Robert Rasmussen
In 1959, Robert Rasmussen became a draftsman for an incinerator business. He began manufacturing containers and compactors 10 years later and in 1973 started his own company, Accurate Industries, which he sold to Wastequip in 1992. In 2001, Rasmussen became the President and CEO of Wastequip, which manufactures a wide variety of waste industry products. Since then, he has tripled sales, expanded operations to the West Coast, and increased company productivity by 50 percent. During his career, he was instrumental in developing intermodal containers to transport sludge and solid waste by rail. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC) where he helped establish compactor ratings and safety standards. He was twice named CEO of the Year by Wastequip’s parent companies — in 2003 by the CIVC Investment Group and in 2006 by the DLJ Private Equity Group. Rasmussen is a volunteer youth coach and supporter of safety films for children. Rasmussen said, “Developing people is the most important aspect of business success and, ultimately, personal success. You have to be humble because the whole team is what makes the difference.”