Most people, when they think of waste management consultants - if they think of them at all - conjure an image pulled from TV and movies of wiseguys in polyester suits who spend most of their time hanging around in strip joints and "whacking" people.

But Fred Rosenthal is no Tony Soprano.

A lean, dark-haired 56-year-old, he resembles a cross between a genial F. Lee Ermey and Peter Parker. His plaid shirt is so fiercely ironed, the pocket button has been pressed into a permanent dimple of fabric.

The St. Charles-based entrepreneur, who has built his $45,000-a-year waste management business quite literally out of nothing, has made a business of helping other local concerns save money on their waste removal bills.

"We've found that maybe 75 percent of businesses are overpaying for their garbage," he said. "The Rosenthal goal is to level the playing field for [other] businesses."

In addition to The Rosenthal Group, his consulting business, Rosenthal works as a flight attendant for TransMeridian Airlines, an Atlanta-based charter. He flies cross-country one or two times a week. When he's out of town, he said, he can run his consulting business from his laptop and cell phone.

"I'm there picking up trash in the aisles," he said, "so I'm still continuing in the garbage business."

His office is a sunlit room in his St. Charles home, decorated with pictures of sports figures and memorabilia from other business ventures.

On the wall above his maniacally well-ordered desk are taped sheets of paper in painstakingly precise rows, covered with lists, instructions, and quotes.

One list is titled "Values I Want to Develop." "Absolute Standards," says another. The first item on it is: "Tell the Truth." Next to the door, a square of paper demands relentlessly, "Did you send a thank you note???"

His focus on service and integrity is doubtless one of the things that led him to start his current business venture.

Garbage haulers, he explained, are not used to being questioned about the service they provide. When they need to raise profits, he found that "instead of getting new business, they just raised the rates."

With his consultancy, Rosenthal hopes to change that.

His company will assess a potential client's waste removal service for free. They look at the sizes and types of containers, the appropriateness of the service to the business' needs, and the cost of disposal per cubic yard of waste.

Then Rosenthal draws up a proposal with measures for reducing costs, and puts the service out for bids from different garbage haulers.

"We get the best hauling prices in the area," said Barbara Vesuna, one of Rosenthal's contractors. Part of that, Rosenthal explained, is due to his knowledge of the business, and part to the more competitive pricing he can get by handling large numbers of clients.

"Our service doesn't cost them anything," said Rosenthal. "We get 33 percent of what we save."

One of Rosenthal's clients is Elgin-based Artistic Carton Inc. The company was paying around $4,000 a year for a large trash compactor, when they hired Rosenthal. He was able to find them the same service for $1,750 a year.

"On that machine alone, we saved $135,000" over a five-year contract, he said.

"People don't read contracts," he explains, and often simply aren't aware of what they're paying for. One local business, he said, was paying more than $1,000 per container for waste removal. Rosenthal said he got them the same service for $140 a container.

Rosenthal's clients say cost savings are not his only strength; they cite his attention to detail and availability as well.

"Any follow-up issues or anything that comes up, they dig right into it," said Mark Hopkinson, Artistic Carton's chief financial officer. "They take care of it soup to nuts."

Mark Koenen, Director of Public Works for the city of St. Charles, described how Rosenthal helped create the ad campaign the city used to educate residents about its recycling program.

"He has saved us money," Koenen said, "but more important, he has... made that part of the downtown a more desirable place to be."

Rosenthal differentiates himself from salespeople who have thousands of clients, and don't pay them any continuing attention. The key, he believes, is service.

"I'm not looking for a lot of clients, what I'm looking for is quality."

Currently, Rosenthal has about 50 customers, almost all of whom have come to him through word of mouth or personal recommendations.

"I give my card away to two to three people a day," he said.

Vesuna uses a similar approach.

"Sales is not my forte," she said, "I began with people I know who owned businesses."

Rosenthal calls his consulting business the culmination of every job he has ever done.

"I've always been an entrepreneur, even when I've worked for somebody," he said. "It's hard for me to work for somebody."

Rosenthal got his start in the U.S. Air Force, working as an air traffic controller, before getting a degree in Journalism from Northern Illinois University.

From there, he went on to pursue a career in advertising and marketing.

In the early '90's he became involved with minor-league baseball as the director of the Kane County Events Center, home of the Kane County Cougars.

He left in 1995 to work as a business development consultant. He seved as director of stadium operations for Alexian Field, in Schaumburg, during its construction, but frustrated with the long hours and thankless work, he moved on to do sales and marketing for ARC Disposal Inc., a chicagolang waste hauling company.

After losing his job to downsizing in 2001, Rosenthal decided to build on his contacts and experience in the garbage hauling business, and came up with the idea of a waste management consulting firm.

His family, he said, tells him the garbage business is the best idea he's ever had.

"I've had some losers," he said, "I learn from my mistakes."

Rosenthal lives with his wife, Karin, whom he calls his biggest supporter.