About Us

Meredith Mattson

Partner, Laurel Mountain Partners

Meredith Mattson is a Partner at Laurel Mountain, currently focused on new platform acquisitions, particularly in the waste diversion sector. Meredith spent the past 10 years in a variety of roles from strategy consulting at IBM, to sales at Slack to business operations at a Series A startup, The Rounds. She is known for her operational excellence and growth-oriented mindset, with a proven track record of building scalable business infrastructures and fostering strong company cultures.  

Prior to focusing on new acquisitions at Laurel, Meredith spearheaded operational and growth initiatives for portfolio company Bruin Waste. Before joining Laurel Mountain, Meredith spent most of her career in technology. At The Rounds, a Series A startup, she built the company’s operational foundation for scalable growth. At IBM, she co-founded a crowdsourcing platform that attracted 10,000+ users, and at Slack, she developed workflow solutions that boosted productivity for clients.  

Meredith holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, specializing in Finance and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, and earned her undergraduate degree from Villanova University in Finance and International Business. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband. 

Jeff R Kendall

Partner, Laurel Mountain Partners
CEO, Bruin Waste

Jeffrey R Kendall, is a Partner at Laurel Mountain and serves as the CEO of our Colorado operation, Bruin Waste. Jeff has an engineering background and brings 10 years of heavy operational leadership experience across a variety of different sectors. He is known for leading with a keen focus on process and technological innovation.  

Prior to Laurel, Jeff served as Director of Medical Operations & Digital Health Products for Restore Hyper Wellness, where he scaled a team of medical providers and digital health tools as Restore grew from 50 to 250 studio locations. He started his career at Chevron where he held roles in engineering, capital projects, operations, and sales. He managed large scale capital projects and led large teams. It was at Chevron that Jeff developed his passion operational excellence and safety that he brings to our operations.  

An alumnus of the University of Colorado Boulder, Jeff holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, an Engineering Entrepreneurship Certificate, and a Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Certificate. He is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. His educational trajectory also includes internships at notable institutions like the US Department of Defense and NASA. 

Based in Austin, Texas, Jeff enjoys spending time water skiing on the lake with his wife and daughters. 

Peter Kendall

Partner, Laurel Mountain Partners

Chief Operating Officer, Laurel Mountain Capital

Peter Kendall co-founded Laurel Mountain Capital in 2024 and serves as Chief Operating Officer, leveraging nearly a decade of experience in the enviornmental services space. Peter began his career as a Business Analyst at Liberty Tire Recycling, LLC in 2011 prior to earning his bachelor’s degree, with Magna Cum Laude distinction, from The Berklee College of Music in 2015.

Peter worked professionally as a guitar player throughout college and upon graduation joined Jeff Kendall and Laurel Mountain Partners in the founding stages of their Lewis Clark company building Project. He led operations for Lewis Clark from the sourcing of the deal through the initial fundraise, due diligence, and close of the first set of acquisitions. During his work on Lewis Clark, Peter conceptualized an innovative online marketplace for roll off container rental, and in 2017, backed by Laurel Mountain and a small group of private investors, founded Dumpster Market based on this concept.

Peter grew Dumpster Market from concept to both an online marketplace with over 1,000 waste haulers (many of which meet the Applicant’s target investment profile) and a white-labeled e-commerce solution with over 50 waste haulers, and $3m in revenue prior to selling the business to ASAP Site Services in 2021. Peter joined ASAP full time in 2021 following the acquisition to lead post-merger integration of the Dumpster Market software and ASAP’s expansion efforts, adding several product lines to the platform and growing their national vendor network to over 3,000 waste haulers and service providers. In 2023, Peter left ASAP to return to school, earning an MBA with Cum Laude distinction from Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business in May of 2024.

Upon graduation, Peter returned to Laurel Mountain Partners, and he and Jeff Kendall partnered with Dickson Suit to form Laurel Mountain Capital Management. Today, Peter brings his expertise in environmental services and entrepreneurship to serve as COO of LMCM as the group deploys its mezzanine debt and minority equity investment strategy with an environmental services industry focus. 

Dickson Suit

President and CIO, Laurel Mountain Capital

Dickson co-founded Laurel Mountain Capital with Jeff Kendall in September 2024.  Dickson is also the Managing Partner of Environmental Services Investors (ESI), a private investment and advisory venture focused exclusively on environmental services companies.  In August 2024, ESI led the recapitalization of Long Island Waste Services (LIWS), a solid waste management company located on Long Island, NY that provides comprehensive waste collection, state-of-the-art transfer stations, materials recovery facility and disposal services.  In November 2023, ESI led the recapitalization of Hainesport Transportation Group (HTG), a vertically integrated rail-served waste and logistics company in NJ with private and institutional capital and currently sits on the board at HTG.

Prior to founding ESI in July 2023, Dickson was General Partner at Ironwood Capital, a private equity firm that has invested more than $1 billion in over 100 companies since its inception in 2001.  Dickson was with Ironwood for 22 years, from its inception till June 2023, and had responsibility for deal origination, due diligence, underwriting, deal structuring and execution and portfolio management and was a member of the funds’ investment committees.  He also headed Ironwood’s environmental investments strategy and led fourteen investments in this vertical, as follows: Action Environmental, Boston Carting Services dba Star Waste, Tunnel Hill/City Carting, Curtis Bay Medical Services, Denali Water Solutions, Gold Medal Environmental, IWS, LRS, Lewis Clark Recycling and Disposal, Oakridge, Pete & Pete, Pro Disposal, RR Waste Solutions, VLS Recovery Services.  He was a board member or board observer in numerous Ironwood portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Ironwood, Dickson was an investment professional at Environmental Opportunities Funds I&II, where he analyzed, modeled and provided related analytic and deals support on environmental investment opportunities, including roll-up strategies.  He has a B.A. from Brown University and holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and is a CPA.  He is married, with two children and an avid marathoner runner. 

Rob Kendall

Partner, Laurel Mountain Partners

VP of Sales, Bruin Waste

Rob Kendall is an accomplished sales executive with a robust background in the waste management industry and a proven track record of driving growth and market development. After graduating from Dickinson College in 2016, Rob began his career in insurance sales, where he honed his skills in client relations and sales strategy. 
He then transitioned to Dumpster Market, where he successfully led the sales team, significantly enhancing performance and expanding the customer base. Following this role, Rob served as a Territory Manager at Waste Connections, further developing his expertise in market analysis and strategic territory management. 

Currently, Rob is the Vice President of Sales and New Market Development at Bruin Waste Management. In this role, he has played a pivotal part in the company’s growth, successfully leading five acquisitions over the past two years. His leadership and vision have established Bruin Waste Management as a key player in the region. 
Based in Telluride, Colorado, Rob enjoys skiing and golfing in his free time, fully embracing the natural beauty and outdoor lifestyle that the area has to offer. 

Jeff Kendall

President and Managing Partner, Laurel Mountain Partners

CEO, Laurel Mountain Capital

Jeff Kendall co-founded Laurel Mountain Capital in 2024 and serves as Chief Executive Officer, bringing over 30 years of experience in the environmental services sector. Prior to LMMF, Kendall was the CEO of eight waste and environmental consolidation plays, including Liberty Waste I, II, III, IV, Liberty Tire Recycling, Lewis Clark Recycling and Disposal, and Pro Disposal, all with successful exits.

More recently he led the formation and various acquisitions to build a new integrated solid waste company, Telluride Waste Services.  He began his business career at Exxon Chemical after getting a BA at Penn State and an MILR degree at Cornell University.

After two years with Exxon, he attended University of Pittsburgh law school graduating magna cum laude and began his legal career practicing law at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius in Philadelphia prior to joining his long-time partners in 1984 which led to their formation of Laurel Mountain Partners in 1990. Kendall’s track record includes 9 environmental deals with $28 million in equity invested, creating $360 million in equity value with a 9x MOIC. Telluride Waste Services continues to be held and operated by Laurel Mountain.

He is married with four children and two great-grandchildren an active sportsman including golf, tennis, paddle, fishing, and skiing. 

Patrick Toomey

• U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania (2011-2023) 
• Member of Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Budget; and Finance Committees 
• U.S. House of Representatives (1999-2005) 
• Financial services career at Chemical Bank and Morgan, Grenfell & Co.
• Independent director of Apollo Global Management (current) 

Lonnie Poole, Jr.

• Founder and retired CEO of Waste Industries USA Inc. (founded in 1970) 
• Led company growth to $600 million in revenue, merged with GFL in 2018 
• Major donations to North Carolina State University, including the Poole College of Management and the Lonnie Poole Golf Course 
• Founding member of Environmental Research and Education Foundation 

Andy Russell

In Memoriam

Andy Russell was an extraordinary individual and an inspirational leader. As the Captain of the Pittsburgh Steelers for ten years, he played a pivotal role in the team’s first two Super Bowl victories. During his remarkable 14-year career, Andy earned widespread acclaim, including seven Pro Bowl selections—an achievement that surpasses many Hall of Famers and underscores his deserving place among football’s greats.

What truly set Andy apart was his resilience: he never missed a single game throughout high school, college (University of Missouri), and his NFL career. Playing through injuries was a testament to his unmatched toughness and dedication.

Beyond football, Andy made his mark in the business world as the founder of Laurel Mountain Partners in 1990, alongside Don Rea and Jeff Kendall. This followed a successful tenure leading the Pittsburgh-based public finance investment bank, Russell, Rea & Zappala. Andy was instrumental in building Laurel Mountain Partners, contributing significantly to its successes in solid waste and scrap tire recycling ventures.

Andy’s philanthropic efforts were equally inspiring. He established the Andy Russell Children’s Hospital Golf Tournament in the early 1970s, co-hosting with Arnold Palmer. Over its 40+ years, the tournament raised millions of dollars for Children’s Hospital, UPMC, and numerous other charities that were close to Andy’s heart.

Sadly, Andy passed away this past spring, leaving behind a legacy that will endure in the hearts of all who knew him. He is deeply missed, but the memories of his kindness, strength, and vision remain a source of inspiration for us all.

Don Rea

has been a financial visionary since his early career in investment banking. At just 22, he earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and quickly made a name for himself by pioneering innovative financing strategies. Notably, he convinced Kmart to leverage its credit behind tax-exempt bonds for shopping center developments, facilitating the successful creation of dozens of centers across the United States.

As a founding partner of Russell, Rea & Zappala, Don spearheaded creative tax-exempt financing structures that established the firm as a leader in the competitive investment banking industry. He was also instrumental in developing Chester Solid Waste, collaborating with Westinghouse to create the nation’s largest waste-to-energy facility, now operated by Covanta.

Don’s expertise extended to a number of solid waste projects, including Valley Landfill, Cougar Landfill, Apex Landfill, and the Summit McCook transfer station. A master problem solver, he played a vital role in the acquisition and development of Laurel Mountain Partners’ portfolio of businesses.

Though mostly retired, Don continues to contribute his expertise to Laurel Mountain as a valued strategic advisor to the team. His decades of experience and innovative thinking remain a cornerstone of the firm’s success.