Clean Harbors Founder Alan S. McKim Plans Retirement After Transforming Environmental Services Industry
Clean Harbors, Inc. has announced a major leadership transition as Founder and Executive Chairman Alan S. McKim informed the company’s Board of Directors of his intention to retire from both the Board and his role as Chief Technology Officer once a new Board Chair is appointed. The company expects to name an independent Chair later this summer, marking the next step in a carefully planned succession strategy for one of North America’s largest environmental and industrial services providers.
The announcement closes a remarkable chapter in the history of Clean Harbors, a company McKim established in 1980 with only a small team, a single truck and a vision to create a safer and more reliable environmental services business. Over more than four decades, he transformed the organization from a modest startup into an industry leader generating over $6 billion in annual revenue while operating an expansive network of service facilities and emergency response operations across North America.
McKim served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for decades before transitioning into the Executive Chairman and Chief Technology Officer positions in 2023. Throughout his leadership tenure, the company expanded through a combination of disciplined acquisitions, organic growth initiatives and continuous investments in technology, safety and operational infrastructure.
Edward Galante, lead independent director of the Board, praised McKim’s long-term leadership and the enduring culture he established throughout the company.
According to Galante, McKim’s strategic foresight helped make the Clean Harbors name synonymous with high-quality environmental services, operational excellence and industry-leading compliance standards. He noted that the company’s reputation for safety and reliability was built directly on McKim’s principles and leadership philosophy.
Galante also emphasized that McKim’s influence extended well beyond financial performance. While the company achieved substantial business growth under his direction, he said the founder’s most lasting contribution may be the integrity-driven culture and core values that continue to guide the organization today.
From its early years, Clean Harbors focused on addressing increasingly complex environmental challenges across North America. As industrial regulations evolved and environmental protection became a growing priority for governments and corporations, the company expanded its capabilities to include hazardous waste management, emergency response services, industrial cleaning, recycling and sustainability solutions.
Under McKim’s leadership, Clean Harbors became a trusted response partner during some of the largest environmental and industrial emergencies in recent history. The company played significant roles in responding to the September 11 attacks, major hurricane recovery operations, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, avian influenza outbreaks and large-scale Covid-19 decontamination projects.
Executives at the company said these large-scale response efforts demonstrated not only operational capability but also the resilience and preparedness culture McKim embedded throughout the organization.
Mike Battles, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Clean Harbors, reflected on the founder’s entrepreneurial journey and his impact on both the company and the broader environmental services sector.
Battles described McKim’s career as an example of American entrepreneurship, noting that he built the business from modest beginnings with a small group of partners and limited resources. What distinguished McKim early on, Battles explained, was his belief that the environmental services industry required a far higher standard of professionalism, technical expertise and operational reliability than what existed at the time.
That vision ultimately reshaped the industry. Today, Clean Harbors employs nearly 25,000 people, operates more than 20,000 vehicles and maintains a network of over 900 branch and service locations throughout North America. Battles said the company’s scale, operational strength and culture remain a direct reflection of McKim’s leadership philosophy and long-term strategic discipline.
Co-Chief Executive Officer Eric Gerstenberg also highlighted the founder’s influence on company culture and technology innovation. Having worked alongside McKim for more than 35 years, Gerstenberg said the organization’s emphasis on safety originated directly from McKim’s leadership approach.
According to Gerstenberg, McKim consistently reinforced the importance of protecting employees, surrounding communities and company facilities while maintaining the highest operational standards. He also championed technology investment as a way to create competitive advantages and improve customer service capabilities.
Gerstenberg noted that McKim encouraged leadership teams to think beyond short-term financial results and focus instead on sustainable growth, responsible decision-making and long-term stakeholder value. That philosophy became deeply integrated into the company’s operating culture and is reflected in Clean Harbors’ longstanding corporate motto: “People and technology creating a cleaner, safer environment.”
For McKim, the retirement announcement represents both the conclusion of a decades-long leadership journey and the beginning of a new personal chapter.
Reflecting on his decision, McKim said he believes the company is well positioned for continued success under its current leadership team and Board of Directors. He expressed confidence in the organization’s future direction and said the transition comes at an appropriate time given the company’s operational strength and experienced management team.
After spending more than 50 years working in the environmental services industry, McKim said he now looks forward to dedicating more time to his family while watching the company continue its next phase of growth.
He also reflected on his own background and the unexpected scale of Clean Harbors’ success. Growing up outside Boston with what he described as a blue-collar upbringing and entrepreneurial mindset, McKim said he was motivated by both business ambition and a desire to help improve environmental conditions.
What began as a small operation eventually evolved into one of North America’s most recognized environmental services companies, surpassing what McKim described as his “wildest dreams.”
Despite the company’s financial and operational accomplishments, McKim said his greatest source of pride comes from the positive impact Clean Harbors has had on employees and their families, as well as the trust customers placed in the organization during critical situations involving hazardous materials management and emergency response.
Beyond his responsibilities at Clean Harbors, McKim has remained active in educational and healthcare organizations. He currently serves as vice chair of Northeastern University’s Board of Trustees and also serves on the Board of Directors for South Shore Health.
McKim earned his MBA from Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, which later incorporated his name in recognition of his contributions and support. He also received honorary doctorates from both Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
In addition to his business career, McKim authored the book Doing the Doing, which documents the evolution of Clean Harbors from a small startup into a dominant force in environmental and industrial services.
As the company prepares to appoint a new independent Chair later this year, Clean Harbors enters a new leadership era while maintaining the operational foundation and culture established by its founder. Industry observers view the transition as a significant milestone not only for the company itself but also for the broader environmental services sector that McKim helped shape over more than four decades.
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