Shanks Group plc (LSE: SKS) is a leading European waste management company operating in the UK, Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

The Company was founded by Guy Shanks and Andrew McEwan in 1880 as a construction company operating primarily in the West of Scotland under the name of Shanks & McEwan. In 1988 the Company acquired London Brick Landfill and with it an enormous landfill capacity north of London. The Company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1988.

In the mid-1990s the Company sold its remaining construction interests to concentrate solely on waste management. In 1998 the Company went on to buy four waste management companies in Belgium. It changed its name to Shanks Group in 1999.

In March 2000 the Company bought Waste Management Nederland B.V. in the Netherlands.

In July 2004 the Company sold its UK landfill and landfill gas power assets to Terra Firma.

In 2006 the Company went on to buy Smink Beheer B.V. in the Netherlands for €62m.

Nelson Shanks, a portrait painter, was born in Rochester, New York in 1937 and lived in Wilmington, Delaware for most of his childhood. He studied at The Kansas City Art Institute and in New York at the National Academy of Design, and the Art Students League. His most famous work is likely his portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales, completed in 1996. The painting was first shown at Hirschl & Adler Gallery in New York City, April 24 to June 28, 1996. Shanks has been on the faculty of the Memphis Academy of Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Princeton Art Association and is a resident of Andalusia, Pennsylvania. He is an honorary member of the American Society of Classical Realism Guild of Artists.

Lorenzo Joseph Fertitta is an American businessman, casino executive, sports promoter and entrepreneur. Fertitta resides in Las Vegas with his wife Teresa and three children.

Fertitta obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of San Diego in 1991 and a MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1993.

Since 1993, Fertitta has occupied various executive positions within Fertitta Enterprises. From 1991 to 1993, Fertitta served as vice president, before becoming president and chief executive officer, from June 1993 to July 2000, where he was responsible for managing an investment portfolio consisting of marketable securities and real property.

Fertitta is a principal shareholder and a co-founder of Station Casinos Inc. He served as a member on the board of directors from 1991 until gaining the position of Station's president in July 2000. On June 19, 2008, Fertitta stepped down as president to work full-time for Zuffa, LLC.

On February 2, 2009, Station Casinos announced its plans to file for bankruptcy by April 15. Station's filing came in response to a lawsuit filed by an individual bondholder challenging the gaming company's debt swap and prepackaged bankruptcy proposal. In July 2009, Station Casino's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, however the Fertitta family is expected to make additional investments to maintain its ownership.