Compactor Rentals of America Completes Executive Leadership Build-Out, Positioning the Nation’s Leading, Independent Waste Compactor Leasing Platform for Its Next Phase of Growth

June 30, 2026

PHOENIX, AZ - Compactor Rentals of America, LLC ("CRA"), a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, LLC ("Kinderhook") and a leading national, pure-play waste compactor and baler leasing platform, today announced the next phase of its senior leadership team. Kelly Williams, who has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2022 and has been instrumental in building CRA into a national platform in its sector, has been named Executive Chairman. Chris Anderson, who has served as Chief Revenue Officer and has partnered closely with Williams since 2014, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Joining the executive team are Chris Sutter as Chief Operating Officer and Jeff Emerling as Chief Revenue Officer - both seasoned leaders with deep shared history alongside Anderson and Williams.

The leadership announcement caps a period of transformational growth for CRA. Since its recapitalization by Kinderhook in January 2024, CRA has completed a landmark $385 million securitization - the first of its kind in the waste compactor and baler leasing sector - and has executed eight strategic acquisitions. The company now enters its next phase with a purpose-built leadership team and a capital structure designed to support continued growth.

Williams and Anderson have worked in close partnership for over a decade, building a shared operational philosophy and a proven track record of growth across the equipment leasing sector. Williams' elevation to Executive Chairman positions him to focus on long-term strategy, M&A, and the continued vision that has driven CRA's rise. Anderson assumes the CEO role with full operational authority, leading day-to-day execution and growth across the expanded platform.

"This leadership structure reflects the strength and maturity of the platform CRA has become," said Rob Michalik, Managing Director at Kinderhook Industries. "Kelly and Chris have built this business together, and their partnership is one of CRA's most valuable assets. Kelly's move to Executive Chairman keeps that experience, vision, and M&A leadership at the highest level of the company, while Chris steps into the CEO role with a deep command of the business and a leadership team around him that is ready to execute."

"The acquisitions we have executed since 2022 have transformed CRA into the national leader in pure-play compactor rental, and that work is far from finished," said Kelly Williams, Executive Chairman of CRA. "Moving into the Executive Chairman role allows me to stay focused on the strategic and M&A agenda while Chris leads the business with the exceptional team we have assembled. We built this together, and the next chapter is the most exciting one yet."

Anderson is joined by two executives with whom he and Williams share a long history of collaborative success. Chris Sutter, appointed Chief Operating Officer, brings over a decade of operational and commercial excellence experience at one of the nation's premier equipment rental platforms, where he served in senior roles spanning commercial strategy and sales operations. Jeff Emerling, appointed Chief Revenue Officer, is a proven revenue leader with deep national accounts experience at the same organization, where he and Anderson built and scaled a high-performing national sales team together.

"We have built something rare here - a platform with national scale, a proven acquisition engine, and now a leadership team that has worked side by side before and knows exactly how to get it done," said Chris Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of CRA. "Chris Sutter and Jeff Emerling are world-class operators. Reuniting this team at CRA, with the platform and capital structure we now have behind us, is an extraordinary opportunity."

For additional information about this transaction, please contact:
Robert Michalik
Managing Director
(212) 201-6789
[email protected]

Sam Keenan
Managing Director
(212) 201-6795
[email protected]

Kevin Gayhardt
Vice President
(212) 201-9979
[email protected]