Waste Pro USA

The biggest independent trash and recycling company in the southeast U.S., Waste Pro USA Inc., is becoming the first to power one of its regional facilities by solar energy. For the project, Waste Pro partnered with a local company, EcoSolar of Sarasota. According to Regional Vice President Keith Banasiak, the firm applied an extremely advanced system: a compact system of flat panels which Mr. Banasiak says is “about as thick as 20 sheets of notebook paper.”

Unlike traditional solar panel boxes, these photovoltaic modules are flexible and fully adhere to the roof surface. It is the only photovoltaic product that passed Miami-Dade notice of acceptance with wind tunnel testing for up to 148 mph wind. The innovative system is extremely light sensitive and designed to produce energy even in low light, including a full moon. The 25 kW solar power plant covers 5,000 sq. ft. of roof area and will provide 120 kW hours of electricity per day, enough to cover most of the building’s needs. Energy not consumed will be sent back to the utility grid for credit.

“We are the first garbage company with solar-supplemented energy because we wanted to take a positive approach for our environment and community,” says Mr. Banasiak. “It was a large investment for our company but the return on investment will occur in only 18 to 24 months.” That return is thanks to a Florida solar rebate, a federal energy tax credit, and annual depreciation.

Bob Hyres, Executive Vice President, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Florida Chapter of SWANA (Solid Waste Association of North America). This association is primarily made up of public sector, governmental, solid waste professionals, such as county solid waste directors. This is the first time a representative of a private waste collection company has been appointed to this board. Bob was selected from a field of six (6) individuals vying for this position.

This is recognition of Bob’s and Waste Pro’s quality reputation in our industry. This will even further entrench Waste Pro in the municipal contracting segment of our business. Again Waste Pro proves to be the “Distinguishable Difference”.

Waste Pro has closed on the acquisition of Delta Sanitation (Delta) in Gautier Mississippi. This is the largest acquisition made by Waste Pro. The acquisition includes a residential, commercial and roll off hauling company that employs 124 people, a recycling facility and 2 C&D / Industrial landfills. The acquisition consideration consisted of cash and Waste Pro stock.

Waste Pro’s CEO John Jennings said “he is proud to add Delta and its highly experienced management group to the Waste Pro team”. Wally Carter will remain in charge and become Waste Pro’s newest Regional Vice President.

Delta is the predominate waste collection company in the coastal Mississippi area of Biloxi and Gulfport. This now brings Waste Pro’s southeast U.S. presence up to 6 contiguous states. Jennings stated “Delta is a company that has emulated Waste Pro’s standards of excellence of equipment, personnel and commitment to quality of service”. The acquisition establishes a strong profitable base for Waste Pro’s continued growth along the Gulf coast stretching from Louisiana to Florida.

Waste Pro’s corporate headquarters are located in Longwood, Florida. Since its inception in 2001 Waste Pro has grown from one (1) truck and four (4) employees to operating over nine hundred (900) trucks with fifteen hundred (1,500) employees from thirty-seven (37) locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Waste Pro has launched a recycling program that calls for airport visitors to throw trash and recyclables into the same container. Waste Pro later sorts recyclables from waste, a move the airport expects will reduce the amount of trash it sends to landfills by 50 percent after a year and by 70 percent after two years. About 250,000 people Hartsfield-Jackson daily, and nearly 70 tons of trash are generated each day.

Waste Pro has teamed with GreenSortATL which is run by the airport’s facility management company Atlanta Airlines Terminal Corp. and will create 28 jobs. Waste Pro USA transports the waste to a material recovery facility in Atlanta for sorting, and the company recently got permits to expand the facility. In an airport, where people are in a rush and may not have time to look for the right recycling bin, “We aim for GreenSortATL to become one of the largest such programs in the Southeast and to make Hartsfield-Jackson as green as any airport in the nation,” said airport general manager Ben DeCosta in a written statement Thursday. The program is already underway and will be phased in to increase the amount of recycling with the facility expansion expected next April. The airport currently has garbage cans and a limited number of recycling containers, and will be switching to new GreenSortATL cans.

Sept. 29 — Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta-bases private equity firm, is investing $100 million in Waste Pro USA Inc.

“Waste Pro has an outstanding reputation for delivering high quality service to its municipal, residential and commercial customers. We are thrilled to be partnering with John Jennings and his management team and look forward to supporting the Company´s growth initiatives,” said Roark Capital Group President Jeffrey J. Keenan.

Waste Pro, based in Longwood, Fla., was created in 2001 by Chairman and CEO John Jennings.

Keenan also joined the Waste Pro board. He co-founded and served as chairman of IESI Corp. from 1996 to 2005.

Waste Pro provides solid waste collection, disposal and recycling services to more than 825,000 residential and 32,000 commercial customers in the Southeast.

Published in the September 2009 of American Executive magazine

Waste collection may not be the most glamorous industry, but it is one of the most important. With waste generation having tripled in the last half-century, companies like Waste Pro USA have a seemingly unlimited potential for growth— if they can keep up with the competition. So far, Waste Pro has been up to that challenge and then some.

“In order to compete against national companies, we have to take advantage of technology and exceed our customers’ expectations when it comes to service,” said John Jennings, founder, president, and CEO. “So far, we’ve been able to do just that.”

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Waste Pro USA was presented with the first ever commendation for black bear conservation work from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Waste Pro, one of the waste control providers in Franklin and Wakulla counties in Florida, provided innovative new bear proof containers to homeowners. The containers have no rate increase for the first six month of use and are fully guaranteed. The containers are intended to reduce the amount of bear and human interactions. Any damaged containers can usually be replaced the same day.

E. Ralph Mills, Waste Pro’s regional vice president, accepted a plaque commending the company for “Leadership in Reducing Human-Bear Conflicts by Providing Wildlife Resistant Containers.”

Waste Pro’s commendation was originally written about in the Appalachicola & Carrabelle Times in an article by Lois Swoboda.

Waste Pro has been awarded a new five (5) year exclusive contract for the residential and commercial solid waste and recycling collection services for the City of Cape Canaveral Florida. This creates a break through for Waste Pro in Brevard County. Neither Brevard County nor any of its eighteen (18) cities have seen a bid occur in over twenty-five (25) years. Prior to Waste Pros new City of Cape Canaveral contract, this market was totally dominated by Waste Management. Waste Pro was selected based predominately on its creative and in-depth proposal and by offering extensive Green initiatives for the City. This contract will start on the first of October this year.

Waste Pro has been awarded a new long term municipal contract for the City of Beaufort, South Carolina. Waste Pro will take over from the City and will begin services on August 1, 2009. Waste Pro will provide garbage, yard waste and curbside recycling to the 4,100 homes in Beaufort. In conjunction with this contract, Waste Pro will provide recycling services to the town of Port Royal. This is the second privatization accomplished by Waste Pro this year, the other being the City of Hollywood, Florida. Waste Pro has been focusing its efforts on privatization opportunities that are becoming more attractive to cities due to the economic conditions and reduction in tax revenues.

Sanford’s garbage collectors will be watching out for trouble as they make their rounds Friday. They will act as a second set of eyes for police.
Sanford police trained fourteen workers to be part of the “Waste Watch” program, a first of its kind in Central Florida.
There has been a rash of home burglaries in the middle of the day, and that is the time trash collectors are on the job moving through neighborhoods.
“We are out here all the time anyway, at times when they aren’t. They may not have the man power,” said James O’Brien, Waste Pro employee.
The workers have been trained to watch for anything suspicious and they have a direct line to police to report anything they see.