When Dennis O’Connor started Superior Waste & Recycling in 2009, the company looked very different than it does today. What began as a small recycling operation handling material by hand has grown into a diversified business that includes a transfer station, scrap recycling, waste hauling, long-haul trucking, tire processing, and dumpster services.
Ask Dennis what the secret to that growth has been, and his answer comes quickly. "We don't say no." That simple philosophy has shaped Superior Waste & Recycling from the beginning. "We're happy people. We like the work. We don't say no", Dennis says. "Some other people say no. I don't."
Today, Superior Waste and Recycling serves everyone from homeowners cleaning out a garage to large commercial customers, offering a level of flexibility that has helped the company carve out a unique position in the market. "We have customers as big as large commercial operations and customers with a pickup truck. We serve everybody."
As the business expanded, so did the need for equipment that could handle one of the toughest environments imaginable. Waste and recycling operations place extraordinary demands on machines. Materials shift unexpectedly, debris wraps around components, tires wear quickly, and equipment is exposed to constant abuse. "We're not moving sand," Dennis explains. "Everything is connected. You push one thing and something else moves. It's a very tough environment on equipment."
For years, finding the right equipment partner was a challenge. Dennis recalls working with an equipment dealer that sold machines without fully understanding the demands of the waste and recycling industry. The result was equipment that wasn't properly matched to the application and ongoing service frustrations.
Everything changed when Superior began working with Milton CAT. The relationship started through Milton Rents, where Dennis found a team that understood the realities of scrap yards and transfer stations. "Milton Rents understood the trash business," he says. "They weren't afraid to work with a scrap yard or a trash company. They knew what we faced and they gave me the right equipment." That experience eventually led Superior to expand its CAT fleet.
Today, the company operates multiple CAT machines throughout its facility, including excavators, loaders, and specialized attachments that support everything from material handling to tire processing. One of the biggest advantages, according to Dennis, is working with people who understand the application. "Shane Murphy knows my business," he says. "He sells me the right attachments, the right machines, and equipment that works in my business."
That expertise has been particularly valuable as Superior continues to diversify its operations. Whether selecting specialized shears for tire processing or matching machines to demanding transfer station work, Dennis values recommendations that are based on experience rather than simply making a sale. "If they don't have what I need, they tell me," he says. "They're not trying to sell me something that won't work."
As the company grows, Superior is investing more heavily in new equipment and planning for the future. The next generation is already becoming involved in the business, with Dennis' children taking on increasing responsibilities in accounting, trucking operations, and administration. Meanwhile, the company continues to expand its services while staying true to the philosophy that helped build it. "We started with one used machine," Dennis says. "Now we've got a transfer station, a scrap yard, trucking operations, and all these different services. We just keep growing."
For Dennis, success comes down to understanding customers, solving problems, and being willing to take on jobs that others might turn away. And with the right equipment and support behind him, he sees plenty of opportunity ahead. "We don't say no," he says with a smile. "That's how we've always done it."
Watch the video below!