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September 3, 2007

Dennis O'Connor

Age: 39
Title: District Manager
Company: Waste Management
Company location: West Boylston
Residence: Worcester

Career highlights:
I run the local business unit of Waste Management based in West Boylston servicing all of Central Massachusetts. I grew up in Texas and went to Assumption College. While at Assumption, I drove a route and worked in the maintenance shop for Browning Ferris Industries (BFI). After college, I worked in sales for BFI in Auburn, Bangor, Maine and New York. I came back to the Worcester area where I was a partner in a local waste removal company called Mattei-Flynn Trucking. After selling that, I went to work with Waste Management. At Waste Management I was a customer service manager then district manager in Springfield. In June 2003, I became district manager for Central Massachusetts.

Community involvement:
I serve on the board of directors for Junior Achievement as well as teach classes in Leominster and Worcester. I am active in the United Way of Central Massachusetts whether it is through the United Way Day of Caring or helping one of the organizations that the United Way sponsors. I also enjoy my time at Our Lady Of the Angels on Main Street in Worcester.

Biggest success:
Employee engagement. The employees that work for me are truly engaged and make a strong commitment to doing their jobs with passion. Through engaging our employees we have been able to take our safety record from one of the worst in the industry to the best. Our accidents have been reduced by 400 percent. Our customers view our drivers as one of our best assets.

Dream job:
Time machine maker.

Businessperson he most admires and why:
Terry Hastings, my first boss at BFI, and then one of my partners in Mattei-Flynn. As a college student he took a special interest in me and taught me about the waste business and how to be a good employee. While many bosses are good to the people that work for them, Terry actually took the time and spent many hours forming me as a businessperson. He taught me lessons on how to make decisions and how to be tough when needed, but most importantly, how to be kind. 

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