For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Ron Pecora
Chief Marketing Officer
407-937-2653
rpecora@wasteprousa.com
GAUTIER, MS – April 24, 2020 – Four drivers from Waste Pro’s Gautier, MS Division have earned the company’s coveted $10,000 Safety Award.
Deanna Defelippo, Nelson Ross, Ray Wise, and Steven Hopson were presented with their big checks on April 22. For Ross, this is his third time earning the award since joining Waste Pro in 2005. This is the second award for Defelippo; she was the Division’s first female driver to earn the award in 2017.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, solid waste collection is one of the top 5 most dangerous jobs in the United States. In 2017, BLS data showed the fatality rate for solid waste collectors was 10 times that of the national average. It is for that reason that Waste Pro established the $10,000 Safety Award Program in 2004 as an incentive for drivers to strive for safety day in and day out. Since the program’s establishment, nearly five million dollars has been awarded to drivers who have earned it.
The $10,000 Safety Award is given to drivers who go three years without accidents, injuries, or property damage, maintain a positive attitude, have a strong attendance record, and keep a well-kept truck. Waste Pro is the only private company in the solid waste industry to offer such an award to its drivers.
About Waste Pro USA
Waste Pro USA, Inc. is one of the country’s fastest-growing privately-owned waste collection, recycling, processing, and disposal companies, operating in ten southeastern states. Waste Pro, with revenues exceeding $700 million, serves more than two million residential and 40,000 commercial customers from over 75 operating locations. Waste Pro is headquartered in Longwood, Florida, and maintains approximately 300 exclusive municipal contracts and franchises.
Steve Hopson (left) and Ray Wise (right) receive their awards