Personnel notes

Stadler expands US executive team

Stadler America LLC, Colfax, North Carolina, has named Marty Kennedy chief operating officer and a member of the company.

“I am thrilled to welcome a professional of Marty Kennedy’s talent and depth of experience to our team as we continue to build our North American footprint,” says Willi Stadler, managing director and chairman of Stadler GmbH, headquartered in Altshausen, Germany. “His background and success in sales and marketing, as well as in recognizing and mentoring talent, make him the perfect fit for our North American business. His years of extensive experience and leadership helps to underpin the structure we are building to support the continued growth and market leadership of Stadler America.”

Kennedy has served in a range of leadership roles in industrial machinery manufacturing and distribution throughout his career, including 25 years of experience in the recycling industry. Most recently he worked as executive vice president of Vecoplan LLC, where he helped the business to become a leader in the recycling shredder and shredder systems market over the past two decades.

“It’s an exciting time to join the Stadler team,” Kennedy says. “They are true leaders in recycling technology and complex systems integration. Their global footprint provides a unique level of exposure to materials processing, while their independence allows them to apply best-in-class technology for their customers. It’s a unique combination in the North American marketplace.”

Mat Everhart, CEO of Stadler America, says, “Bringing someone of Marty’s experience and talent into our leadership team is reflective of our strategy to build a customer-centered organization with the people, systems and infrastructure capable of delivering immediate results, backed by long-term performance. He brings a depth of knowledge that is unique. We’re very happy he has chosen to commit his talents to Stadler.”

With an engineering-driven approach to solving customer challenges the Stadler team has designed, built and implemented hundreds of recycling plants globally and introduced the ballistic separator to the recycling industry in the 1970s. Stadler America LLC is the North American office for sales, service, parts, project management and engineering. More information is available online at www.w-stadler.de/en.

BHS adds Max-AI managing director to team

Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Eugene, Oregon, has named Rich Reardon managing director of Max-AI autonomous quality control. During Reardon’s career with BHS, he has served as its director of sales and marketing, southwest regional sales manager and plastics market specialist. In his new role, Reardon will lead the company’s Max-AI-related business development and Max autonomous system integration.

“Max-AI technology represents a breakthrough that will forever change modern MRF (material recovery facility) design,” says BHS CEO Steve Miller. “The ability to see the volume and composition of material throughout a system will lead us to develop new technology and also direct existing technology in ways that were previously not possible. With Rich’s knowledge and deep experience in the industry, he will be focused on driving current Max-AI solutions into the marketplace while also working on future Max developments and applications, which will benefit our customer base.”

Max-AI technology is an artificial intelligence that identifies recyclables and other items for recovery. Through deep-learning technology, Max-AI employs both multilayered neural networks and a vision system designed to see and identify objects similar to the way a person does, BHS says.

“Max-AI technology is the type of development that will change the industry,” says Reardon. “I’m thrilled to lead our global efforts around Max-AI and can’t wait to deliver unprecedented results to our customers.

The industry is under pressure to create high-quality products in a cost-effective way; Max answers the call, delivering efficiencies that make recycling more effective, more profitable and more accessible,” he continues. “Max allows us to automate MRF QC (quality control) positions, and I plan to help realize our vision of the Max-AI Autonomous MRF with AI-powered vision systems, robotic sorters and dynamic optimization.

Reardon has a bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Oregon.

More information is available on the BHS website at www.bulkhandlingsystems.com.

BIR appoints new director general

The Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) executive committee has announced the appointment of Arnaud Brunet as BIR director general effective June 1.

Prior to joining BIR, Brunet led the Sony Europe Brussels office, managing the company’s relationship with several European institutions: Commission, Parliament and Council, as well as with European trade associations. He also served as head of the external affairs team at Sony France.

Brunet graduated in 1986 with a degree in tax and business law from the Université Panthéon Assas (Paris II). He joined ESSO France in 1986 as a junior lawyer and moved on to IBM France in 1990 to take on a position as a lawyer. In 1997, he worked as a senior attorney at IBM EMEA.

Machinex appoints US western region sales manager

Machinex Technologies Inc., the High Point, North Carolina-based U.S. subsidiary of Machinex Group, Plessisville, Quebec, has announced that Will Herzog has joined the company as a sales manager for the western U.S.

In his new role, Herzog will help develop sorting systems with customers while providing the latest technologies on the market, Machinex says. He will ensure customers’ satisfaction while supporting them in their future needs.

Herzog has more than 25 years of business experience in the recycling, construction and real estate industries with a background in finance and strategic planning, according to Machinex.

He joined Hudson Baylor in 2002 and led the company’s growth initiatives until its sale to ReCommunity in 2012. During this time, Hudson Baylor added eight new facilities and secured 15 major municipal contracts. Most of these new contracts included major capital investments in material recovery facilities (MRFs) to add capacity and modernize operations. In 2009, Herzog relocated to Arizona to supervise plant operations for the company’s four MRFs there while continuing his business development role. During this time, he led development on the company’s new MRF in Tucson, Arizona. Following the acquisition of Hudson Baylor by ReCommunity in 2012, Herzog continued to focus on business development in the western U.S. and on heading ReCommunity’s marketing efforts since 2014.

Most recently, he spent much of the last year working as a buyer of recyclables for WestRock.

Herzog has an MBA in finance from Boston College and has served on the board of Keep Phoenix Beautiful since 2010.

“What attracted us to Will is that along with his strong interpersonal skills, he is extremely well-versed in the recycling market,” says Chris Hawn, Machinex executive vice president of sales and business development. “His areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, MRF operations and design, commodity sales, municipal bids and, most importantly, customer experience. Will becomes an important asset for Machinex as he will help broaden the western region sales and business development.”

“I’m excited to join the Machinex team,” Herzog says. “Between the energy and creativity of the engineering team, along with the company’s commitment to providing premier customer service to our partners, I am confident that we will be able to offer effective and economic solutions to our customers’ waste processing and diversion projects.”

More information on Machinex is available on its website at www.machinexrecycling.com.