Waste Connections announces acquisition of Groot Industries

Waste Connections Inc., Toronto, has announced it has acquired Groot Industries Inc. Founded more than a century ago in 1914, Groot is the largest privately owned solid waste services company in Illinois with total annual revenue of approximately $200 million. Groot serves approximately 300,000 customers primarily in northern Illinois from a network of six collection operations, six transfer stations and two recycling facilities.

Waste Connections provides waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services in mostly exclusive and secondary markets in the United States and Canada.

"Groot is one of the most respected and best in class companies in our industry," says Ronald J. Mittelstaedt, chief executive officer and chairman of Waste Connections. "With a majority of its operations contiguous to the Rock River assets we acquired in November 2015, Groot solidifies our leading position in these markets, increases potential internalization benefits of their disposal volumes into our existing landfills and further expands our platform for additional growth opportunities. We are extremely pleased that Jon Groot and Ryan Brandsma will continue to lead Groot, and we expect that Groot's support and commitments to its employees, customers and the communities it serves throughout four generations of family ownership will be further strengthened under our stewardship."

Groot and Brandsma add, "We look forward to joining the Waste Connections family and carrying on the Groot name within our markets.  We believe Waste Connections' leadership team, culture, decentralized operating philosophy and growth focus are the best fit for Groot. We previously had looked to acquire Rock River given the obvious merits of such a combination, and are excited to be together under Waste Connections."

Waste Connections serves more than 6 million residential, commercial, industrial and exploration and production customers in 40 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S., and five provinces in Canada. Waste Connections also provides intermodal services for the movement of cargo and solid waste containers in the Pacific Northwest.