Ronald Mittelstaedt

Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President & Director, Waste Connections

Search every verified Ronald Mittelstaedt interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. During Waste Connections' second quarter 2026 earnings call on July 23, 2026, Ronald Mittelstaedt discussed the company's increased outlook and margin performance. He stated that the company maintained its underlying solid waste margin expansion guidance of 50 to 70 basis points, noting that fuel costs had become more punitive than expected, reducing margins by 20 to 30 basis points, while improved commodities partially offset that impact. Mittelstaedt said that volumes are expected to be "somewhat flat to negative unless there's a macro change," but argued that margin expansion with nominally negative volumes is acceptable, adding that "not all volumes are created equally and we don't want all volumes." Mittelstaedt also commented on broader industry conditions, observing that a rapid spike in oil prices from $60 to over $120 per barrel in four to six weeks prompted public companies to react quickly, while private companies would take longer to adjust. He attributed underlying volume growth in the industry to "true GDP spending" and population growth, noting that population growth is "effectively zero perhaps negative" and that non-government GDP spending in the second quarter was about 1.3%, suggesting total volumes cannot exceed roughly 1%.