Toni Pride, a residential driver with Waste Pro鈥檚 Concord, North Carolina division, lives up to her name with her unwavering dedication and pride in her work. In her three years with the company, she has consistently excelled in every role, demonstrating a love for challenges and a commitment to continuous learning and growth. This dedication to personal and professional development is a key factor in her success.
Toni began her professional career more than 25 years ago, and a significant portion of that time was spent with the same company, Forms and Supply Inc., in Charlotte, North Carolina. For 23 years, she worked with them in their main warehouse, advancing to become the Order Production Manager. She was well-respected and valued, but was looking for something new and exciting.听 She earned her Commercial Driver鈥檚 License five years ago, and after a relative convinced her to put it to good use, she sought out a driving role as her next career venture. She found the perfect fit when she interviewed with Waste Pro, and as they say, the seed of a new dream was born.听 After her interview and driving test, she was offered the job. This was drastically different than what she had been used to, but it was a much-welcome change.听 She started out driving the white goods truck in Charlotte, North Carolina. She loved the idea of working independently while still being part of a team. Within a year, as a nearby division expanded its services to new municipal contracts, she was approached by Vincent Crisp, the Division Manager of Concord, North Carolina, about learning residential truck driving and joining the expanding team at that location. As Vincent shared, 鈥淪he did not disappoint.听 She ran one of our major yard waste routes in the Town of Cornelius and excelled with great customer service.鈥�
A typical workday starts early for Toni, who gets to her truck and performs a daily safety check. Then she is out on the road for nearly an hour to reach her designated route location.听 Recently, she has taken on a new challenge, driving an Automatic Side Load (ASL) Residential Truck for a new municipal contract in the Town of Troutman. She works diligently each day until the job is done well. Her work ethic has also contributed to her being an excellent driver mentor and a key contributor to another acquisition this year in the region, where she assists with training new drivers.
She shared how much the opportunities at Waste Pro have changed her life. She likes the freedom to manage her time and responsibilities while being more interactive in the communities she serves. This month, she is celebrating 3 years with the company and shared that she feels like she has grown a lot. She has appreciated the opportunities to learn and change.听 She loves being a team player and feels like she is truly seen and valued for her contributions. She shared, 鈥淚 feel seen here, and that makes me want to work harder and better every day.听 The team we have in Concord works well together. I am settling into my new role, but am always ready if there is a new challenge my managers want me to take on.听 I enjoy sharing my passion with new drivers and hope they can learn the Waste Pro Way as I did.鈥�
Outside of work, Toni is an active mom of two grown daughters.听 As she describes, they all grew up together. In those early years of parenthood, she worked nights to be there for every moment her girls needed her. They are all still very close, and she shared that it is her most significant accomplishment that her girls are happy and prosperous.听 鈥淚 wanted them to be prepared for life, and to be willing to do what is required to forge their path.鈥� She shared that now that her girls are grown, she is taking time to cut loose in her spare time, enjoying life and celebrating.
鈥淚 am truly blessed. I have a fantastic job, great family, and friends. I thank God every day for the opportunities that Waste Pro has given me.鈥�