Thomas K. Blackman
Tom Blackman began his career in 1966 throwing cans for his father’s company in Santa Ana, California. After the family business eventually became part of Waste Management, Inc., Tom rose through the ranks and led Waste Management’s operations in eight Western states. Tom’s heart was always in California, where he eventually returned to start Metropolitan Waste Disposal, now CalMet, with his partner and fellow Hall of Fame enshrinee, Art Kazarian. Tom’s visionary leadership led to advances in e-Waste recycling, green waste processing and the deployment of wide-scale CNG trucks. In 2014, after a valiant battle, we lost Tom to cancer. However, his legacy lives on by the example he set as a family man, as a leader in his industry and community, as a partner and as a friend.