A Very Big Deal

Stephen Ursery, Editor, Waste Age Magazine

August 1, 2008

2 Min Read
Waste360 logo in a gray background | Waste360

You Know a Story is Big When Bill Gates feels compelled to weigh in on it. So, it is with the unfolding Republic-Allied-Waste Management saga.

Gates, the creator of Microsoft and one of the richest men on the planet, owns more than 15 percent of Republic's shares and 2.3 percent of Waste Management's, according to press reports. He recently urged Waste Management to drop its pursuit of Republic (which is planning a merger with Allied), calling the acquisition effort “ill-timed and poorly conceived.”

Keeping up with all of the twists and turns, such as Gates' comments and, more important, the firms' various machinations, can be a challenge for a monthly magazine. However, we have dipped our toe into the pool with Michael Fickes' feature (“The Ripening of Republic, p. 24) analyzing Republic's growth over the past decade and how it has become strong enough to reach a merger agreement with the second-largest firm and also be desired by the largest. It's the kind of broad overview and analysis you've come to expect in Waste Age.

This issue went to press in early August. For the most up-to-date information on this unfolding story, please visit www.wasteage.com.

  • I would like to recognize the award-winning efforts of a long-time contributor to Waste Age, Chaz Miller, the state programs director of the Environmental Industry Associations. Miller, who writes the “Circular File” column and “Profiles in Garbage,” recently won a regional bronze award from the American Society of Business Publications Editors (ASBPE). The award was in the “Regular Column, Contributed” category for the ASBPE's Central-Southeast Region. The award-winning columns — “Raking the Dead” and “Rise and Whine” — appear in our April 2007 and September 2007 issues, respectively.

Chaz has racked up a number of honors — including a national ASBPE award — in recent years.

David Mitchell, our senior art director, also has brought home an award. He won a bronze award in the ASBPE's Central-Southeast Region's “Front Cover-Computer Generated” category for the January 2007 issue of Waste Age. His work illustrated our “Clearing the Air” story on the 2007 engine emission requirements.

Sadly for us, David is changing careers. His three years of top-quality work are much appreciated. Fortunately, Art Director David Ramares remains an integral part of our Waste Age family, and he is in the middle of creating an exciting new look for our publication.

look for our publication.

The author is the editor of Waste Age

About the Author

Stephen Ursery

Editor, Waste Age Magazine, Waste360

Stephen Ursery is the editor of Waste Age magazine. During his time as editor, Waste Age has won more than 20 national and regional awards. He has worked for Penton Media since August 1999. Before joining Waste Age as the magazine's managing editor, he was an associate editor for American City & County and for National Real Estate Investor.

Prior to joining Penton, Stephen worked as a reporter for The Marietta Daily Journal and The Fulton County Daily Report, both of which are located in metro Atlanta.

Stephen earned a BA in History from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.

Stay in the Know - Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Join a network of more than 90,000 waste and recycling industry professionals. Get the latest news and insights straight to your inbox. Free.

You May Also Like