Ethical, Dependable, Innovative.
Discount Waste, Inc. provides 21st century waste removal solutions
Ed Foye, the Founder and CEO of Discount Waste, Inc., started his career as a sales rep at Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI). When BFI was purchased in 1999, he left with a severance package and started to consider his next move. It wasn’t long before inspiration struck. “I literally had a vision in my sleep, to start a company that specializes in providing waste removal and recycling services for manufacturing facilities like General Motors,” he recalls. And so Discount Waste was born.
In the beginning, Discount Waste served as a waste broker for Atlanta-based companies, with offerings such as compactors and open-top dumpsters. Today, the company also provides nationwide service for general contractors in need of waste removal, recycling solutions and equipment rentals in the form of portable toilets, storage containers, mobile offices, forklifts and generators. Discount Waste draws on its large network of suppliers, which has grown steadily over the years, to coordinate services for clients nationwide.
24/7 Reliability
In 2003, Ed heard about a waste services problem that was happening during overnight remodels at Home Depot stores in Richmond, Virginia. When the construction crews arrived at night, the dumpsters were often still full from the previous day. By that point the garbage companies were closed and it was too late to have them emptied. Sometimes this would prevent a crew from doing any work that night.
The team at Discount Waste stepped in to solve what was deemed a communication breakdown by creating a system for checking and double-checking that dumpsters were getting emptied on time. Accountability for waste removal was essential to keep the overnight demolition projects running smoothly. As it turned out, other contractors all across the country were facing a similar problem.
Ed’s brother-in-law, Richard Gravely, who is currently President of Discount Waste, joined the company during that period. “In 2003, I joined with Ed and we started doing projects only for general contractors at Home Depots nationwide. They told other general contractors about the exceptional service they were receiving from Discount Waste. Before you knew it, we were working with 10 to 12 other general contractors across the country,” he says. “With us, their projects started to run smoother.”
One-Stop Shop for Rentals & Removal
As the company grew, so did its lines of business. What began as just waste removal services gradually expanded into what now includes construction site equipment rentals. “For example, a customer might contact us and say, ‘Hey, we need three 40-foot storage containers, two open-top dumpsters, a mobile office, a generator, a forklift and a scissor lift, and we need it delivered to our site by next Friday,’” Ed says. The employees at Discount Waste then coordinate with their nationwide network of contacts who own the equipment, have everything delivered to the job site, and then remove the equipment when the project is over. “The greatest thing,” Ed adds, “is that the projects can receive competitive pricing and are consolidated into one invoice for the customer.” This streamlined invoicing system, combined with a single point of contact, simplifies the process of running a job site so the contractors can focus on their projects.
During the recession that began in 2007, a contractor asked if the leaders at Discount Waste would consider adding portable toilets to their offerings…and so one more service was added to the lineup. More recently, Discount Waste has been working with Walmart in different locations across the country. Richard explains, “So if any of the 5,000 Walmarts has an emergency and the water is shut off, we are on call to deliver portable toilets so the employees and customers have somewhere to use the restroom. It’s a requirement [for these retail stores] to stay open.”
According to Richard, what makes Discount Waste attractive to companies like Walmart is straightforward, standard pricing as well as dependable service. “We gave them one single price they can rely on for every store no matter the location,” he says. “This turned out to be less expensive than what they were previously paying and much easier to manage, and we can still make a reasonable profit.”
One of the Top Workplaces in Atlanta
The 55 employees at Discount Waste are valued for their commitment to the company, says Richard. The leadership shows this by offering competitive salaries, health care benefits and 401(k) plans. Employees also enjoy “fringe” benefits: daily breakfast, weekly lunches, free car washes once a month, and frequent department outings to restaurants. Along with that there are companywide get-togethers such as cookouts and holiday parties. Most recently, the company hosted its 20-year anniversary celebration.
The strategy to maintain a positive company culture starts with adequate training and mentorship. “I think our seasoned and senior-level managers do an extremely good job mentoring the employees to help them develop a strong business acumen,” Richard adds.
In addition, every member of the Discount Waste leadership, including the president and CEO, has an open-door policy. When employees approach management with questions or need advice about a problem, they are met with undivided attention. “This helps foster an attitude that whatever they need is the most important thing,” Richard says.
All these efforts to promote a positive workplace atmosphere haven’t gone unnoticed. Discount Waste was recently recognized by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution with a 2019 Top Workplaces award. Among 4,300 applicants, Discount Waste ranked 16th in the small-business category.
The company’s team-oriented attitude also bolsters the staff’s desire to provide top-notch support to clients, according to Richard. “Everyone in our company has a mentality that they will go above and beyond to take care of our customers’ needs,” he says. “We try to inspire everyone we bring on to adopt that attitude.”
Future Forward
Automation has impacted many industries in the last decade, and waste management is no exception. “In the past you would drive to the landfill, drive to the scale, get a ticket of the weight and drive around to your different jobs. You would get all these tickets, then you would turn them into the dispatcher who would manually enter the information. All of that is automated right at the scale now,” Richard says. In addition, dumpsters and other equipment are now tracked with sensors, which digitally transmit location information to software for real-time asset management.
For Discount Waste, automation presents an opportunity to innovate. The company is in the midst of developing its own proprietary cloud-based software for integrated routing, tracking, analytics and customer management. In order to produce this software, Ed and Richard started a separate, small tech firm called Waste Applications. After a two-year development process, the software is almost ready to use. Richard is looking forward to the improvements it will bring. “This new software will make us considerably more effective in managing our business,” he says.
The philosophy of simplifying things for customers is a driving force at Discount Waste. In addition to applying the software to its own processes, the company will offer customized versions to other businesses in the trucking and waste industries.
The Spirit of Service
Corporate social responsibility is another important focus for the company’s founder—and the inspiration for this stemmed from his near-death experience decades ago.
On Oct. 30, 1981, Ed was in a serious car accident that would alter the course of his life. “I was 16 years old and my friend and I drove off a 100-foot cliff,” he recalls. His friend escaped with a few scratches, but Ed was thrown from the car and arrived at the hospital in a coma. “That first night, the doctors told my family I probably wouldn’t live.” Yet through a combination of luck, determination, and the support of friends and family, Ed embarked on a slow recovery. This second chance at life instilled in him a deep sense of gratitude that over time grew into a philanthropic spirit.
In 2012, Ed and his wife, Amy, started a family foundation called International Children’s Foundation of Atlanta, which funds special projects serving disabled children in Haiti, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.
Four years later, in 2016, Ed started the nonprofit All Children, Inc. This 501(c)(3) charity supports projects that provide medical care, nutrition, education and shelter to over 2,100 children, with a particular focus on children living with disabilities. One of his favorite projects is Casa de Luz, which translates to “House of Light.” This orphanage is in the Dominican Republic and provides special services and care for children with disabilities, such as multiple sclerosis, Down syndrome and autism.
“My goal is to reach 10,000 children by 2030,” he adds. “Discount Waste can’t do that on its own.” It will come down to contributions from industry partners and like-minded individuals to help achieve that goal. By continuing to spread the word, Ed hopes to inspire more people and companies to get involved.