Environmental Development Corp., he merged the company with several other companies to form Allied Waste Industries. In 1995, under his leadership, Allied acquired the waste portion of Laidlaw Transportation and in 1999, acquired BFI, taking the company’s worth from 3 to about 9 billion dollars and significantly increasing the number of employees. He recently stepped down as Allied’s President and CEO after making the company the second largest, publicly-traded, waste operation in the U.S. He is currently on the Board of Visitors at Pepperdine University.
Louis E. Wagner
Lou Wagner helped design and develop the first professional hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility in the U.S. in the 1970s. His patented concept of the secure landfill system using a synthetic membrane liner for safe disposal of hazardous waste is now used throughout the world. Looking for alternative uses for hazardous waste, Lou converted waste into supplementary fuels for cement kilns and aggregate drying systems. The effort was later expanded to include use as an alternative raw material in the production of Portland Type 1 Cement. He helped develop the manifest system for tracking hazardous waste, designed and operated the first Toxic Substances Control Act PCB incinerator in the U.S., and has written many publications on the recycling of chemicals. Over the years, he has published many articles on proper waste disposal. Today, he remains active as the CEO of Earthwatch Waste Systems, Inc. Lou is a firm believer in community service raising funds for Catholic Charities, the local police association, and more recently for the Tsunami Relief Fund.
Chris G. Weiser
Chris Weiser worked as a mechanical engineer at Freeport-McMoRan before joining his step father’s baler company. In 1992, he was promoted to President and in 1996 became the owner of the company. Today, CRAM-A-LOT/J.V. Manufacturing has over 200 employees and two manufacturing plants and still retains its relationship with its first customer, Wal-Mart. Chris’ management philosophy is very community and family-oriented, encouraging employees to actively engage in their children’s lives. He served on the WASTEC Board of Governors from 1992 to 1997 and was elected Chairman for the 1997 term. He has helped develop ANSI Z245 standards, was chairman of the Membership Committee, and recipient of two association awards. He also served on EIA’s Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2003, including Secretary-Treasurer for three years. He is very active in his community, currently serving on the board of the Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation and Chairman of the Water and Sewer Commission.
Eugene J. Wingerter
Gene Wingerter began his career in the waste business in 1970 as NSWMA’s first Technical Consultant. In 1973, he became the association’s Executive Director. Under his leadership, NSWMA grew from just a few to 30 state chapters and many institutes and councils. In 1980, he purchased WasteAge and helped turn it into an award-winning magazine. He was instrumental in organizing the industry to shape the legislation that created the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and added an insurance program at NSWMA to help members keep costs down. In 1992, he launched the Environmental Research and Education Foundation to provide non-advocacy driven research on waste issues. Today, he is the owner of his own consulting company, helping waste companies grow. He is also the President of Threat Response Technologies, focusing on intelligence data acquisition related to homeland security, and a partner at W and F Advisors, Inc., serving a waste service company entering the U.S. market and a manufacturer of waste transportation equipment.
2004 INDUCTEES
Royal Coulter
After a decade of truck driving, dispatching, and sales, in 1979, after his father’s death and at the age of 31, Royal Coulter became CEO and President of Peoria Disposal Co. During his tenure, he built the company from 50 employees, 35 trucks, and one landfill to an award winning company of over 500 employees, 225 trucks, five landfills, an analytical laboratory, and commercial wastewater treatment facility. Coulter has been active in NSWMA and in his community helping the Salvation Army, church groups, and today’s youth.
Tom Fatjo, Jr.
In 1998, Tom Fatjo founded his fourth waste company, Waste Corp. of America, where he is currently Chairman and CEO. He started his first company, Browning Ferris Industries, in 1966, with one truck and $500 and turned it into the first publicly-traded garbage company. In 1990, he founded Republic Waste Services and in 1992 TransAmerican Waste Industries. During his career, he created 30,000 jobs and raised an excess of $500 million in capital. He also founded a fitness and preventative medicine facility in Houston.
Donald Galbreath
Donald Galbreath is known for his inventions – the Galbreath Roll-Off Hoist, casted swivel eye and HH receivers for roll-off containers, automatic container locks for roll-off hoists, and the controlled gasketed rear door on self-contained compactors. In 1964, he became President and CEO of Galbreath, Inc. and since 1992, the President and CEO of Galfab, Inc. In 1978, he started a high school scholarship fund in Winamac, Indiana, and in 1993, he received the highest award for community service from Pulaski County.
Edward Vogel
Edward Vogel began his waste industry career in 1958 as a driver, thrower, mechanic, equipment operator, and salesman for his own company, Vogel Disposal Service. Today, Vogel Holding, Inc. includes nearly 400 employees, 200 trucks, two hauling companies, two landfills, and one recycling facility. He was a founding member of NSWMA and served on its board from 1987 to 1993. Vogel currently serves as the Adams Township Supervisor and is a strong supporter of the local fire department and Boy Scouts of America.
2003 INDUCTEES
H. Wayne Huizenga
Wayne Huizenga co-founded Waste Management, Inc. in 1971 and served as its president, chief operating officer, and director before retiring from the company in 1984. He also founded Republic Services, Inc., served as its chairman, and now sits on the company’s board. Today, he is the owner and chairman of Huizenga Holdings, Inc., a private money management firm, owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and sits on boards of several publicly-traded companies. Huizenga has received numerous awards for his entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropy, and dedication to the community.
Harry Kletter
Harry Kletter entered the waste business as a child working in his family’s one-truck junk business collecting recyclables. By 1952, he was the co-owner of a small junkyard in southern Indiana; 1961, a maker of stationary compactors; and a waste hauler by 1962. In 1969, his two-year-old company, Industrial Services of America, became the first public company in the waste industry. Kletter is known for innovation and holds several patents for improving technology and methods in waste handling. He is the sponsor of a scholarship at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.
Frederick E. Leach
Fred Leach began his career with the Leach Company in 1976 and worked his way up to become the president in 1992. During his tenure, Leach moved his company into the computer age and became known as the “King of the Rear Loaders.” He served for three years as chairman of the Waste Equipment Technology Association’s (WASTEC) Board of Governors and as chairman of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation. Leach currently represents WASTEC on the Environmental Industry Association’s Board of Trustees.
Robert P. Stearns
Bob Stearns worked as a sanitary engineer for the City of Los Angeles in 1960 and ten years later co-founded SCS Engineers. He is widely recognized over his 43-year career for applying engineering principles to support and improve waste industry business practices and has authored numerous technical articles and received major awards from various professional organizations. Stearns currently serves on the board of the Environmental Research and Educational Foundation and is a contributor to various educational and cultural foundations in Southern California.
2002 INDUCTEES
Robert G. Banfield
Robert Banfield has been a part of the solid waste industry for 45 years owning successful hauling operations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, two landfills, and several transfer stations. He currently serves as vice president of the Detachable Container Association. Banfield was recognized by the City of Boston for providing “service above and beyond the call of duty” when he collected both waste and snow during the blizzard of 1978. During his career, he was active with NSWMA on safety issues including development of national safety standards. Banfield played a key role in founding NSWMA’s first chapter in Massachusetts in the 1970s.
William J. Davidson
William Davidson bought one, used, chain-driven, side-loader, residential truck in July of 1963 and never looked back. He was a driver by day and a repairman by night, but by the early 1970s when the company was sold to Waste Management, Inc., Wm. Davidson Trash Removal was a valuable business. Following employ with Waste Management and a brief respite helping his son-in-law open a body shop, Davidson purchased All-Rite Rubbish Removal, Inc. During the next 17 years he was an active member of NSWMA, including receiving a distinguished service award in 1990 and serving as the Maryland-Delaware chapter chair for several terms.
Edward A. Furnari
Edward Furnari began his career in the waste business in 1977 by becoming the controller of Marathon Equipment Company, Inc. Working his way up, in 1995, Furnari became president of the company. He played a critical role in the development of large transfer packers and helped build the company from $3 million to $100 million in sales. He is a strong leader within his company, the industry, and the community. Furnari is the director of the Mark Mitchell Home for Abused Children and was named employer of the year by the local Chamber of Commerce. He has been active with WASTEC for many years.
Harris W. Hudson
Harris Hudson entered the waste business in 1964 as a helper on the back of a truck for Southern Sanitation. When Southern Sanitation merged into the original Waste Management, Inc. in 1972, Hudson became instrumental in acquisitions and operations. Today, he is the vice-chairman of Republic Services, Inc. and chairman of Hudson Capital Management. He was honored with the Safety Leadership Award by Hartford Insurance Co. for implementing a safety and accident prevention program in Southern Florida in the 1980s. He has played a significant role in building the Wayne Huizenga Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
2001 INDUCTEES
Darlene Jeter
Darlene Jeter co-founded Jet-A-Way, Inc. in 1969 where she handled the financial and administrative aspects of the business for over 20 years. When her husband, Eddie Jeter, passed away in 1991, Ms. Jeter assumed the role of president and chief operating officer. In a struggling Boston market, she focused her company on a “back to basics” approach with an aggressive cost reduction and control program such that by 1996 the Boston Chamber of Commerce named the company as the Small Business of the Year. In addition, Ms. Jeter has testified on behalf of the waste industry before government entities on many occasions. She is a strong supporter of the Orchard Park children’s summer camp program.
Keith Foster
Keith Foster was the co-inventor and major marketing force behind the Keith Walking Floor unloader that revolutionized the handling and conveying of refuse in mass burners, material processing and recovery facilities, and transfer stations. He began inventing and applying the use of self-unloading trucks in the 1950s and began applying the use of these trucks in the waste industry in the 1970s, when he founded Keith Manufacturing Co. Under his leadership, the Keith Walking Floor technology was retrofitted for use in trailers and self-unloading bins. Mr. Foster has dozens of patents and many more innovations relating to hydraulics, trucking, conveying, and unloading of refuse.
Floyd Tuominen
Floyd Tuominen has dedicated over 28 years of service to the waste industry. He began his career as a sales engineer for a machine tool company and then, in 1972, advanced to a sales manager of Mid Equipment of Grundy Center, Iowa, a manufacturer of solid waste compaction equipment. While there, he introduced the Wide Mouth Dock Pack, the Super Dock Pack, and Eze On-Off Hoist. In 1976, Mr. Tuominen joined Harris Waste Management Group as the manager of distributor sales. He was promoted to sales manager in 1979 and became president in 1986. Following a two-year stint as the president of the Marathon Equipment company’s overseas division, in 1994, Mr. Tuominen became president of Excel Manufacturing, Inc. where he was responsible for business, product, and market development. Now retired, he has served on the NSWMA Board of Directors and been a key player in developing the ANSI standard for balers.
Edward Furnari
Edward Furnari began his career in the waste business in 1977 by becoming the controller of Marathon Equipment Company, Inc. Working his way up, in 1995, Furnari became president of the company. He played a critical role in the development of large transfer packers and helped build the company from $3 million to $100 million in sales. He is a strong leader within his company, the industry, and the community. Furnari is the director of the Mark Mitchell Home for Abused Children and was named employer of the year by the local Chamber of Commerce. He has been active with WASTEC for many years.
1989-2000 INDUCTEES
2000
John Barry
Roger Ramsey
Bernard Rumpke
William Rumpke
Keith Foster
Floyd Tuominen
1999
Bob Hickman
George Lohman
Marc Stragier
1998
Denny Gill
William P. Hulligan
Donald F. Moorehead, Jr.
Stan W. Worthington
1997
Ramsey Di Libero
Lewis Goodman
Jim Perry
Joseph Smith
Denny Gill
Stan Worthington
1996
Edward Burr
David Cameron
Ted C. Flood
Jim Harvey
Joseph MacDonald
Josie I. Razore
Jerry Zanzig
1995
Bill Gallio
David Hyman
Gerald Van Beek
Ted Flood
1994
Patrick J. Banfield
Lonnie C. Poole, Jr.
Wayne D. Trewhitt
Jerry Van Beek
1993
David C. Leach
Thomas R. Walters
1992
Lawrence Beck
Richard F. Brentano
Charles Carite
Alfred Isola
Eddie Jeter, Jr.
Harold Radandt
Charles Walbridge
1991
Ben Caramella
Gerald E. Connolly, Sr.
Robert C. Duncan
Gordon H. Fenner
John (“Jack”) E. Hoff
Harold LeMay
George B. O’Connell
Christian J. Ruoff
Donald R. Zykan
1990
Doug Bell
Richard R. Bloom, Sr.
Peter Borghero
Victor Brown
James J. Cowhey, Sr.
Elmo J. Harrison
Edgar T. Harvey, Jr.
Joseph F. Heil, Jr.
Harry Huizenga
Durward W. Jackson II
Raymond F. Lawrence
Rip Nichols
Glenn S. Park
Richard M. Vining
1989
Thomas M. Ahearn
Armondo J. Annigoni
Rosco Casgrande
James G. DeBoer
Michael G. DeGroote
John Groot
John P. Moscone
1988
David J. Brask
Charles Cattaneo
Joseph E. Jack
Angus MacPhee
Stanley Rose
James V. Thurmond, Jr.
1987
Ralph J. Black
Gerard E. Connolly, Jr.
George R. Dempster
John William Estes
Trever E. Evans
Richard D. Stitt
1986
Edwin Paul Allgeier
William J. Banfield
Joseph M. Betit
W. “Wally” Clark
Harold L. Cole, Sr.
George C. Dodge
Thomas J. Dooley, Sr.
Edward Drury
Charles H. Dunlap
Ernest Fassbender
Henry French
Giovanni Ghiorso
Theodore Richard Hartmann
Joseph F. Heil, Sr.
Max Hyman
Ezra Koch
Elmer “Onnie” Leach
William Makrdichian
William Ohanesian
Robert Pedone
Eugene L. Pollock
Marshall Rabins
Rinaldo M. “Al” Rossi
Stan Ruminski
John J. Sexton
Albert Shayne
Kosti Shirvanian
Nathaniel Smith
Cosmo V. Taormina
Tom Tibstra
Rudolph L. Vaccarezza
George E. Weibush, Jr.
