Casella Hires Former Covanta CFO to Replace Ned Coletta in the role of CFO

Brad Helgeson is set to join Casella Waste Systems on November 6 to assume the role of CFO. President and CFO Ned Coletta will continue to hold the title of President.

Brad Helgeson previously served as the vice president and treasurer at Covanta from 2007 to 2013. He was subsequently promoted to the position of EVP and CFO, holding this role until he left in June 2022. During his tenure, he played a role in Covanta’s sale to EQT Infrastructure in 2021. From 2004 to 2007, Helgeson held the position of vice president of finance and treasurer at Waste Services, which was later acquired by IESI.

“Brad has been a well-respected finance executive in the solid waste industry for many years, and we believe that his experience, values, and leadership style will fit well with our team. His relevant experience will complement our team and will help us continue executing against our growth strategy,” noted John Casella.

During Casella’s earnings call on Thursday, Coletta mentioned that he had been handling multiple responsibilities over the past year following a reshuffling of roles at the company. This reorganization took place after the retirement of Ed Johnson, the former chief operating officer, in June 2022. Sean Steves was subsequently promoted to COO in July 2022.

“Ned has been instrumental to our success over the last 11 years in his role as chief financial officer, and since assuming the role of President on July 1, 2022, he has helped to accelerate our growth strategy and strengthen our foundational pillars. As part of our succession planning, it is exciting to see Ned shift his complete focus to the President’s role. Under his continued leadership, I remain confident about the company’s ability to profitably grow and drive further shareholder value,” stated CEO John Casella, who has been the CEO since 1993.

After Helgeson’s integration into the company, Coletta stated, “There’s a lot going on there both from the integration of our acquisitions and also forward looking, and then I’ve been working deeply with the Resource Solutions team and landfill team to help provide value in their business units and partnering with Sean and his team as well on the operating front.”

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