Being a family owned business, Thomas Refuse Family Companies understands how important it is to have good people working with you. From the people in our front office receiving your phone calls to the men and women working out at the Kern Valley Transfer Station, we train each employee to respect their job and more importantly to respect our customers. We feel very blessed to have wonderful people working on our team to provide you with excellent service.
Owners
Mike & Linda Thomas
Mike and Linda purchased Thomas Refuse Service from Mike’s parents, Bob and Mae Thomas in 1979. Before this, Mike was a deputy and Linda was a court clerk for the Kern County Sherriff’s Department. Mike and Linda’s hands on business approach have helped grow Thomas Refuse Service into a successful family of companies, and they continue to seek more ways to improve their services.
Mike and Linda both believe in giving back to their community and do this through their involvement in numerous club activities, donating to the different needs in the Valley, sponsoring Kern Valley Pride Day, and providing a $10,000 college scholarship to a Kern Valley High School graduating senior.
Mike has always worn many hats at work; the owner, a truck driver, a mechanic, and the all around go-to guy! When he’s not being boggled down by the needs of work, Mike is either planning or on one of his hunting excursions.
You can contact Mike at Mike@ThomasRefuse.com
Linda handles all of the accounting for the Thomas Family Companies. When she’s not in her office, Linda can usually be found playing with any of her four granddaughters.
You can contact Linda at Linda@ThomasRefuse.us
Office & Marketing Manager
Sheri Bowyer
Sheri, the daughter of Mike and Linda, joined the Company in July of 2009. Sheri’s first tasks were to implement a recycling program at the Kern Valley Transfer Station. This program began in November of 2009 and has been successful in part because of the education provided by Sheri’s Talkin’ Trash articles in the Kern Valley Sun. Sheri handles the majority of the marketing and public relations for the Thomas Family Companies, as well as, manages the front office.
You can contact Sheri at Sheri@ThomasRefuse.us
Sierra Waste Transfer Field Supervisor
Larry Centell
Larry has been with us since the Kern Valley Transfer Station began it's operation in 1997. Larry has an important job of making sure all of the waste and recyclables that enter the Transfer Station is disposed in the proper place. This is a difficult task when the public is bringing in their waste. Larry is also responsible for coordinating the transfer of the waste from our facility to the landfill in Ridgecrest.
Human Resources
Joyce Norris
Joyce handles a number of different tasks including new employee training, employee insurance, and personal information updates. In many cases Joyce is our go to person when we need a project tackled.
Thankfully, Joyce is also the lead person for the Kern Valley Pride Day. She spends countles hours preparing brochures, mailings and handling much of the coordination of the entire event.
You can contact Joyce at Joyce@ThomasRefuse.us
Front Office Staff
Phyllis Connelly
Phyllis has been with us for more than 30 years, longer than any other person. She is known as the voice of Thomas Refuse Service and all of our employees call her “mom.” Phyllis handles much of the coordination of our driver tasks as well as, answering our customers' calls. Many of our customers see Phyllis as the voice of our company.
You can contact Phyllis at Phyllis@ThomasRefuse.us
Barbara Mead
Barbara joined our staff in late 2009 and is quickly becoming another loved voice and face of our front office. Barbara handles dispatching, new account set up, and is the lead person for our Trash Cash program.
You can contact Barbara at Bmead@ThomasRefuse.us
Driver Supervisor
Alan Gramm
Refuse Drivers
Alan Gramm
Mark Jones
Sonny Axel
Robert McGree
Transfer Drivers
Jim Hubbard
Cameron Calhoon
Septic Drivers
Paul Azelmo
Danny Wilson
Equipment Operator
Ron Halli
Welder
Chris Stead
Mechanic
Mark Hand
Recycling Attendant
Leroy Garcia - Kern River Valley Recycling Center
Rebecca - Sierra Waste Transfer/Kern Valley Transfer Station
Yard Crew/Floor Sorters
Scott Miller
William Hunt
Teddie Swanson
Cipriano Chacon