Kendall Taylor: Loss Control Manager at Waste Pro USA

For over 16 years, she’s been the steady hand behind Workers’ Compensation at Waste Pro USA, Inc.—but her passion for people and animals alike extends far beyond her job title. As the Loss Control Manager, she handles every claim from start to finish, bringing not just experience but heart to a field that often moves too fast to pause.

“No day is ever the same,” she says. “Some start at 4 a.m. with a serious accident, and others end at 9 p.m.—you just never know. But every day is a blessing, and I don’t take that for granted.”

Her drive is rooted in something simple yet powerful: helping people heal. “What keeps me motivated is getting our injured employees back to how they were when they came to work. That’s the goal. Always.”

Currently, she’s preparing for a company-wide claims review, a routine but critical process where every open claim is reviewed across all regions and teams. It’s a heavy lift, but she thrives in the unpredictability of the role. “I’m constantly learning. We’ve grown so much—new states, new laws—it never stops evolving, and neither do I.”

Though her leadership style is deeply shaped by compassion and collaboration, her journey wasn’t without challenges. “In my current company, I’m lucky—we’re seen as equals. But back when I worked in construction, it took a lot longer for people to respect you as a woman. You definitely had to work harder to be taken seriously.”

She believes listening is the most underrated leadership skill. “Just listening—and really hearing people—gets you so much further than talking over them. And that’s something I think women bring into leadership more naturally.”

Teamwork is at the heart of her approach. “If we’ve got a complicated claim, I get everyone on the same page—division manager, safety, HR, the adjuster, even legal. That way, we come at it as a united front. That’s what gets results.”

Her biggest concern in the field today? The rising tide of litigation. “With more attorney billboards, more people are turning to lawsuits. So I do my best to make sure we’re giving the best possible care up front—that’s how you avoid that road altogether.”

Outside of work, her heart is just as busy. She’s a devoted animal advocate, always collecting donations and raising funds for local shelters. And she co-chairs Doubles for Dreams, an annual tennis event that raises money to send severely injured or terminally ill children on dream vacations. “It’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” she says. “Helping others—always.”

She credits her dad for the best career advice she’s ever received: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” That principle has guided her in both business and life.

In her downtime, she loves spending time with her mom, fundraising, and playing tennis. And while she’s not quite ready to jump out of a plane, skydiving remains on her bucket list.

When asked how others might describe her, she doesn’t hesitate: “Faithful, fun, and caring.” But when she meets someone new, she’s not focused on words—“I notice their smile and their energy,” she says with a grin. “That tells you everything.”