Personnel notes

Ferrous sector veteran retires from SA Recycling

Jack Stutz, executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of Orange, California-based SA Recycling, retired in January 2018. The steel and ferrous scrap industry veteran began his career in the 1960s with the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel company.

Stutz, who graduated in 1963 from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, worked initially for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel before accepting a position in the 1970s with the former Marathon Steel in Phoenix. After Marathon closed in 1985, Stutz joined the former Birmingham Steel Corp. and helped move some equipment from the former Marathon plant to Birmingham’s facility in Kankakee, Illinois.

His next stint was with the former Armco Steel in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was part of a management team that completed a buyout of that company and renamed it GST Steel.

In 1997, Stutz became president of Tamco Steel in Rancho Cucamonga, California, running operations there until his retirement in 2009. In 2010, SA Recycling CEO George Adams lured Stutz out of retirement to become executive vice president and COO of SA Recycling. In this role, Stutz oversaw operations and helped steer the company through several major acquisitions, including that of Georgia-based Newell Recycling LLC in 2014, according to an SA Recycling press release.

“Jack is one of a kind, a class act,” Adams says. “He is a wealth of knowledge and experience. He has been instrumental in the growth and success of SA Recycling over these last eight years. More importantly, he has been a true friend and mentor to me and my family. For that I am truly grateful and appreciative. He will truly be missed.”

In his career, Stutz had the opportunity to work at steel mills that incorporated four different steelmaking furnace processes: Bessemer, open hearth, basic oxygen and electric arc. In retirement, he says he plans to spend more time with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren and to golf and attend sporting events.

Avangard Innovative names chief operating officer

Jon Stephens has been appointed chief operating officer (COO) at Avangard Innovative (AI). The Houston-based company provides waste and recycling optimization services to industrial and commercial customers and produces Natura postconsumer resin (PCR) from recovered plastic film.

Stephens’ long-standing tenure with AI began in 1997 with a plastic scrap marketing role. His position grew along with the company to include equipment sales as well as marketing old corrugated containers (OCC) and metals. He served as executive vice president of sales and marketing before being named COO.

Stephens says he is proud of AI’s growth over the years and its position as a leader in the ever-evolving recycling industry.

He adds that he looks forward to this new role and the opportunities it brings. Despite the challenges that arise from a rapidly growing company in an ever-changing industry, he says he is determined to push AI’s growth.

In this new role as COO, he is spearheading the opening of the Natura PCR plant in Houston.

“Our PCR plant is a state-of-the-art facility where we have invested in technology to provide a high-quality pellet for the film and extrusion markets to further our industry’s circular economy goals,” Stephens says.

He says he also is excited about the opportunities to come from the launch of AI’s new analytics software, Sustayn, which is designed to allow the company to better serve its environmental partners throughout the recycling process.

Millennium Recycling appoints new president

Millennium Recycling Inc., Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has announced that Shannon Dwire, previously general manager of the company, has been promoted to the position of president.

With 21 years of experience in the recycling industry, more than 18 of which have been at Millennium, Dwire has built a track record of strategic and operational accomplishments, the company states in a news release announcing her promotion. As general manager, Dwire helped lead the transition to single-stream recycling, strengthened customer relations and implemented a progressive mentorship program for employees.

“It is truly an honor to take on this role at Millennium,” Dwire says. “With the growing demand for greater sustainability from consumers and businesses alike, I look forward to continue building our recycling services and leading the team forward.”

Dwire’s responsibilities as president include overseeing sales, processing, research and development and all other aspects of business operations and strategy. She will report to Jake Anderson, Millennium CEO and owner.

“I’m very excited that Shannon has accepted the leadership role here at Millennium,” Anderson says. “She has proven to be a trusted leader among our customers and employees and brings a strong reputation for developing ideas and inspiring teams. Her background, training, skills and wealth of experience in the recycling industry are exactly the qualities Millennium needs as we approach our 20th year in business.”

Millennium Recycling, which Recycling Today profiled in 2015 (www.RecyclingToday.com/article/rt0315-jake-anderson-millennium-recycling-profile), provides recycling services in the Upper Midwest. It was founded in 1999 and recycles more than 100 million pounds of material annually.

NWRA hires vice president of federal affairs and deputy general counsel

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), based in Arlington, Virginia, has hired Jim Riley as vice president of federal affairs and deputy general counsel.

“We are pleased that Jim has joined our organization and we will be relying on him to help expand our Washington, D.C., footprint by solidifying our relationships on Capitol Hill, within the regulatory agencies and among other D.C.-based entities,” Darrell Smith, NWRA president and CEO, says. “It is true that all garbage is local, but Washington, D.C., can have a strong impact on local regulations.”

He adds, “Jim will be working to implement a number of strategies that will make our industry stronger and better recognized by lawmakers and other influential parties.”

Riley comes to NWRA from the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), Alexandria, Virginia, where he was a strong advocate for the aggregates industry in Washington. He spent the last 16 years with NSSGA, first as director and later as senior director of government affairs. As part of his duties, he oversaw the association’s political action committee, ROCKPAC. Riley also organized and directed the association’s grassroots advocacy network.

Prior to NSSGA, he was senior analyst for civil justice reform and insurance with Citizens for a Sound Economy, a conservative political group established in 1984 by Charles and David Koch of Koch Industries.

“NWRA is a great organization,” Riley says. “There aren’t many industries like waste and recycling that impact everyone in America every day. I look forward to working with lawmakers and regulators to ensure that our industry can grow and thrive.”

In addition to being a registered lobbyist, Riley is an attorney admitted to practice law in Washington, New York and Massachusetts as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court.

He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and received his law degree from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in Washington.