Exceeding expectations

Around the time of our interview for this issue’s cover story, “Midwestern hospitality,” the leadership team at Taz Holdings, a Chicago-based company that encompasses four construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facilities as well as a hauling company, was reading the book Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect.

Written by Will Guidara, the 2022 title details the author’s experience helming Eleven Madison Park, a New York City restaurant that, during his tenure, evolved from a struggling two-star brasserie to being named the best restaurant in the world.

Guidara credits the success of his restaurant to developing a true partnership between the kitchen and front-of-house staff and an emphasis on hospitality so over-the-top that it lingers in diners’ memories long after the meal.

The book’s central theme is that every business can choose to be a hospitality business, and it encourages readers to transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences.

That theme certainly rings true in the mind of Taz Holdings owner Ron Tazelaar, who boasts that phone calls to Taz are always answered on the first or second ring. Acknowledging that customers aren’t calling unless they have a problem, he also places a high priority on providing solutions.

“Maybe they have to get rid of something or to bring whatever it is somewhere,” he says. “We don’t want to make that problem worse—they’re calling us for solutions. We want to be able to say yes.”

Instead of saying, “No, we don’t take that,” Tazelaar’s team will provide a list of phone numbers, resources or facilities that can take the item, whether it’s a battery, an electronic device or something else.

While Tazelaar initially balked at the idea of being featured on the cover of Construction & Demolition Recycling, he ultimately agreed to be featured because, he explains, he wanted to shine a light on the 115 employees who make up his team.

“We go to all these conferences across the country to talk about what we’re doing, but we can’t bring 115 people with us,” Tazelaar says.

But those 115 people are the lifeblood of the C&D recycling facilities, hauling companies and transfer stations that make up Taz Holdings, and Tazelaar says he hopes they read the story and feel a sense of pride at being part of the company’s success.