Now in its fifth year, this must-attend event has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception and succeeded in raisingtens of thousands of dollars for the Environmental Research and Education Foundation.
Born as the collaboration of Kerry Holmes, Vice President of Sales and Mike Melideo, President and CEO of Consolidated Fabricators and Ray Burke, Vice President of Clean Energy, the Garbageman鈥檚 Invitational is an annual golf tournament that invites decision makers in the waste industry to enjoy three days of fun, networking and business in the comfort of the Blackwater Saloon and Pechanga Casino鈥檚 fabulous golf course in Temecula, CA. Held this year from April 9 鈥� 11, this event prides itself on giving everyone who attends the opportunity to socialize in a relaxed environment.
From the Ground Up
In 2010, Holmes, Melideo and Burke developed the idea of putting on a golf tournament and social event because they felt there was a void that needed to be filled. Naming it the Garbageman鈥檚 Invitational in order to make it an invite-only event, the first year was a success with about 100 people coming to the event. In attendance was Cole Burr the owner of one of the largest independent haulers in the U.S., Burrtec Waste Industries. Burr lived in the area and suggested having the opening reception the following year at his ranch, the Blackwater Saloon, a spectacular western town that he built on his property that includes a theater, live entertainment, a game room, a bar, kitchen, barber shop and more.
Because word spread amongst the haulers about how great the event was in the first year, the attendance doubled in the second year and so did the interest from vendors. Now, it averages around 300 attendees. However, although the Invitational had excellent growth, Holmes and Burke still try to keep the customer to vendor ratio at 70/30, so attendees don鈥檛 feel overwhelmed by sales pitches. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have any duplicate vendors,鈥� says Burke, 鈥淔or example, there is one insurance company, one truck company, one finance company, etc. We keep it this way so there is not a competition for customer attention and attendees are able to relax in a networking atmosphere.鈥� With the opening reception, two days of golf and a dinner, companies all over the country send their decision makers to network and enjoy some relaxation in a great venue. 鈥淲e are working on making this event more nationally attended. Even though it started off as primarily a west coast event, major companies, such as Waste Management, Progressive and Republic, now attend every year,鈥� says Burke.
Golfing for Charity
Every year, the Garbageman鈥檚 Invitational does its fundraising for the Environmental Research and Education Foundation because Burke feels that it鈥檚 the only charity that is known on a national basis that is really focused on the solid waste industry. 鈥淭his foundation does a lot of really good things, such as scholarships, etc.鈥攁ll the money that they generate goes right back into the waste industry. Because California has its own association鈥攖he California Refuse Recycling Council (CRRC)鈥攖hey are not part of other national solid waste associations. We wanted to get California back into the national scene and by having people from across the country come to this event we are starting to see a little bit of realization from California that they should be in the national perspective and that they need to be involved.鈥� Every year, the EREF鈥檚 President is at the Invitational to pick up the donation check which averages more than $10,000 per year鈥攅nough to pay for a couple of student scholarships per year.
Networking Success
Every major technology is represented at the Garbageman鈥檚 Invitational, from financing to workman鈥檚 comp and insurance. Because the people who attend are decision makers in their market, Holmes and Burke make sure that there are plenty of social events available for people鈥攃ustomers and vendors alike鈥攖o network as well as have a good time. In addition to the golf tournament, a big end-of-event dinner is held in conjunction with an awards ceremony that includes live entertainment. There is even a cocktail party and daytime outings for those who are not playing in or attending the tournament. Says Holmes, 鈥淢any people bring their husband and wives here since there is Temecula Wine Country where people can go on wine tours while Pechanga is the largest casino in the western U.S. so people will gamble or go to the spa during the day and hit the events at night.鈥�
鈥淧eople are really conducting business during this time and its educational for them,鈥� says Burke. 鈥淔or example, if there is a truck or chassis issue, or even if someone wants to find out about CNG, etc., they have a chance to do that without being overwhelmed by vendors or a formal atmosphere. Even major companies will have their business meetings here and the CRRC will have their board meeting there鈥攖hey tie them together,鈥� explains Burke.
Holmes agrees, 鈥淲e bring in the largest waste haulers in the country; large public companies are sending their acquisitions people. It is a great opportunity for them to meet people under a whole different environment that they normally don鈥檛 get.鈥�
Looking Forward to April 2014
With major sponsors like Rehrig Pacific Company, Clean Energy and Consolidated Fabricators, the Garbageman鈥檚 Invitational is the social event of the year bringing together top executives, owners and companies from throughout the country where they can comfortably network and see what others are doing in their market areas. Says Burke, 鈥淪ome come to golf and socialize, others attend because of what the Garbageman鈥檚 Invitational has turned out to be鈥攊t鈥檚 a great event that people want to be at.鈥�
For more information, visit www.garbagemansinvitational.com.
Sidebar
Al Melideo began manufacturing galvanized residential trash cans and other steel products in 1959. In the early 1970s, looking to expand his steel processing, he began to make steel component parts for commercial container manufacturers. This led to his own front load and roll-off container manufacturing, and in 1974, Consolidated Fabricators was formed. Since this time, Consolidated has grown to be one of the largest container manufacturers of its kind on the West Coast.
Al’s experience at processing steel and components parts taught him a valuable lesson; to be self-sufficient in all aspects of manufacturing. By doing so, he could control his costs, maintain production schedules, and most importantly, keep on time delivery commitments to his customers. This reputation for on time delivery is still the marching order of his son, Michael, who now heads up the company. To this day, the steel purchasing and processing aspect of the company is its stronghold. Besides complete steel processing facilities, Consolidated Fabricators has their own tool and die shop, full time engineering department and AQMD compliant paint spray booths. These help to further ensure product consistency, flexibility, quality, competitive pricing and dependable service.
The product line which began with refuse containers has expanded over the years to include recycling, hazardous waste, material handling and storage containers. Many of the products are available in sub-assembled or knockdown form to facilitate out of state and overseas shipments. In addition, a complete line of nestable front load and roll-off containers are now available. Today, there are a total of seven fabricating plants that are geared to do large volume production and can meet market demands in a timely manner.
Sidebar
Annual Sponsors
Premier Sponsors
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Consolidated Fabricators
Clean Energy
Rehrig Pacific Company
Support Sponsors
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Agility Fuel Systems
Amrep
Burrtec Waste Industries
CDSRVS, LLC
Carl Warren & Company
ContainerPros
Ecology Auto Parts
Impact Plastics
Newport Environmental Technologies
Rush Refuse Systems
Sloan Vazquez LLC
Solid Waste Insurance Managers
Westhoff, Cone & Holmstedt
XL Group