N. Tassielli Disposal Inc.: Building a Successful Team

With an emphasis on being a family business, N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. has been passed down through three generations. With a dedicated team in place, the company’s management and staff pride themselves on being blue collar guys and taking care of their customers on a regular basis.

N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. has been in business for 35 years in Morris County, NJ and has continued to grow. Now in its third generation of ownership, the company was started by Frank Tassielli Sr. and Nick Tassielli with one truck in Frank’s basement. Concentrating on soliciting and obtaining routes in the area, N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. grew bigger into a full service disposal company including three divisions: roll-off, residential and commercial. Frank Sr. passed away in 2019 and Nick and Frank Jr. are the current owners. N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. currently supplies roll-off dumpsters including 10, 20, and 30 yarders, commercial dumpsters ranging from 2 to 8 yarders, and services multiple residential areas in Morris County. They operate 10 trucks per day, own more than 20 vehicles and employ a staff of 15. Not only does the company provide trash collection, but they also pick up recycling material, such as cardboard, bottles and aluminum cans. All material that is picked up is taken to the local transfer station and recycling center. Nick and Frank own their building in Rockaway, NJ and take care of it, calling it their second home. Father and son take pride in keeping their building clean and operating at full force.

Steady Operations
With an emphasis on being a family business, N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. has been passed down through three generations. At 28 years old, Frank has been in the business for six years and still works alongside his father, Nick. Nonetheless, the business’ office manager, Nicki is a huge part to what keeps operations steady and she maintains a great relationship with customers. She has been with N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. for more than 10 years. Moving forward, during the height of the pandemic, the company’s business remained steady despite the challenges and major adjustments that were needed. “We are an essential business and my father and I are here every single day. We feel that we have stayed in business by being here for our customers and by being good managers. If we have men that are out, my father and I step up to the plate and work the route. We do whatever it takes to keep the business operating at 100 percent,” says Frank. He explains that the company’s staff was constantly tested for COVID and fortunately no one ever tested positive.

During COVID, because most people were at home, the company experienced double the residential collection, while 10 percent of businesses were shutting down or going out of business due to the pandemic. “That was a lot different because we were used to things being steady. However, with the commercial waste slightly down and residential collection having a lot heavier garbage loads, it evened out time-wise which kept us operating at full strength. If our commercial clients had to shut down, we would put them on hold for the time being and when businesses started to open back up, we would go full speed ahead with our service,” comments Frank.

Operational Efficiency
When it comes to training new employees, Frank, Nick or experienced drivers take them out in the trucks to teach them. This includes rear-loader, roll-off or front-loader trucks along with smaller commercial vehicles to get started. They need to have a certain number of driving hours and a CDL license, a Class B air brake license or Class A license with an endorsement of an air brake. Frank explains, “We do prefer experienced drivers, but we will train unexperienced drivers who are eager to learn, and after training is completed, we let them go on their own.” Each week, N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. makes sure that they have a mechanic in-house who confirms that the trucks are fully operable. They also have a welder working every day in the shop that is constantly working on dumpster and truck repair. In addition, Frank and his father ensure that the trucks and drivers have the proper safety equipment when they are out on the job, including vests, hard hats, cones, chains, etc. The company also maintains a constant supply of parts for the trucks since they are on the road eight hours per day. Frank points out that an issue that N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. faces is the rising fuel prices as well as dumping fees. “The way we offset these price increases is to continue to work on generating more business, which has been successful,” says Frank. “We have a great team at this company. They have our backs and then when they need us, we have theirs. As a result, we have not really been that short staffed, but when we are, then everyone, including my father and I, pitch in to get the job done.”

Part of the Community
N. Tassielli Disposal Inc. prides itself on being a part of the community and giving back as well. Not only do they give donations, but they will also provide dumpsters for churches, schools, police stations, fire departments, etc. hosting an event. While Frank is still fairly new into the business, he is constantly looking for growth. “I want to continuously grow every division that we have—commercial, residential and roll-off. I believe that there is always room for expansion. Not only do my father and I pride ourselves on being blue collar guys, our staff does as well. We are TEAM BLUE COLLAR. We are here every single day taking care of our customers.” Nick and Frank Jr. are very proud of their business. Frank Sr. will forever be remembered and he is still talked about on a daily basis amongst the company.| WA

For more information, contact Frank Tassielli at (973) 627-4300 or e-mail [email protected].