Waste Leadership Summit: A New Chapter for Our Industry

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Waste Leadership Summit — and honestly, it felt long overdue.

With Waste Expo shifting to an every-other-year format, the industry needed a dedicated annual home for some of its most important gatherings: the Stifel Investor Summit, the EREF charitable auction, and the NWRA Awards Gala. The Summit brings all of that together in one place.

On the Waste Expo change — look, it makes sense. Solid waste isn't an industry that reinvents itself every 12 months. The same equipment shows up year after year, and between the cost of hauling heavy machinery and the sheer effort of participating in a massive exhibition, it can start to feel like going through the motions. But here's the thing: getting together as an industry still matters enormously. This business runs on relationships, and that's exactly what the Waste Leadership Summit was built around. Turns out, you don't need a front loader to make a great connection.

Frank "the Elder" and Jerry Antonacci receive their NWRA Hall of Fame plaques from Michael Hoffman and yours truly.

The format is still evolving, and we're very open to feedback. Each year, the goal is to go deeper — more meaningful content for independent haulers, better networking, and curated sessions that actually help people run better businesses. The Washington Hilton was a fantastic venue, and we're excited to explore other cities that don't require a massive convention center to pull it off.

One of the true highlights for me personally: I had the honor of inducting Frank and Jerry Antonacci and Dennis Pantano into the NWRA Hall of Fame. This is the highest recognition NWRA can give, and these three have more than earned it through decades of dedication to advancing our industry.

Dennis Pantano joins the NWRA Hall of Fame!

We also took time to celebrate the drivers, operators, and technicians of the year — the people who are quite literally the backbone of everything we do. Their skill, professionalism, and day-in, day-out commitment is what keeps communities clean and our industry moving forward.

Congratulations to everyone recognized at this year's Summit. Here's to making next year even better.