As the premier networking event, the Garbageman’s Invitational continues to focus on bringing people together to meet, celebrate the industry, and push the envelope of industry innovation.
As the premier networking event of the spring,the Garbageman’s Invitational remains a staple of the industry, drawing in more than 400 attendees annually across the U.S. from New York to Florida to California, and even Hawaii and Canada—and it looks to be another great crowd for 2026.
Nestled in Temecula, CA about 15 minutes from French valley Airport in Murrieta, an hour from San Diego international, and an hour from Orange County Ontario in Los Angeles, it is an easy trip over to Pechanga Resort Casino where the event is located. With the Blackwater Saloon and town 15 minutes away, shuttles are provided to attendees between the hotel and party. “This is not just a golf tournament, this also is a social event,” emphasizes Founders Kerry Holmes (Sierra Container Group) and Ray Burke (Clean Energy Fuels). “You have the beautiful Temecula wine country, Old Town Temecula, which has great shopping and restaurants, as well as San Diego and Disneyland both located an hour from the event venues. Because it is such an ideal location, many will bring their kids and make an extended vacation out of it.”
This year, they wanted to align the theme with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Holmes explains, “It’s never easy picking a theme, and I really started thinking about America’s 250th anniversary, realizing that the Garbageman’s Invitational will take place two weeks before the national celebrations. I thought what a better way to celebrate for our industry to show their patriotism while enjoying a premier event. The response has been fantastic; everyone is really excited about it, and we expect to be sold out once again.” He points out that many of the people who are attending have either served in the Armed Services or they have relatives and friends who served, and he wants the Garbageman’s Invitational to be a great way for attendees to enjoy and honor their service to our country.
Getting in the Networking Spirit
As with past years’ themes, attendees get in spirit of the event by going all out with costumes, themed giveaways, and more. Highlights from past events include bagpipers to celebrate the 1930s, skydivers for the 15th anniversary, and this year Holmes says that their event and golf sponsors are already planning on keeping with tradition by dressing up as colonial soldiers, World War II soldiers, and even representing what era that their family member served in. “I think we’re going to have a lot of great themed showcases throughout the event, where people are going to pick an armed service or some sort of innovation that our country has had over the years. We are going to be celebrating everything about America—muscle cars, scientific discoveries, first in flight, etc. You never know what our sponsors are going to bring. It is a surprise for us and a surprise for our guests.”
Old Friends, New Faces
Holmes emphasizes that there is no business agenda at the Garbageman’s Invitational—the goal is to network and meet new people, especially this year. “Many of the older CEOs and presidents of hauling companies, who are icons, are retiring. While they are still welcome every year, we’ve had to shift in how we reach out to new attendees who are taking over their roles. This includes sending their successors an invitation directly and also asking retiring management to recommend who should be coming in their place. This helps get new up and coming team members to attend the event so they can begin networking as well.”
The Garbageman’s Invitational has hosted attendees, men and women, of all ages—from their 30s through to their 80s, and now a new generation is coming in. “We love it when the icons are there,” says Holmes. “These guys are really legends in our industry, and they helped pave the way for a lot of the innovation that that we have in our industry today. They started from scratch and worked hard and now are in the NWRA Hall of Fame.”
One of Kind Experiences
Organizations who have a setup on the golf course make it a point to network with the players who come through as well as play individual games and give away items or prizes. They pride themselves on having conversations with people they may have met at the popular networking party on the previous day. Held at the Blackwater Saloon, the party and venue is hosted by Cole and Tracy Burr of Burrtec 91TV Industries. Guests have the opportunity to not only explore the town, but also the equestrian center that is on the property. This one-of-a-kind venue highlights a saloon, soda pop candy store, a barber shop, a stage theater, and other incredible artifacts from the 1800s displayed around the town. “Opening night features an amazing party and we are all grateful to Cole and Tracy Burr for their generosity in allowing us to host the networking event there. It is an amazing little town. Tthere are always things to see and experience, you can take a tour, enjoy live entertainment, and more. Everything about Blackwater is just a real treat to come and see and everybody enjoys it every year,” says Holmes.
Featuring past giveaways like trips to Pebble Beach and Pinehurst, Holmes points out that they also gave away some incredible prizes for the golf tournament in 2025. This year, while he does not want to share too much in order to keep some surprises, he did say that one grand prize winner will get to a ride in a P51 Mustang located at a World War II Air Museum in Chino, CA. The winner will visit with a pilot, walk around the P51 Mustang, take pictures with the pilot, and learn about the history of the plane—and the topper to that experience is that the winner will then go with the pilot on a 30-minute flight. There will also be great raffles and silent auction items at the second night’s party at the pool area in the Casino, which is also when they will present the donation to Environmental Research & Educational Foundation (EREF) for their scholarship recipient.
Giving Back
The fact that Garbageman’s Invitational has had an ongoing, strong relationship with EREF is one part of the event that Holmes and Burke are especially proud of. Not only did they raise more than $53,000 last year, but the total amount the event has raised for EREF scholars over the years is over $345,000—-a remarkable testament to the generosity of this community. “We are proud to support an EREF scholar through the Garbageman’s Invitational. Our partnership is phenomenal,” Holmes states, “The scholar frequently participates in our golf awards ceremony and delivers brief remarks on the significance of the scholarship for their academic pursuits. I think EREF is an incredible organization. Whether it is landfills, new technology, or another field in the industry, the fact that we are supporting these students coming into our industry is excellent exposure for our industry in general.”
The Garbageman’s Invitational has also been a cornerstone partnership for EREF for over a decade, and its importance only continues to grow. “The west coast has long been on the cutting edge of innovation in our industry, and this event brings that spirit to life, connecting companies of all sizes around a shared commitment to the future of the industry. We’re deeply grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with that community year after year. The culture of forward-thinking on the west coast is alive and well, and EREF is proud to be part of it,” says Kyle Kusterer, EREF’s Vice President of Development. “What started as a relatively small fundraising effort has grown into one of the most meaningful annual gatherings in our space—both for the dollars raised and the relationships built. Donations have grown significantly over the years, from $6,350 in the event’s early days to consistent five-figure contributions in recent years. As for 2026, it’s still early in the process, but surpassing last year’s total is absolutely the goal, and if the trajectory of this event is any indication, we’re optimistic.”
This year, EREF will be represented at the event by Kyle, Events Manager Allison Exum, and current GMI scholar, Anya Dickinson-Cove. “The networking value of this event is hard to overstate, not just for EREF as an organization, but especially for our scholar. Anya has the opportunity to connect with a broad cross-section of industry leaders, from equipment manufacturers to haulers and facility owners. That kind of frontline exposure is something you simply can’t replicate in an academic setting, and it meaningfully enriches the real-world perspective she brings to her research,” says Kyle.
Moving the Industry Forward
Going strong since its debut in 2011, the Garbageman’s Invitational’s 16th year is a great accomplishment. The waste and recycling industry is about networking and getting people together that are pushing the envelope of industry innovation, and this has become an event that the industry makes a point to attend. “I’ve heard a number of times from different people that it’s on their bucket list to attend this event and I think it speaks volumes when people are excited about coming and attending every year. Ray and I grew up in this business and you must be able to provide a venue and an opportunity to get our industry together. We are really happy that everyone who attends enjoy it just as much as we do. At our event, hauling companies end up working together in one way or another, whether they are contracted for their transfer stations, MRFs, etc. Even though many of these companies may compete, at our event, they get to know one another and may even work together to further all the innovation in the industry, and that’s something we are proud of.” | WA
Current EREF Scholarship Recipient: Anya Dickinson-Cove
Anya Dickinson-Cove graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering in 2020 and received her M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California in 2022. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and anticipates graduation in 2026. She began her research career as an undergraduate research assistant in the Water Energy Student Training Team (WESTT), studying resource recovery from biosolids. After she completed her undergraduate degree, she worked with the Cal Poly WESTT team and MicroBio Engineering where she managed labs and research teams studying algae-based resource recovery and wastewater treatment systems. This research sparked her interest in the field of resource recovery, which eventually led her to her current studies at UCLA, where she focuses on developing materials and processes for selective recovery of critical minerals from various waste sources.
Project: Selective Recovery of Critical Metals from Solid 91TV Leachates via Membrane Separation
“My current project focuses on developing materials and processes, which can be used to selectively recovery critical metals and minerals, such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium, from complex wastes such as e-waste, mine tailings, and coal ash. The complex chemical matrices of these materials have historically prevented the recovery of these valuable metals and minerals in an economic and environmentally safe manner. However, recent advancements in the synthesis of mixed matrix membranes have created the possibility to selectively target these metals for recovery in a sustainable manner.”
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