Personnel Notes

In memoriam: Grant Milliron

Grant E. Milliron, founder of Milliron Recycling in Mansfield, Ohio, died July 26 at the age of 88 from heart failure. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary, and his son, Mark.

Milliron was honored Aug. 2 in the Shelby High School rotunda, which he was instrumental in designing when the school was being built, according to his obituary.

In 2005, Milliron was named Conservationist of the Year by Richland County Soil & Water Conservation Division for upgrades he’d made at his 42-acre scrap yard, including two large ponds, the largest of which he added when the company installed its auto shredder in 2004.

He was born Feb. 28, 1935, in Mansfield, and started working at the age of 12 to help support his family. He graduated from Madison High School in 1953 and married his high school sweetheart, Mary Nell Yates. They remained married for 67 years until her death in 2021.

In 1954, Milliron and his father opened a salvage yard with a business plan written out on one piece of paper and $1,000. In 1974, he bought a 60-foot scale, a shear and a hydraulic baler to enter the scrap business.

At the age of 87, Milliron sold the company to Australia-based steel producer BlueScope for about $80 million to provide supply surety for a large portion of the ferrous infeed material for its North Star minimill in Delta, Ohio.

Milliron built a school in Haiti and supported Shelby High School. He also built a fire station in Shelby and supported The Friendly House children’s activity center in Mansfield and the children at the Richland County Fair by purchasing their animals.

He is survived by his children, Cyndy Hursh, Steve and Karen Kleer, JR and Teresa Milliron, Jeff and Marsha DeVito, Karl and Jill Milliron and Ken and Kate Hlad; 10 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

Contributions in the memory of Grant and Mary Milliron can be made to the Shelby Foundation, 142 N. Gamble St., Shelby, Ohio 44875, or at www.TheShelbyFoundation.org/donate or to the Richland County Foundation, 181 S. Main St., Mansfield, Ohio, 44902 or via www.RichlandCountyFoundation.org/donate.

Aquapak appoints sales director

Aquapak Polymers Ltd., a biodegradable polymer developer based in the United Kingdom, has appointed Dudley Jones as sales director.

Jones has more than 30 years of flexible packaging experience in manufacturing, technical, sales and marketing functions globally for packaging companies such as Sonoco, Walki, Constantia Flexibles and Amcor, working with multinational companies and regional customers.

Jones’ role at Aquapak will concentrate on promoting end applications for Hydropol, a polymer that enables product design to provide its functionality, while increasing recycling and reducing plastic pollution, with a focus on paper and barrier applications through extrusion coating, casting or lamination onto other materials.

“Dudley is joining Aquapak at a time when the demand for new, environmentally friendly but functional packaging is huge,” Aquapak CEO Mark Lapping says. “There are many market segments where Hydropol can provide customers with a solution which isn’t available today and help them improve their environmental footprint without compromising product quality or the end-user experience.”

Aquapak says Hydropol, when extrusion-coated or laminated onto paper, adds strength and barriers to oxygen, oil and grease and allows 100 percent paper fiber recovery at paper mills. The company adds that while Hydropol is biodegradable and compostable, it also is nontoxic to the environment and marine-safe. It currently is being used in products such as reusable, heat-sealable paper mailing bags.

“Aquapak has developed a unique technology in Hydropol, which is recyclable, marine-safe, does not form microplastics and can deliver barrier and functionality to paper,” Jones says. “This makes the potential applications for Hydropol far reaching and very exciting. From beverages and confectionary to personal care and home improvements, Aquapak’s technology has the potential to transform flexible packaging as we know it.”