Personnel Notes

Wendt expands international sales team

Buffalo, New York-based Wendt Corp. says its international expansion plans are supported by an internal promotion of Ethan Willard to global director of business development and the hiring of industry veteran Dennis Law.

Willard will help develop Wendt’s product line, overseeing its entry into new markets, and will provide strategic leadership and structure to a team of business development professionals. This team establishes performance specifications to ensure Wendt’s equipment meets customer expectations as markets evolve.

Willard has spent his 10-year career at Wendt in various roles from sales engineer to most recently managing shredder business development. He led the discovery, sale and execution of automobile shredding and aluminum shredding plants around the world while also pioneering development and implementation of auto shredder emissions control systems.

Law will head global business development, bolstering the international business team. He will identify the best strategy to enter new markets across Europe and Asia. Based out of Germany, Law will develop international markets within the scrap recycling industry while strengthening existing relationships across the globe.

He has more than 17 years of experience in the industry, including stints at Metso and Steinert.

“Being based not only in America but also in Europe is yet another step by the company to steadily expand and better serve customers as they would expect,” Law says. “Our customers all around the globe will now benefit from Wendt’s deep knowledge in shredder and nonferrous plant manufacturing.”

Two members of the business development team will be William Close and Mike Woodward, each with more than 30 years at Wendt. They will merge Wendt’s core areas of shredding and separation into a single team, setting the foundation for global expansion as demand for technology grows.

“Our shredding and separation technologies have received an influx of interest, and we have a tremendous opportunity to deliver our innovative plants and technologies around the world that help on the path toward a sustainable future,” Willard says. “We will look to maintain our leadership position while leveraging our new team and trusted partners to grow our global footprint.”

Nth Cycle appoints vice president of engineering

Nth Cycle, a metal processing and recycling technology company, has hired longtime product and program engineer Christopher Thoren to serve as its vice president of engineering. Thoren will lead all engineering functions for Nth Cycle, including developing and scaling core technologies and overseeing supply chain and manufacturing operations.

“Critical metals are at the very core of the world’s effort to decarbonize, and I am excited to join Nth Cycle to help establish a secure, clean and domestic supply of the minerals necessary for the energy and transportation transition,” Thoren says. “Nth Cycle’s electroextraction technology is a game-changer, and I’m thrilled to be a part of a team that’s so dedicated to playing a key role in the net-zero transition.”

Prior to joining Nth Cycle, Thoren spent 16 years at the Bose Corp. leading product development for consumer electronics and medical products. He most recently led the development of the first Food and Drug Administration-cleared medical device for Bose.

Prior to his work at Bose, Thoren held various roles at Hewlett Packard, Digital and Motorola, spanning mechanical engineering, software development and manufacturing positions. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and an M.S. in computer science with a certificate in software engineering from Boston University.

“As we prepare to commercialize our technology, Christopher’s breadth of knowledge and experience in engineering, supply chain and manufacturing management will be an asset to us,” Nth Cycle CEO Megan O’Connor says. “As a society, we must ensure that the products enabling our clean energy transition are as clean as the future we envision. Our technology enables an environmentally friendly and cost-competitive domestic mining and recycling industry.”

Thoren is the most recent addition to Nth Cycle’s leadership team following its $12.5 million Series A financing, which was led by VoLo Earth, Frankstahl, Mercuria and Clean Energy Ventures.

Schupan Asset Management names new general manager

Schupan & Sons Inc., headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has announced the promotion of Josh Bloomquist to general manager of Schupan Asset Management, the company’s information technology asset disposition and electronics recycling division.

Bloomquist joined the company as director of business development in January of this year after being drawn to Schupan’s commitment to environmental stewardship and its employee-first culture. With his promotion to general manager, he will continue to accelerate new business opportunities while leading the team’s operational goals that embrace and support a circular economy. 

“I feel incredibly lucky to work for an organization that sincerely cares about every employee and understands that people are the backbone of their success,” Bloomquist says. “I have a family and I care about what my and former generations are leaving behind for future generations to clean up. Here at Schupan, we accept the responsibility of being good stewards of the planet’s limited natural resources, and we’re committed to doing our part in making the world a better place.”  

Schupan & Sons, is a third-generation, family-owned company specializing in industrial and electronics recycling, asset management, fabrication and distribution, beverage container processing and materials trading. It operates 15 facilities across Michigan, Ohio, Iowa and Indiana.