Personnel Notes

Bunting names president, CEO

Photo courtesy of Bunting

Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Walter Bunting, and father, Bob Bunting, Robert Bunting has been appointed president and CEO at his family’s namesake company, Newton, Kansas-based Bunting, effective Oct. 1.

Robert Bunting will oversee the continued growth of the global company, which designs and manufactures magnetic separators, metal detectors, materials handling, magnetic printing cylinders, magnets, magnet assemblies and magnetizing equipment with locations in the U.S., U.K. and China.

Bob Bunting, who has served as president and CEO since 1993 and oversaw the international expansion of the company, will assume the role of chairman.

After earning a degree in business management from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, Robert Bunting spent two years as an internal sales coordinator at Sun Life Financial before joining the family business as a part of the magnet sales team at Bunting’s Elk Grove Village, Illinois, location in 2007. In 2009, he moved into external sales covering the Illinois and Wisconsin areas, focusing on material handling, metal detection and magnetic separation. He oversaw a 25 percent increase in sales in the territory and was appointed as the global product manager for metal detection in 2014.

In 2016, Robert Bunting was named general manager of the Elk Grove Village location, where he oversaw magnet inventory management, the identification and introduction of new magnetic products and the development of digital marketing strategies for online sales, including the introduction of a new website.

He has been active in the North American business community, having sat on the business intelligence committee for The Association for Packaging and Processing (PMMI) and is currently the marketing director of the Process Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (PEMA).

“Bunting’s position as a successful, well-respected global business is due to the tireless work of my grandfather and father,” Robert Bunting says. “Despite being located on different continents, the Bunting Group is one company and all our incredible employees are fundamental to our success. We have developed established strategic global partnerships with suppliers and customers, which I aim to support and expand. I am both excited and honored to be entrusted with taking the company forward as president and CEO.”

Eriez names Jaisen Kohmuench first COO

Photo courtesy of Eriez

Eriez President and CEO Lukas Guenthardt has announced that the company’s board of directors has appointed Jaisen Kohmuench to the newly created position of chief operating officer (COO).

As COO, Kohmuench will manage Eriez’s major operations, including Eriez-USA, Eriez Global Flotation and Eriez international businesses. He will continue to work closely with corporate executives and functional leaders to ensure the company’s sustained strategic growth.

Over the past two decades, Kohmuench has made significant contributions to Eriez, steadily rising in the organization across multiple business areas and geographies, the company says. Kohmuench is a seasoned member of the Eriez corporate leadership team, serving most recently as vice president-international, a position he held for three years before accepting this latest promotion.

Kohmuench has bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in mining and minerals engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he received numerous academic honors and awards. He has spent the entirety of his career with Eriez, joining the company in 2000 as a process engineer.

“From his earliest days in research and development, through his role managing the U.S. Flotation group and later in an overseas assignment as managing director for Eriez-Australia, Jaisen has distinguished himself as a talented leader with tremendous financial and operational acumen,” Guenthardt says. “He has developed and directed immediate and long-term business plans and profitable growth initiatives across Eriez’s global magnetic, flotation and service operations sectors.”

Eriez says Kohmuench was listed as an inventor on more than a dozen patents and has authored numerous technical papers for scientific and technical journals.

“With Jaisen’s guidance and the support of his highly skilled worldwide team, Eriez is well-poised to successfully propel our business into the future,” Guenthardt adds.

Headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, Eriez designs, manufactures and markets separation equipment on six continents through 12 wholly owned international subsidiaries and a sales representative network.

NERC welcomes new executive director

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) Board of Directors has named Megan F. Fontes as the organization’s new executive director, succeeding Lynn Rubinstein, who retired after heading the Brattleboro, Vermont-based organization for more than 20 years.

Fontes joins NERC with nearly a decade of experience in corporate relations. Most recently, she led communications and organized all major events at Worcester, Massachusetts-based MassBioEd, an organization focused on science education. Previously, she held management positions at education-focused organizations, such as London-based Kaplan International and eScholastic Inc., which both have offices in New York City.

“NERC plays a pivotal role in the material management ecosystem, facilitating collaboration between the private and public sectors and educating stakeholders through its library of rich resources,” Fontes says. “I am honored to join a dedicated team and a board of directors working to advance circular solutions for the Northeast. I look forward to expanding upon the enduring foundation Lynn has built by continuing to provide value to advisory members, states and communities and identifying new ways to increase our impact throughout the region.”

Fontes, a Marlborough, Massachusetts resident, earned an MBA with a concentration in energy and environmental sustainability and social impact from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in environmental resource economics from the University of New Hampshire.

“While it is bittersweet to welcome a new executive director to NERC as Lynn Rubinstein will be sorely missed, I am extremely excited that Megan Fontes will be joining NERC,” NERC Board President Megan Mansfield Pryor says. “Megan is perfectly positioned to lead NERC, with her MBA in social impact, expertise in both the nonprofit and business world, and, perhaps most importantly, a passion for sustainable materials management. This experience will allow her to work with NERC’s expanding network of businesses, states, trade associations, nonprofits and others to unite around minimizing waste and conserving natural resources.”