Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> June 3, 1999
JAMES E. O'CONNOR is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Republic
Services, Inc., one of the largest providers of solid waste collection
and disposal services in the United States. The company's operating
units provide a full range of solid waste collection, recycling,
transfer and disposal services for commercial, industrial, municipal and
residential customers nationwide. Mr. O'Connor's success in the waste
industry spans more than 30 years. Following his graduation from DePaul
University in 1972, he became a Staff Accountant for Waste Management,
Inc., in Oakbrook, Illinois. After a variety of accounting and
management positions, Mr. O'Connor left Waste Management in 1978 to
operate his own solid waste collection company in Central Indiana. He
rejoined Waste Management in 1982 and served in a variety of positions
including Vice President for the Southeastern Region and Senior Vice
President of Waste Management of North America. In 1992, Mr. O'Connor
was appointed to an Area President position with responsibility for $1.8
billion of the company's revenue. In 1998, Mr. O'Connor joined Republic
Services as the company's Chief Executive Officer. Today, Mr. O'Connor
leads the company with 12,700 employees, $2.4 billion of annual revenue
and operations in 22 states. In 2003, Mr. O'Connor assumed the
Chairman's post from Republic's original Chairman, H. Wayne Huizenga.
Mr. O'Connor is active in the community and serves on the Board of
Directors of the Children's Cardiac Foundation, is a member of the
Broward County Make-A-Wish Foundation and the St. Thomas Aquinas High
School Foundation. In 1995, he received the Tree of Life Award from the
Jewish National Fund ' an organization focused on Israel's environmental
development. Profile
Services just to set the stage for the readers?
Mr. O'Connor: The company was founded in late 1995 with the
