text: ‚ acquiring businesses that position our company for growth in existing and new markets, 
  
  ‚ acquiring well-managed companies and, when appropriate, retaining local management, 
  
  ‚ acquiring operations and facilities from municipalities that are privatizing and publicly-owned 
  companies that are divesting of assets. 
  
  For certain risks involved with our acquisition growth strategy, see ""Risk Factors Ì We may be 
  unable to execute our acquisition growth strategy,'' ""Ì We may be unable to manage our growth 
  eÅectively,'' and ""Ì Businesses we acquire may have undisclosed liabilities.'' 
  
  In making acquisitions, we principally 
  target high quality businesses that will allow our company to be, or provide our company favorable 
  prospects of becoming, a leading provider of integrated solid waste services in markets with favorable 
  demographic growth. Generally, we have acquired, and will continue to seek to acquire, solid waste 
  collection, transfer and disposal companies that: 
  
  *Acquire Businesses Positioning the Company for Growth.*
  
  ‚ have strong operating margins, 
  
  ‚ are in growth markets, 
  
  ‚ are among the largest or have a signiÑcant presence in their local markets, and 
  
  ‚ have long-term contracts or franchises with municipalities and other customers. 
  
  Once we have a base of operations in a particular market, we focus on acquiring trucks and routes of 
  smaller businesses that also operate in that market and surrounding markets, which are typically 
  referred to as ""tuck-in'' acquisitions. We seek to consolidate the operations of such tuck-in businesses 
  into our existing operations in that market. We also seek to acquire landÑlls, transfer stations and 
  collection companies that operate in markets that we are already servicing in order to fully integrate our 
  operations from collection to disposal. In addition, we have in the past and may continue in the future 
  to exchange businesses with other solid waste companies if by doing so there is a net beneÑt to our 
  business platform. These activities allow us to increase our revenue and market share, lower our cost of 
  operations as a percentage of revenue, and consolidate duplicative facilities and functions to maximize 
  cost eÇciencies and economies of scale. 