Down to Business

The annual Paper, Plastics and Electronics Recycling Conferences & Trade Show, which are organized by Recycling Today’s parent company, GIE Media, Richfield, Ohio, are once again "the place" for recyclers to gather to grow their business connections. The co-located conferences are scheduled for June 7-9 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta.

This year, event planners are making it easier for professionals to attend the event by offering registration to all three programming tracks—paper, plastics and electronics—for the single price of $475 per person. Previously, attendees paid a base registration fee, adding additional tracks for a nominal fee.

Attendees also won’t want to miss out on this year’s educational programming, which features a number of prominent industry speakers participating in various panel discussions covering the current market forces affecting the paper, plastics and electronics industries. Along with workshops and education sessions, Recycling Today’s Paper, Plastics and Electronics Recycling Conferences also offer attendees ample opportunities for networking, including evening receptions that are hosted in the exhibit hall.

In light of the current economy, this year’s June conferences feature a two-part keynote session that is open to all attendees. The first session, Monday, June 8, beginning at 9 a.m., features Dr. Tom Cunningham, vice president and associate director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, who provides a macro view of the forces shaping the current economy. He reviews the factors behind the economic statistics and the media headlines and also talks about the Federal Reserve Bank’s actions in the context of the overall economy.

Prior to his appointment as associate director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Cunningham served as vice president in the research department, where he was responsible for the regional and Latin American research teams.

Cunningham joined the bank as an economist with the macropolicy group in 1985, specializing in macroeconomics and monetary theory, and was promoted to senior economist in 1989 and then to research officer and senior economist with responsibility for the regional group in 1992.

The follow-up general session, which begins at 11 a.m., examines how the current economy is affecting companies in the paper, plastics and electronics recycling industries and features speakers from industry-leading firms in each of these segments. Brian Taylor and James R. Keefe of the Recycling Today Media Group moderate the session, and attendees are urged to participate in the discussion by asking questions of the panelists or by providing their thoughts and observations. Speakers include Michael Profit, CEO of Intechra, Jackson, Miss.; and Kevin Cronin of Nicos Polymers, Nazareth, Pa.

Programming for the afternoon of June 8 includes the plastics session titled "Corporate Culture" from 1:45 to 3 p.m. Moderator Ron Sherga of Sherresults LLC, Arlington, Texas, leads a panel that includes Tom Ricciardelli of Selec-
Tech, Avon, Mass.; Thomas Holland of Corporate Floors, Grapevine, Texas; and Lewis Perkins of The Mohawk Group, Marietta, Ga. The speakers discuss how plastics recyclers could potentially benefit from corporate sustainability efforts.

From 3:30 to 5 p.m., Mark Matza of Fortune Metals & Plastics, Dallas, moderates a session titled "Returning to the Export Pier," which is designed to provide updates to North American plastics recyclers who are eager for a boost from export markets. Speakers include Carlos Rovelo, who represents the Mexican recycling association, INARE; Michelle Cory of Si Quan II, Portland, Ore.; and Kathy Xuan of Parc Corp., based in Romeoville, Ill.

The electronics recycling program for Monday afternoon includes two sessions focused on responsible exporting and transparency in the electronics recycling industry. From 1:45 to 3 p.m. Robin Ingenthron of the WR3A, an event sponsor, moderates "Responsible Exporting I: Revisiting the Problem," in which a panel of electronics recyclers and industry observers review the shortcomings and criticisms directed toward electronic scrap exporters, as well as the benefits to developing nations when re-marketable equipment is exported properly. Speakers include Su Fung and Ow Young of Net Peripheral, based in Penang, Malaysia.

From 3:30 to 5 p.m. panelists discuss whether a system can be crafted that prevents harmful shipments while allowing refurbished equipment to find its willing buyers. Joe Clayton of Synergy Recycling, Mayodan, N.C., moderates panelists Bob Houghton of Redemtech, Columbus, Ohio; Gina Chiarella of WeRecycle!, Meriden, Conn.; and Cathi Coan of Techway Services/GEEP Texas, Grand Prairie, Texas.

Monday afternoon’s Paper Recycling Conference programming includes a session titled "Across the Grades" from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Attendees have the opportunity to hear a panel of experts discuss the status of domestic and global recovered fiber markets. Guest speakers include Robert Cook from AbitibiBowater Recycling, Montreal; John Daniel of Federal International Inc., St. Louis; and Erik Deadwyler of RockTenn, Norcross, Ga. Bill Moore of Moore & Associates, Atlanta, moderates this session.

Educational programming continues the morning of Tuesday, June 9, with a variety of sessions that are sure to appeal to attendees in the paper, plastics and electronics recycling sectors.

The electronics recycling track features a session titled "From Many to Few: The Impact of Consolidation," beginning at 9 a.m. Guest speakers include Reggie Chesson of Sims Recycling Solutions, North Chicago, Ill.; and John Shegerian of Electronics Recyclers Inc., Fresno, Calif., discussing M&A activity in the electronics recycling industry.

From 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., panelists discuss the price swings that electronics recyclers have been experiencing for secondary commodities derived from end-of-life electronics. "Commodity Conundrum" panelists include Len Stack of SiPi Metals, Chicago; Mark Matza of Fortune Metals & Plastics, Dallas; and Ram Guru of Milestone Metals, Washington, D.C.

Programming in the paper track kicks off Tuesday at 9 a.m. with the session titled "Exports: Where Are We Now?" A panel of exporters discusses the twisting and turning of export markets for recovered fiber that has taken place in the previous 12 months. John D'Ornellas of Western Pacific Pulp & Paper, Downey, Calif., moderates panelists Jonathan Sloan of Canusa Hershman, Branford, Conn.; Amit Patel of HnS International, based in The Netherlands; and Judy Lee of JC Horizons Ltd. of California.

From 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., panelists for the session "Surviving in a World of Giants" discuss how independent recyclers and their customers continue to manage their businesses effectively. Speakers include Sandy Rosen of GLR Recycling Solutions, Roseville, Mich.; Steve Sutta of The Sutta Co., Oakland, Calif.; and Valerie Androutsopolous of Vangel Paper, Baltimore.

Tuesday’s plastics programming includes the session "Options and Limitations," which begins at 9 a.m. The session looks at what manufacturers and recyclers face when trying to create new plastics recycling markets. Panelists Betsy Steiner of the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, Crofton, Md.; Richard Moody of Mountain Valley Recycling, Boca Raton, Fla.; and John Lively of Preserve, Waltham, Mass., offer their views.

The final plastics session, "You Can Go Home Again," begins at 10:30 a.m. Recyclers who want to learn more about domestic markets can benefit from attending this session, which features a panel consisting of North American plastic scrap consumers and the recyclers who serve them. Cliff Brand of Ekman Recycling, Brick, N.J., moderates the discussion among David Garfinkel of Nicos Polymers; Nazareth, Pa.; Gerry Fishbeck, United Resource Recovery Corp., Spartanburg, S.C.; and Billy Jefcoat of KW Plastics, Troy, Ala.

More information on Recycling Today’s Paper, Plastics and Electronics recycling Conferences & Trade Show is available online at www.RecyclingTodayEvents.com.   

To view an updated list of exhibitors for the show click here