Ron Deffenbaugh Sr., who founded the waste management company Deffenbaugh Industries Inc. in 1957, has died at the age of 73. Deffenbaugh’s death was attributed to complications related to a 2007 accident that left him a quadriplegic at age 66.
Deffenbaugh started the Kansas City, Kansas, company with one truck in 1957, growing the firm until it was one of the largest waste management firms in the Midwest. He sold the company, which serves customers in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska, to an affiliate of the private equity firm Credit Suisse in 2007.
Deffenbaugh Industries and its affiliates provide commercial and residential waste disposal, collection, and transportation; commercial and residential recycling; construction waste services; and portable toilet services. The company also owns and operates a landfill in Shawnee, Kansas.
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