Republic names chief operating officer

Republic Services Inc., Phoenix, has announced that Jon Vander Ark has been named chief operating officer (COO), effective Jan. 1, 2018. As COO, Vander Ark will be responsible for operationalizing the company's strategy and executing its business plan across its field operations.

He will have functional responsibility for all operational support departments, including safety, engineering, environmental compliance and fleet management. Vander Ark will continue to report to Don Slager, president and CEO.

"Jon is a trusted leader who consistently delivers results. He brings a rigorous focus to achieving operational excellence through continuous improvement," Slager says. "I have tremendous confidence in his ability to further embed the Republic way across the enterprise while optimizing the performance of our field operations through our strong general management team."

Prior to this appointment, Vander Ark was executive vice president of operations, responsible for maximizing Republic's field performance, ensuring service delivery and achieving financial and operational results across the company's operations in the eastern half of the U.S., which represents approximately $5 billion of Republic's annualized revenues. Before becoming executive vice president, he oversaw the western half of the company's operations.

Vander Ark joined Republic in January 2013 as executive vice president and chief marketing officer, responsible for establishing the Republic brand and advancing the company's service approach. Prior to Republic, he served as partner at McKinsey & Co.'s Detroit office, managing clients across industries that include transportation, logistics, manufacturing and consumer products. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin College and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School.