OUR HISTORY

Valley Grown for Over

80 Years

Family History

The founder of the Caglia family of companies, Frank S. Caglia, was born in 1912 in the modest village of Maschito, Italy. Just as thousands of immigrants following their dreams and seeking a better life in the United States, Frank stood on the windblown deck of a ship with his parents and younger siblings, saw the welcoming arms of Lady Liberty, and passed through the gates of Ellis Island. Eager to begin its new life in America, the Caglia family settled in Fresno, working diligently to make ends meet. Frank’s drive, ambition, and strong work ethic motivated him to strive for success at a young age and ultimately led to great business accomplishments. His success fueled his appreciation of his new home town of Fresno, inspiring Frank Caglia to give back to the Fresno and Clovis communities. Following in Frank’s footsteps, generations of the Caglia family continue to spearhead philanthropic projects in greater Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley.

Electric Motor Shop

Industrious and motivated, young Frank worked hard to help his parents and family. At the age of 12, Frank began working at the Electric Motor Shop, sweeping, cleaning, listening and learning the business as he worked. As a young man, he began buying ownership interests in the shop and when the original owners retired, Frank purchased the remaining shares of the business. Under Frank’s leadership and with his entrepreneurial spirit, the business prospered. Dick Caglia, Frank’s son, has been the general manager of Electric Motor Shop for the last 30 years. Frank’s daughter, Sally, is executive administrator for Caglia Enterprises. Three of Frank’s grandchildren are the next generation of the Caglia family to work at Electric Motor Shop. A family-managed business, Electric Motor Shop is a valley landmark: a premier electrical contractor and electrical supply wholesale house.

Visit Electric Motor Shop →

Orange Avenue Landfill

Frank Caglia’s father-in-law bought the old city landfill from Rossi Disposal Service in 1939. In 1941, Frank purchased the landfill from him and renamed it the Orange Avenue Landfill. From those early days, the Caglia family championed environmentally sound practices like recycling, offering inexpensive and convenient disposal of trash and recycling materials for greater Fresno County businesses and residents. Orange Avenue Disposal always participated in the Keep America Beautiful campaign and championed services to keep Fresno clean of trash as part of the Fresno Beautiful campaign in the 1960’s. Frank’s eldest son Joe managed the landfill for optimum trash disposal and recycling in the seventies and eighties. Frank’s son Vince was the General Manager for the last 17 years of the landfill’s operations until it was closed in 2008. It will be maintained in post-closure care by the Caglia family for over 30 years.

Industrial Waste and Salvage

Launched in 1971, Industrial Waste and Salvage (IWS) provides curbside collection, rental of trash and recycling dumpster/roll off bins, construction and demolition debris, green waste/organics and traditional recycling collection services. The IWS fleet now includes CNG collection trucks which contribute to better air quality in the Central Valley communities it serves.

IWS Dumpster/Roll Off →

Cedar Avenue Recycling and Transfer Station (CARTS)

The CARTS facility, started by the Caglia Family in 2004, represents the latest generation of materials recovery facilities. Unlike a traditional garbage dump, such as the closed Orange Avenue Landfill, the CARTS facility is a fully integrated materials recovery facility, processing trash, construction/demolition debris, green waste/organics recyclables and traditional recycling from commercial, government, industrial, and residential customers for diversion from landfills. CARTS recycles over 70% of trash, green/organics and recyclables collected, repurposing it into raw materials for transformation into new products for consumers.

Redrock Environmental Group

As the exclusive franchised provider of services for the lower elevations of Madera County since 2012, Redrock Environmental Group is committed to a cleaner, healthier Madera County through advanced trash, green/organics recycling and traditional recycling practices. Agricultural, commercial and residential customers receive reliable trash, green waste/organics recycling and traditional recycling collection services. Businesses and residents in Madera County can also order dumpsters and roll off bins for trash, green waste/organics, recycling and construction and demolition disposal. Redrock also operates the Fairmead Landfill and the North Fork Transfer Station for Madera County.

Red Rock Dumpster/Roll Off →

Renewable Energy

For the first time in Fresno County, a privately held company is harnessing landfill gas and converting it into electricity. A landmark project, it supplies 100% of the power required to operate several of the Caglia Environmental owned facilities using renewable energy generated by the gas from the closed Orange Avenue Landfill.


Gas from landfills is produced during the natural process of waste decomposition over time. By capturing the landfill gas and converting it to electricity, Caglia Environmental operates its companies sustainably and with a smaller carbon footprint.

Through its green energy projects and all of its operations, the Caglia Environmental Companies are committed to preserving and protecting the environment through advanced trash and recycling technologies.

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