Personnel Notes

Industrial Service Solutions announces new vice president

Industrial Service Solutions (ISS) of Houston has appointed Jack Hodges as its vice president of digital solutions. In this role, he will be based out of the ISS corporate office in Houston and will manage and oversee the company’s technical solutions offerings.

Hodges began his career with CPL Systems, an ISS company, in 2008, holding various technical and commercial management positions. Previously, he served as a senior manager for Accenture’s Technology Group and as the director of operations for Cimation.

Hodges has been working closely with ISS – Recycling Technologies, which was introduced in June of 2020.

Bill Tigner, vice president of ISS – Recycling Technologies, says, “Jack has already proven invaluable for our team in his knowledge of control systems. We have been working [on] not only advancing our automobile shredder control systems but also our proprietary shredder emissions and explosion mitigation product lines.”

Another priority of Hodges will be the continued development of ISS’ Spectare Remote AI Monitoring platform. As it relates to the shredder product line, Spectare monitors any aspect of a shredder plant and uses its analytical properties to predict possible failures and correlate a shredder’s highest production numbers with the parameters to allow and show the most efficient setup, ISS says.

With 45 locations in the U.S., ISS provides field services, service shops and supply shops with available parts. It offers stationary shredders, AmeriMex motors and controls, the Taurus U.S. line of scrap shears and balers and the ZB Group’s Thor mobile shredder line.

Brilex Group adds former Nucor vice president

Youngstown, Ohio-based Brilex Group of Cos. has hired former Nucor executive Doyle Hopper as the new CEO of Brilex Industries Inc., Brilex Technical Solutions LLC and Taylor-Winfield Technologies Inc.

“We are thrilled to have Doyle take the reins as CEO,” says Alex Benyo, co-founder of the Brilex Group. “Doyle’s role will drive integration and synergies between our companies, maximizing the value delivered to our customers, and will lead to additional opportunities in the marketplace,” he adds.

Brian Benyo, co-founder of the Brilex Group, says Hopper’s “values and proven leadership, combined with his knowledge of the steelmaking and automated manufacturing processes” align well with the group’s values, growth strategies and industries served.

Hopper has nearly 30 years of steel industry and manufacturing experience. Before joining the Brilex Group, he spent nearly all his career with Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nucor Corp., the largest producer of steel in the United States.

Starting with Nucor out of college as an entry-level welder and fabricator, Hopper continually advanced into expanded roles, eventually reaching executive positions as a vice president in Nebraska, Connecticut and, most recently, South Carolina.

“I am thankful for the past three decades I have spent with Nucor,” Hopper says. “The experiences and insights I gained into the ongoing evolution of steelmaking and manufacturing have prepared me for the exciting opportunities in the marketplace for the companies within the Brilex Group. I am honored to be joining these organizations that have earned their reputations for excellence in engineering and manufacturing innovation.”

Brilex Technical Solutions engineers heavy material handling systems, scrap shredders, aluminum extrusion press components and upgrades and turntable designs for marine cable laying, commercial vehicles, revolving restaurants and other applications. Brilex Industries specializes in build-to-print services requiring fabrication, machining, assembly, rebuilds and roll forming. Taylor-Winfield Technologies is a custom automation and robotics systems provider.

BHS names head of National Recovery Technologies

Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), a sorting systems and components manufacturer based in Eugene, Oregon, has named Christopher Ulum as its managing director of its National Recovery Technologies (NRT) subsidiary in Nashville, Tennessee. Ulum will oversee all aspects of the optical sorting technology manufacturer’s operations, service, sales, product management and finances.

Ulum says, “NRT is a global leader in applying sophisticated technology to help solve the waste and recycling challenges our world faces. Our large global footprint, coupled with our many years of recycling infrastructure experience, worldwide install base and service teams, make NRT a trusted partner in the waste and recycling industry. I look forward to working with our passionate team as we continue to advance the technology and grow the company.”

Ulum has more than 25 years of industry experience in leadership positions, including president and CEO roles. His background includes large organizations such as Frito-Lay, IBM and Sun Microsystems, as well as small startup companies, such as Agilyx Corp. and Building Energy Inc.

Ulum received a B.S. in business from Oregon State University and an MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business.

“Chris is an exceptional leader with a wide breadth of experience, and we are fortunate to have him come on board to lead NRT,” says BHS CEO Steve Miller. “The application of NRT’s innovative technology in optical, controls and artificial intelligence are changing the industry. Chris will be a vital part of continuing that fast-paced growth while maintaining our high performance, results-oriented and quality focus for our customers.”