In memoriam

Industry veteran Ralph Velocci dies

Waste Pro, Longwood, Florida, has announced that Ralph Velocci died July 15 at the at age of 72.

Velocci most recently was a senior vice president at Waste Pro and a member of the company’s board of directors.

Velocci grew up in Long Island, New York, where he got his start in the industry working on his father’s garbage trucks. According to the company, he first worked with Waste Pro founder John Jennings in the 1990s at USA Waste when the company acquired Waste Management, and later reconnected with Jennings at Waste Pro in 2009. From there, Velocci led Waste Pro’s commercial sales and oversaw the company’s landfill and recycling operations.

According to a statement from the company, “Velocci made a difference in the lives of people around him. He acted as a mentor to many in the company and industry, generously offering his time, knowledge and expertise. He was beloved and respected by his family, friends, all of his Waste Pro family, and will be greatly missed.”

“Ralph was an exceptional businessman. He loved the simple things around him and never took for granted how fortunate he was,” Jennings says. “He was the son of Italian immigrants who lived the American Dream, with a strong personality whose impact will last a long time.”