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Republic Services Helps Bryant University Pull off Spotless 161st Commencement
With extra communication — plus additional pickups and equipment — Republic Services helped Bryant University keep campus clean for graduation.Byline: BTB Editor
August 13, 2024 / Time to read: 5 minFor the 1,047 undergraduate and graduate students at Bryant University’s May 18th commencement, even a little rain didn’t bring down the mood. And neither did messy grounds.
When the private university in North Smithfield, RI faced the challenge of putting on a high-traffic, multi-day event with attendees from all over the world, Republic Services kicked into high gear, helping prep the space and manage cleanup. No rain ponchos or black and gold streamers left behind.
The Challenge: Keeping Campus Clean
Graduation is a huge deal. And to ensure the hundreds of graduates, family members and professors in attendance had the best experience possible, Bryant needed help keeping its facilities pristine. In preparation for the big event, Alan Sepe, Bryant’s custodial manager, reached out to Michael Thacker, the university’s Republic Services account manager.
“Alan’s team was tasked with the challenge that the campus had to be spotless — white glove clean,” Thacker says. That meant not only on-schedule emptying of campus trash and recycling containers, but additional off-schedule pickups, too. “This required extra pickup services on both commercial and industrial equipment for the week prior.”
And with commencement comes student move-out, meaning a major uptick in campus waste — from used notebooks and expired food to clothes and furniture — necessitating even more hands on deck long after the ceremonial graduation cap toss.
The Solution: Open Communication & Ramped Services
Sepe and Thacker communicated daily about regular service plus the extra services needed for the end of the school year.
Thacker, who has managed Bryant’s account for more than a decade, provided Sepe with the drivers’ phone numbers so the custodial team could call directly when they needed to. With closer contact to drivers, Sepe was able to keep tabs on those off-schedule pickups and request extra help when he needed it. “There’s a lot of last-minute things that come up,” he says, “so being able to connect directly to the driver is priceless, and it just makes all of our lives easier.”
Here's a quick snapshot of how Republic Services ramped up Bryant’s recycling and waste solutions before, during and after this year’s commencement:
- Daily communication with the custodial team to ensure they met the University’s goals and objectives (including
managing discarded materials from move-out at the end of the academic year) - Continued on-schedule waste and recycling pickups
- Delivery of approximately 10 extra 30-yard open-top containers
- Deployment of at least three additional drivers to the campus daily to keep up with the extra workload
- Removal of approximately 120 tons of trash in preparation for, during and the week after the event
The Outcome: A Spotless Success
Republic Services helped Bryant seamlessly execute the university’s hallmark event of the year. “The event went off as a tremendous success. The campus was spotless and our operations team and drivers went above and beyond to take care of the customer,” Thacker says.
According to Sepe, it’s not just about sending over extra dumpsters. It’s about the problem-solving and dedication to getting it right. “It’s very important to have an open line of communication with your account manager,” he says. “If you don’t, you feel stranded. With Mike, he’s always on the phone. If I send an email, it seems like he sends it back within five minutes or so.”
What's Next
With the dependable solutions Republic Services has provided Bryant for so long, Thacker foresees a successful partnership for many years to come.
“We’ve developed a tremendous partnership and working relationship,” Thacker says. “I take a lot of pride in what we’ve accomplished over the years here.”
