Donald W. “Don” Slager (born 1963) is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Republic Services, Inc., a leader in the recycling and waste services industry. Under Don Slager’s leadership the company unified over 30 separate market names into one brand. At the time a new tagline was introduced: “We’ll handle it from here,” as well as a new logo. Since becoming CEO, Donald Slager saw the company’s 2015 financial results surpass previous data, with a total shareholder return of 12.4%, outperforming the S&P average by more than eight times. Throughout 2016 the company’s stock has continued to reach record highs. The Company generates over $9 billion of annual revenue, has a market cap exceeding $17 billion and operates the eighth largest vocational fleet in the nation. In July 2015, Republic was recognized as the most valuable company in Arizona, and in June 2016 was ranked #312 on the Fortune 500 list.
Slager has been the President at Republic Services, Inc. since December 5, 2008, and its CEO since January 1, 2011. From 2008 until 2011, he was the COO of Republic Services. Prior to this, he held a similar position with Allied Waste Industries, Inc. from 2005-2008 and was their President and COO when the firm was purchased by Republic in 2008. He joined National Waste Services in 1985 and served in many capacities before his appointment as president of Allied in 2005. He has 30 years of experience in the solid waste industry, 25 of which have been with Allied/Republic.
Slager explained his vision for Republic Services in a featured article about Arizona companies in the August issue of American Way magazine’s, Spotlight: “Our vision is to become America’s preferred waste and recycling provider. Somebody that they trust to handle their full waste and recycling needs across their home, their business, their neighborhood, and their community, and that’s what we’re committed to doing.”
Slager was named the “Top CEO” in the 2012 Institutional Investor All-American Executive Team rankings in the Business, Education, and Professional Services sector. Under Don Slager’s leadership, Republic Services was recognized in the CDP S&P 500 Climate Change Report 2015, where its results positioned the company in the top 10% of global companies on climate change performance. Don Slager stated in the company’s sustainability report, that he focuses on extracting value from the country’s waste stream to offset the use of fossil fuels across its operations to minimize RSG’s carbon footprint. In order to accomplish this, Republic Services focuses on three main areas: recycling, fleet emissions and the use of landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) technology at its landfills to generate renewable energy. Mr. Slager is focused on a “Blue Planet” sustainability initiative, which includes focusing on reducing its carbon footprint and advancing recycling education. In 2015, the company was also listed as one of the 50 Most Meaningful Companies to work for in America by Business Insider.