Background
Brian Dolan, alongside his brother Charlie, founded DSQ Technology, a company that emerged from their previous venture, Sequoia Waste Solutions, a waste and recycling brokerage company they owned from 2011 to 2022. Their journey in the waste management industry provides them with invaluable insights into the inefficiencies and technological gaps in the sector, aspects of which they continue to address through DSQ Technology's flagship products, Discovery, Pioneer and Hauler.
Experience
- Sequoia Waste Solutions: Brian was part of the leadership team that turned Sequoia from a struggling entity into a profitable business before its sale. This experience taught him the importance of customer-centric approaches and the need for scalable technology solutions in waste management.
- DSQ Technology: At DSQ, Brian leverages his industry knowledge, prior experiences in real estate sales & development and ongoing customer engagements to inform DSQ’s waste management software solutions. His focus has been on creating tools that reduce manual labor, increase accuracy in billing and operations, and allow for easier scaling of growing businesses.
Industry Insights
Brian thinks the waste industry is headed to a new level of automation. Twenty years ago there was a lot of paper, a lot of manual process. In the next 5+ years, a lot of that will disappear. More automated truck functions, more automated back-office functions and yes, more automated customer service functions. He’s focused on DSQ being positioned to be impactful in that world.
Brian thinks the power of technology, process and people, properly focused, can transform traditional industries. His experience with Sequoia showed him that while the waste management sector was ripe for improvement, the real challenge lay in understanding the unique needs of both the direct and indirect customers. Understanding how the software solutions can serve both is critical to the success of DSQ’s products. The outcome is that DSQ’s products enable both the desirable financial results and environmental sustainability results that customers want.
Industry Trends and Future Vision
Brian is particularly interested in how technology can further democratize waste management services for waste haulers and waste generators alike, making them more accessible and easier to understand and purchase. He sees a future where:
- Data transparency between waste producers, brokers, and haulers will become standard, leading to more competitive and efficient markets.
- Environmental compliance becomes easier and more cost-effective through technology, pushing for more realistic sustainability practices with accurately measurable outcomes.
Personal Insights
Brian is a husband, father of seven and Catholic. He believes strongly in the ideals of the United States of America; capitalism; the freedom to make mistakes, learn from them and be forgiven; and the unbeaten power of supply & demand. He thinks the world only gets better if we choose to make it better.
Podcast Themes
- Technology in Traditional Industries: Brian can discuss how technology is reshaping sectors like waste management, which are often seen as low-tech.
- Entrepreneurship in Crisis: Insights from turning Sequoia around and scaling up DSQ during and post-COVID.
- Sustainability through Tech: How DSQ’s software solutions contribute to sustainability goals.
- Future of Waste Management: Predictions on how technology will influence waste management in the next decade.
