14. Charles Vigliotti

He made a fortune with what others threw away. Long Island Compost, the brainchild of Charles Vigliotti and his brother Arnold, became one of the largest and most successful producers of high-quality compost and engineered soils in the nation. Their product was pure and highly sought after by landscapers and consumers, who purchased tons of bagged mulch and compost throughout the region. Last year, the Vigliotti brothers inked a deal with Scotts Miracle-Gro to be the exclusive provider of their mulch and soil products on Long Island and the surrounding area. Most people who achieve Charles Vigliotti’s level of success are fairly content. Instead, Vigliotti spotted an opportunity to change the waste disposal game once again, and construct the most sophisticated anaerobic digester in the United States. His new company, American Organic Energy, has the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, environmental organizations throughout New York, Brookhaven Town and its residents, and countless other stakeholders. Now that the permitting process is complete, Vigliotti is set to begin construction on a facility that will remove 180,000 tons from the waste stream and 40,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere. It’s why he was the subject of the main New York Times Magazine feature on February 15 this year titled “The Compost King of New York.” Somehow, with more than 30 years in the waste management business, Charles Vigliotti is just getting started.