G&M Disposal in Longmont, Colorado, is undoubtedly a family company. Rudy Maldonado, Jr., the operations manager, said that six of the ten employees are family, including his parents, his brother and sister, and his sister-in-law. He said the small staff offers an advantage over larger operations, since customers get to know the G&M staff better.

The staff also makes it a point to get to know the customers. Maldonado said that when they have a commercial customer, they do business with that customer, whether it’s a gas station, grocery store or other local business.

G&M has been in business for just over 23 years, and was started by Maldonado’s father, Rudy Sr., who saw that there were trash companies in the area that were coming and going. At the time, he was working for a trash company that “looked like it wasn’t going to be around much longer,” and he decided to start his own business. His goal from the beginning was to start a company that would stay in business for a long time.

Maldonado said that the key to success is to “show the customers they are number one,” because without customers, there is no business. He said that everyone who answers the phone at G&M can get an answer right away when a customer has a question.

Like others who grew up in a family business, Maldonado said that he started working for the company when he was young. “When everyone else was on summer break, I was riding on the back of a trash truck,” he said. But it was more than just a summer job. “I did it because I have a love for the business.”

Now, he’s usually not riding on the back of a truck, although he does fill in wherever he’s needed, including driving a truck. “I don’t mind driving,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with any of the jobs.” But his favorite part is sales work and talking to customers on the phone.

Like many other trash haulers across the country, G&M Disposal handles more than just waste. The company handles recyclables that go to the county’s recycling center in Boulder, along with the commercial, residential and construction waste that goes to a landfill in Denver.

“They’re pushing recycling really hard,” Maldonado said of Boulder County. “We do our part on the recycling. The other big push to recycle more is the rising cost of landfills, which is a constant challenge. “

Maldonado said that the county is very stringent about making sure trucks are inspected regularly and that licensing is up to date. But he sees that as a positive thing rather than negative. Even though regulations are stricter than before, “they’re good to work with. We call them, and we get answers back from them.”

A recent addition to the G&M fleet was a roll-off truck purchased about five years ago. Now, the company has about 50 roll-off boxes for that one truck to service. But the future holds more than new equipment. Maldonado would like to convert his fleet to run on natural gas or biodiesel some day. “Why not go the next step? If we’re going to be recycling, why not fuel?” He said that although it would be expensive to convert the vehicles, it would save on pollution and be better for the environment. “I think it would be a big step for a small company.”

But more than the environmental accomplishments, Maldonado is most proud that the company has achieved his father’s original goal that, “we’ve been around this long.” When the company was first starting out, customers would ask, “Are you sure you’re going to be around?” Now, they don’t need to ask. “A lot of people believe in us, because we’re still here.”