Mary Catona
President &
CEO-Retriever Waste Management
Mary L. Catona is a pioneer in the field of waste and recycling management. In 1990, Mary became the first woman in the United States to own and operate a national waste and recycling brokerage. Mary’s insights and methods in the field of waste management had a marked impact on the industry. Retriever Waste management’s loyal client base spans the market from single location mom-and-pop shops to national retail and restaurant chains
Mary credits much of her success to her willingness to look at the field of waste and recycling in a new light and, most importantly, to her and her team’s unwavering commitment to customer service. Since the inception of her business, Mary has held that the foundation of any business is in the service it provides to its customers. In a testament to her commitment to customer service, Mary counts among her current client base businesses that have been with Retriever Waste Management since its inception.
Mary has been featured in local and national media including The Philadelphia Business Journal, New Jersey News 12, Waste Age, PRSM, the Philadelphia Inquirer and many others. She has also authored numerous published articles relating to waste and recycling.
In addition to running Retriever Waste, Mary is dedicated to several charitable causes. She is an active member of the National Humane Society, having provided volunteer time and financial support for the organization for the last 10 years. Mary also volunteers her time and financial support to the Delaware County Special Olympics and to MS organizations.
Mary is also passionate about supporting women-owned businesses and women in business generally; she has served as a mentor for several women entering the business world and makes a consistent, concerted effort to not only patronize women business owners but work to connect other women businesses who might compliment each other.
Mary is a certified WBE and an active member of WBENC. She also belongs to the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and several local chambers of commerce.
Mary got her BA degree from West Chester University. She is also a black belt in Karate and is currently working on her 3rd degree black belt. In a previous life, Mary was an award-winning Pro-Am International Ballroom Dancer.
Mary resides in New Jersey.
