Alice P. Jacobsohn

The environmental industry associations (EIA) elected three new members to its Board of Trustees on Nov. 7. Starting in January 2008, Charles Appleby, chairman and CEO of Advanced Disposal Services Inc., Jacksonville, Fla.; Robert Rasmussen, president and CEO of Wastequip, Beachwood, Ohio; and Donald Williamson, president of West Central Sanitation, Wilmar, Minn., will start their terms.

Appleby is a co-founder of Advanced Disposal Services, where he served as president and chief financial officer until being appointed chairman and CEO in September 2006. Prior to his shift into the environmental services industry, Appleby was president of the private investment firm CAVCO Inc. and partner in the accounting firm Grenadier, Appleby, Collins & Company. He is a retired colonel in the Florida Army National Guard and spent 31 years in service to the U.S. Armed Forces. He recently finished his final term as commissioner on the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.

Rasmussen started his own company, Accurate Industries, in the early 1970s. He sold the company to Wastequip in 1992 and became Wastequip's president and CEO in 2001. At WasteExpo 2007, Rasmussen was inducted into the EIA Hall of Fame, recognizing him for a lifetime of contributions to the industry and to the community. He currently serves on the Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC) Board of Governors and has played a key role in establishing compactor ratings and safety standards. He was twice named CEO of the Year by Wastequip's parent companies. He is a volunteer youth coach and supporter of safety films for children.

Williamson started helping a friend collect garbage in 1979 on Saturdays while in college. A year later, he bought the company. As the president of West Central Sanitation, he expanded operations from one truck and 50 customers to more than 40,000 customers and 50 trucks. He joined the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) in the 1980s and over the years has served as the Minnesota chapter's chairman, vice-chairman and representative on the NSWMA Board of Governors. Recently, he was elected to NSWMA's Executive Committee. He has actively participated in many taskforces in Minnesota and nationally addressed issues such as truck weights, organized collection, hours of service and homeland security.

“Charlie, Bob and Don are respected leaders in the solid waste and recycling industry,” says Bruce Parker, EIA's President and CEO. “Collectively, they will bring experience and additional leadership to our associations. The Board of Trustees and I look forward to benefiting from their strong and diverse business backgrounds.”

The new appointees will take the seats of three trustees who have made significant contributions to the associations — Mickey Flood, president and CEO of IESI Corp., Fort Worth, Texas; Jim Perry, CEO of Waste Industries, Raleigh, N.C.; and Victor “Skip” Berg, national sales manager for Labrie Environmental Group, Annandale, N.J.

Alice Jacobsohn is a director at EIA. E-mail her at [email protected].