LRS announces that it has acquired Sunshine Sanitation, a leading Rochester-area provider of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and recycling, commercial waste and recycling, and roll-off container services; financial terms were not disclosed and the transaction is effective immediately. The acquisition of Sunshine Sanitation highlights LRS’ commitment to ongoing investments in the North Star State. LRS first entered Minnesota in early 2021, with the Minneapolis-area acquisitions of C&D recycling leader, Atomic Recycling, and leading portable restroom provider, Jimmy’s Johnnys. Later in 2021, LRS acquired the following assets from GFL Environmental as part of a divestiture of assets previously owned by WM: a transfer station in Rochester, the Rolling Hills Landfill in Buffalo and a collections operation in St. Cloud.
Founded in 2001 by longtime resident, Tory Keefe, Sunshine Sanitation quickly scaled to become one of the region’s key independently owned waste services platforms in greater Rochester. Keefe’s leadership and commitment to customer service differentiated Sunshine through the years as the region’s premier waste and recycling provider of choice. Sunshine serves residential, commercial and roll-off customers in in Rochester, Stewartville, Byron, Racine, Grand Meadow, Leroy, Rock Dell, Wabasha, Plainview, Kellogg, Spring Valley and Pleasant Grove; along with an MSW and C&D transfer station in Stewartville.
Keefe and all Sunshine employees will remain on with LRS as the company continues to invest both time and resources into expanding the LRS Rochester footprint, while committing to the same level of exceptional customer service. “The decision to sell any family-owned business is never easy, but ultimately we trusted and felt comfortable handing off our legacy to LRS based on the company’s commitment to customer experience, sustainability, and a proven track record of successful acquisition integrations,” Keefe said. “We believe our legacy, customers and employees will be in great hands with LRS, coupled with the company’s shared and unyielding commitment to delivering an exceptional customer-first experience.”
LRS President and CEO Alan T. Handley heralded the deal as an outstanding marketplace acquisition, enabling LRS to expand operations and services to the next level and build on the many successes and impressive infrastructure built by Keefe and Sunshine employees. “We are thrilled to welcome Sunshine customers and employees to LRS and couldn’t be more excited to expand service investments across greater Rochester thanks to the infrastructure and goodwill built by Tory and his team over the past twenty years,” Handley said. “Rochester is the fastest growing MSA in Minnesota, and we look forward expanding platform investments in our waste diversion, recycling and portable services lines of business.”