For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Joy Kurtz
Corporate Communications Manager
media@wasteprousa.com
LONGWOOD, FL – November 21, 2023 “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat people well enough, so they don’t want to.” – Richard Branson
Some may say the key to success is a loyal and dedicated workforce. Loyal employees help a company create a better environment for themselves and their co-workers. Employee loyalty exists at Waste Pro on many levels and in many departments, from drivers to supervisors, managers, and support personnel. The root and foundation of that loyalty started decades ago. Two examples are Waste Pros, Ted Oglesby, and Derrick Davis, who have been part of the company’s journey to success through various roles while remaining steadfast to the Waste Pro Way.
If you do not already know them, you should. Ted and Derrick both have been with Waste Pro since the beginning. So, what kept them here is simple: in their words, John Jennings, Founder and Executive Board Chairman, has been by their side as much as they have been by his.
It is rare today to find someone who started their career with one company and has remained with it for over twenty years. But at Waste Pro, it is the norm. The old employee engagement playbook is no longer enough to keep people. Early on, John Jennings envisioned strengthening the holistic employee experience in this ‘new’ working world. Can it be as simple as getting back to basics and treating people with kindness, dignity, and respect? The answer is yes.
Statistics show that up to 55% of employee engagement is driven by non-financial recognition, which is the biggest driver of employee experience. This insight is congruent with findings that an employee’s decision to leave is often driven by not feeling valued by the organization or their managers.
John Jennings (top right), Derrick Davis
(lower right, pink shirt). Front Row Bill McCoy,
Fred Wood and Edwin Hernandez, all are still
with Waste Pro. Circa 1992
John sought to create relationships with the best and the brightest early on. At Industrial Waste Services in the 1980s and 90s, John met a young driver, Ted Oglesby. At only 19, he was the company’s best driver in St. Cloud and had started fresh out of high school. Ted gained John’s respect quickly, and over the years, Ted followed John to two other companies before joining Waste Pro just as it was getting off the ground and gaining a foothold in Florida in early 2001.
Along the way, another young driver, Derrick Davis, also met John, first hopping on the back of Ted’s truck as a helper. Ted and Derrick saw how different John was with people. That started with getting to know his workers and showing them he cared.
Fast forward a few years, and Ted and Derrick can now look back and say they have been with John and Waste Pro since day one. Ted celebrated over 20 years of dedicated service in 2021, and Derrick celebrated his 20th anniversary with the company earlier this year.
Derrick, now a supervisor in the Daytona division, has held many roles throughout his time with Waste Pro. He has driven every type of truck the company has except a grapple truck. He can step in for drivers and keep the division on schedule if needed.
“Waste Pro has dramatically changed my life. It gave me a sense of direction; I enjoy being a part of the community while having the ideal work-life balance,” said Derrick. “Mr. Jennings has been a professional and life mentor to me, and for that, I am extremely thankful. Taking pride in the work, whether cleaning trucks or giving great service to customers with a smile, he cultivated that work ethic in me. He was my first boss. He even named the truck I drive after my daughter. That shows how much he wanted me to feel like I had found my home with Waste Pro,” Derrick shares.
Derrick has four kids in total. Derricka, the name on his truck, is also his daughter’s name. “She is now a nurse and carries on the legacy of service,” he explains, “she and all of my kids are caring for their communities, just like Mr. Jennings taught me,” Derrick says with pride. Derrick enjoys playing pool in his spare time and spending time with his family. He hopes to have many more years at Waste Pro. “I do not see going anywhere else if I get to keep doing what I am now. I have a great life thanks to Mr. Jennings.”
Ted has a similar story, having held roles from driver to supervisor, site, and division manager with Waste Pro. Recently, Ted was missing the open road, so he requested to step back from his supervisor role and get behind the wheel again. “To start driving a truck again was a relief.”
“Mr. Jennings said I probably added years to my life by only worrying about one route.”
“I do not think I could ever work for anyone other than Mr. Jennings and now his son, Sean. Sean is taking up the torch his father founded.”
Ted shared some great stories of his time working at Waste Pro, “I remember a time when I was on route 20 years ago, and my helper quit in the middle of my route; Mr. Jennings hopped on the back of that truck, and we finished the route together. I don’t know any CEO or executive at other major hauling companies that would do that!”
The company has recognized Ted and Derrick for both their safety records and each earning a $10,00 bonus for their 20 years of dedicated service. Ted sums things up: “It is simple – at the end of every meeting, there was always something personal John reflected on, working with his team, and making folks seem like we are all in this together, as equals. It is all about teamwork and never putting himself above anyone. He knew he relied on his
employees, always treating them with kindness and respect. That is what makes Waste Pro the Distinguishable Difference. Those are not just words- but the spirit of the company.”
In the words of John Jennings, “…thank you for allowing me to work with the best in the business.”