Personnel Notes

SAS Forks adds equipment veterans to leadership team

Luxemburg, Wisconsin-based SAS Forks has named long-time recycling equipment sales professional Salvatore LaCorte as director of business development. Bruce Bacon, another equipment industry veteran who himself recently was added to the SAS Forks leadership team as president, made the announcement. Lacorte will report to Bacon.

“Sal brings extensive experience relative to developing and marketing unique and advanced mobile hydraulic products that are utilized in the scrap processing, material recycling and demolition markets throughout North America and Mexico,” Bacon says of LaCorte.

“Sal has held positions of increasing responsibility for over 30 years while employed by companies that designed and produced mobile hydraulic products. During his extensive career, he developed and managed national sales and marketing teams, while leading the expansion of distributor networks throughout North America and Mexico. Recently, Sal assumed the role of national sales director for a company that offers broad families of mobile hydraulic tools and attachments that are utilized in the growing scrap processing and demolition markets.”

LaCorte previously has worked for Minnesota-based LaBounty and several other companies based in Ohio or at their Ohio offices, including NPK Construction Equipment, Gradall Industries, Allied Construction Products and Serco Loaders.

“Sal’s extensive and relevant experiences will notably contribute to the achievement of SAS Forks key strategies, that is, to grow and build value for all stakeholders and expand the company’s presence in national and international markets,” Bacon says.

In addition to numerous types of material handling forks, SAS Forks also lists a four-tine orange peel grapple among its offerings.

MSS appoints technology director

Nashville, Tennessee-based MSS, a division of CP Group that offers optical sorting and artificial intelligence (AI) equipment to the recycling and waste sector, has appointed Patrick Nicol as director of technology.

According to San Diego-based CP Group, Nicol has had an interest in recycling since observing his hometown’s “pioneering recycling efforts” as a youth. “With a background in engineering, he saw an opportunity to be part of something bigger and immediately seized the chance to work in the recycling business,” the equipment company says in a news release.

CP Group says Nicol sees an ongoing need for continuous improvement in material recovery facility (MRF) system design, specifically in the realm of automation. He predicts ongoing progress through the integration of near-infrared (NIR) optical sorters and AI vision systems, with such technology playing “a pivotal role in making recycling systems more intelligent and efficient while removing the dependency on manual sorting.”

“AI is a powerful tool with untapped potential, [and] we eagerly anticipate the transformative impact it will have on recycling systems,” Nicol says of MSS’ partnership with United Kingdom-based Recycleye.

Nicol also points to the benefits of CP Group’s Auger Screen, which replaces the presort process to a postscreen quality control station and enhances safety by removing needles and sharps from the stream that manual sorters encounter.

Regarding his new role at MSS, Nicol says he is enthusiastic about implementing the AI platform and improving the maintenance friendliness of the company’s state-of-the-art optical sorters.

“The recycling business is here to stay; this is just the right thing to do,” Nicol says of his career choice. “In fact, we are now widening the spectrum of recycling by including municipal solid waste streams as energy supply. Our new equipment technology can target good recyclables in a stream we couldn’t even think of touching before.”

CP Group says that with the hiring of Nicol, MSS is poised to embark on an exciting journey of AI-driven innovations and advancements. With Nicol’s expertise and CP Group’s dedication to innovation, the company is poised to shape the future of recycling.

Sustana appoints sustainability director

Sustana Group, a De Pere, Wisconsin-based manufacturer of recycled fiber and paper products, has appointed Aaron Ling as its new director of sustainability. Ling will be responsible for implementing Sustana’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and supporting the development of the company’s sustainability strategy.

“Sustana is a sustainability leader in the fiber and paper industry, with sustainability as a core value,” Ling says. “I’m excited to be a part of the Sustana team.

“Most of my career has been spent in developing sustainability strategies and embedding sustainability into business operations, and I’m really looking forward to applying my experience in creating shared value for Sustana and our customers within a circular economy.” 

Ling holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Concordia University, has economic sustainable project delivery and decision analysis training and is an accredited professional from the Green Building Council of Australia. He has 17 years of experience in corporate sustainability target setting, reporting and scenario analysis, as well as experience working in Japan, Canada, Australia and the United States.

“We are excited to have Aaron join Sustana to develop our sustainability strategy and strengthen our ability to serve our customers,” Sustana Chief Commercial Officer Philip Rundle says.

“Brands, converters, printers and consumers have an increased focus on sustainability and the expertise Aaron brings to our team will solidify our position as the leaders in sustainable fiber, paper and packaging solutions in North America.”

Republic appoints new COO, board member

Republic Services, Phoenix, has announced Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Tim Stuart’s employment has been terminated, according to an Aug. 17 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.

Gregg Brummer will succeed Stuart as executive vice president and COO. Brummer, 57, has been with Republic since 2014 and has served most recently as senior vice president of operations.

Republic says in the SEC filing that Brummer will receive a base salary of $630,000 and is eligible for a cash bonus of 85 percent of his salary. Both will be prorated for his time in the position during this year.

Brummer is responsible for implementing the company’s strategy and executing its business plan across field operations, the company says. He also has responsibility for all operational support departments, including safety, engineering, environmental compliance and management of a fleet that includes one of the largest vocational truck fleets in the country.  

Republic also named Meg Reynolds to its board of directors. Reynolds, 58, is a principal and co-founder of Westwood Global Investments, a Boston-based financial advisory firm. She has more than 30 years of investment experience, Republic says in a news release.