How Alan McKim Built Clean Harbors into a Five Billion Dollar Environmental Services Company
Alan McKim, founder of Clean Harbors, joins the Environmental Transformation Podcast to discuss how he grew the company from a four-person startup in 1980 into one of North America's largest environmental and industrial services providers. McKim reflects on early emergency response work, major acquisitions including Safety Kleen, going public during the 1987 crash, and building a nationwide network of 20,000 employees, 10,000 vehicles, 700 service centers, and 100 permitted waste facilities. He also shares insights from his Undercover Boss experience, the role technology plays in Clean Harbors operations, and lessons from his book, “Doing the Doing.”
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Alan McKim
Former CEO / Chairman of the Board
Since founding the Company in 1980, Mr. McKim has established Clean Harbors as North America’s leading provider of environmental and industrial services. The company’s revenues are expected to be approximately $5 billion this year. Under Mr. McKim’s leadership, Clean Harbors has steadily grown over those four decades both organically and through M&A, including more than 60 acquisitions. The Company that began as four friends, a single truck and a small garage has evolved into an organization that employs 20,000 workers, maintains a fleet of more than 10,000 vehicles and a network of over 700 locations, including 100 permitted waste management facilities.
During that time, Mr. McKim established Clean Harbors as the go-to emergency response company for the nation’s biggest disasters including 9/11, the anthrax attacks, Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the BP oil- spill and several avian flu outbreaks Today, Clean Harbors offers a comprehensive array of services to more than 300,000 customers and counts the majority of the Fortune 500 among its customer-base. Its customer base spans a number of industries, including chemical, industrial and manufacturing, as well as numerous government agencies. These customers rely on Clean Harbors to deliver a broad range of services such as end-to-end hazardous waste management, emergency spill response, industrial cleaning and maintenance, and recycling services.
Alan has been instrumental in driving the company’s deep commitment to sustainability by adding considerable recycling capabilities over the years. Through … Read More
