Lonnie Poole Jr.

Lonnie Poole Jr.
Occupation	Former Founder and CEO of Waste Industries

Lonnie Poole Jr. is the founder of Waste Industries, the biggest trash and recycling company in the SouthEast United States. He is also known as the biggest contributor all time to North Carolina State University.

In February 2011 Lonnie Poole was listed by Philanthropy.com as number 27 of philanthropic individuals in 2010.

Lonnie Poole Jr. was a graduate of North Carolina State in 1969. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Ohio to become an engineer, but he longed for his opportunity to move back to Raleigh. The initial idea of Waste Industries stemmed from market research Poole conducted, while concepting a new landfill compactor. The compactor idea failed, but Poole soon discovered his passion and moved back to Raleigh, North Carolina and started Waste Industries.

After a few years, of stagnation, the company grew in the 1970s and quickly expanded past Wake county and the city of Raleigh. By 1980 the company had reached ten million dollars in revenue and soon after, they named their first employee, Jim Perry, as President and Chief Operating Officer.

The company has since grown quickly surpassing revenue of $600 million and is managed by Lonnie's son Ven.

As Poole grew Waste Industries, he also gave back to the college that helped make him the person he is today. In 2010 he gave a $40 million gift to the school, with $37 million going to the school of business.

Shortly after the donation, NC State renamed the school of business the Poole School of business. To help celebrate this a wall display now honors the college benefactor.

The NC State Lonnie Poole Golf Course is named after him.

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