Nearly four months after parting ways with its founder and CEO, Metro Detroit’s most prominent waste hauler has a new boss and a new parent company.
Priority Waste announced Monday the appointment of Aaron Johnson as its new CEO. Johnson succeeds Todd Stamper, who was removed from his post Feb. 7 by the company’s board of directors.
Johnson was appointed after Priority Waste was acquired by asset management firm TPG, according to a company news release.
Before joining Priority, Johnson was president of the Midwest region at Reworld. He previously spent more than two decades at Waste Management, holding leadership roles across regions including Canada and the Great Lakes. He’s led or helped integrate more than 50 acquisitions, according to Priority’s Monday news release.
“I am thrilled to lead Priority Waste into its next chapter and help deliver reliable, consistent, and high-quality service,” said Johnson. “My priorities are focused on creating a safe and exceptional work environment, providing world-class service to our customers, and executing on our game plan.”
Johnson takes the helm of the company that services roughly 1.1 million households in 140 communities in Metro Detroit after it took over GFL Environmental’s contracts in July 2024. The company told customers to expect a rough patch in that transition period, but some communities still reported issues including long call center wait times and missed pickups more than a year later.
Some communities like Clinton Township fined Priority for poor service, while others such as Macomb and Waterford townships retained their contracts with the company because local officials noticed improvements.
According to the news release, Johnson “will be responsible for strengthening operations, upgrading infrastructure and delivering the reliable service Priority Waste’s customers and communities expect.”
As for TPG, the management firm has invested $190 million in Priority Waste since early this year to upgrade its truck fleet, settle outstanding claims and improve efficiency and reliability, officials said.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Priority Waste announces new CEO, parent company
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
