How Waste Management's CIO Turned Trash Into Treasure

Trash doesn't seem like much of an online business, but Waste Management says otherwise.

The CIO's lament: 20 something techies who quit after one year

Puneet Bhasin, CIO of the $13.5 billion company, launched an e-commerce site late last year where residential and business customers can rent dumpsters and get price quotes for trash and recycling services. The company plans to add new products for sale every two months during 2012, Bhasin says, and IT staffers will also get sales quotas to fill.

Waste Management is among the relatively few companies putting the IT group at the center of customer-facing, revenue-producing projects. Many CIOs understand the importance of such strategic work but meet obstacles trying to make it happen.

Trash doesn't seem like much of an online business, but Waste Management says otherwise.

The CIO's lament: 20 something techies who quit after one year

Puneet Bhasin, CIO of the $13.5 billion company, launched an e-commerce site late last year where residential and business customers can rent dumpsters and get price quotes for trash and recycling services. The company plans to add new products for sale every two months during 2012, Bhasin says, and IT staffers will also get sales quotas to fill.

Waste Management is among the relatively few companies putting the IT group at the center of customer-facing, revenue-producing projects. Many CIOs understand the importance of such strategic work but meet obstacles trying to make it happen.

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