Personnel Notes

BHS Expands Projects Group Team
Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Eugene, Ore., a supplier of processing systems to the recycling industry, has named Scott Sweistal project manager.

Sweistal will work with various BHS departments, coordinating all aspects of assigned projects, including engineering, manufacturing, installation, quality control, training and commissioning. He has experience in project, facility and remote site management, including more than 10 years as the air operations manager and project site manager for the U.S. Air Force.

Pacific Steel & Recycling Names New CEO
Pacific Steel & Recycling, a Great Falls, Mont., recycling company, has announced that Raymond Wahlert, CEO for the last eight years, is retiring and Jeff Millhollin, Pacific Steel executive vice president, will take over as CEO.

Wahlert has been with Pacific Steel for 32 years, working his way from manager of branch locations, to a member of the company's board of directors and eventually becoming president and CEO.

Millhollin, who has been with Pacific Steel & Recycling for 12 years, has been in the recycling industry for 25 years. During his stint with Pacific Steel & Recycling, Millhollin has worked as a regional manager in the Boise/Nampa, Idaho, area, as the company's manager of ferrous marketing, as vice president of operations and as executive vice president and as a board member.

The change in corporate leadership follows Pacific closing on three acquisitions in May, expanding the company's footprint to 42 branch locations in nine states: Montana, Idaho, Washington, Utah, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado.

ISRI Announces Changes to its Legal, Safety and Management Teams
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), Washington, D.C., has added to its staff as it aims to strengthen its safety, legal and membership departments.

Commodor Hall was named the association's new transportation safety manager. He joins the association after 13 years serving as both a regional safety manager and senior safety specialist for FedEx Corp.

"In the scrap recycling industry, safety is one of the most critical priorities," John Gilstrap, ISRI director of safety, says. "Commodor has an impressive background in both the transportation and safety industries that will be of immeasurable benefit to our members as we help them best train their employees and drivers to do their jobs safely, or not at all."

ISRI also added Tom Casey to the staff as deputy general counsel. Casey will be responsible for legal matters pertaining to contracts, trademarks, copyrights, corporate governance and compliance.

"The ISRI legal team will benefit greatly from Tom's expertise and knowledge," says Scott Horne, ISRI general counsel and vice president of government relations. "The U.S. scrap recycling industry is dealing with an increasingly complicated legal environment with shifting regulations and compliance standards," Horne continues. "Tom's focus will be primarily on ISRI's legal needs, freeing up the other members of our legal team to focus on member assistance."

Additionally, two current ISRI staff members are shifting responsibilities. Jonathan Levy, who previously worked with ISRI members in the paper, tire/rubber and plastics areas, has been named director of member services. Levy will coordinate a variety of member services, including education and training, webinars and affinity programs and will work to develop a new "white-collar" training program for the scrap industry. Levy continues to serve as the liaison and key contact for ISRI's Tire/Rubber and Paper Stock Industries chapters and his work to develop the association's plastics recycling efforts.

Additionally, Danielle Waterfield, ISRI assistant counsel and director of government relations, will take over full responsibility for ISRI's state and local programs, which provides advice and counseling to chapters and individual members on legislation and regulation that affects the scrap recycling industry. She will work with the chapters in the development of their legislative strategies and build upon her efforts to have ISRI become more actively engaged in the National Conference of State Legislatures, Counsel of State Governments and other state-related organizations. She continues to handle legal matters for ISRI chapters.

Upstate Shredding Hires Buyer
Upstate Shredding and Ben Weitsman & Son, headquartered in Owego, N.Y., has added Richard Kent as a scrap metal buyer. In addition to this role, Kent also will broker scrap for the export market.

Kent, who will be based in Albany, N.Y., began his experience in the scrap market in 1993, as the general manager for R. Freedman and Son of Green Island, N.Y.

"Richard's deep knowledge of the scrap metal market surrounding Albany makes him uniquely suited to help expand our reach," Adam Weitsman, Upstate Shredding president, says. "He is uniquely suited to the job of raising our market penetration in that region."

The Newark Group Names New President, CEO The Newark Group, headquartered in Cranford, N.J., has named Frank Papa president and CEO. He replaces Philip Jones, previously interim president and CEO.

Jim Keller, chairman of The Newark Group board, says, "Frank brings to The Newark Group an all-important outside perspective balanced against an insider's knowledge of the industrial marketplace and the challenges facing manufacturing companies today. His design, manufacturing and logistics background is extensive, his record of growth is impressive, and we are eager to begin working with him as we continue to evolve as a leader in recycled paperboard."

Papa began his professional career with General Electric Co. and progressed through to president and CEO at Specialized Vehicles Corp. and Signature Aluminum Canada. Most recently, he served as operating partner at H.I.G. Capital, a global private investment firm.

"I am delighted to be coming on board at The Newark Group at this stage in its corporate life because the company is just now at the tipping point of unparalleled growth," Papa says. "I look forward to helping to leverage the great integrity and strengths of the company, its products and its people to move The Newark Group to the next level and to best meet the needs of a changing customer landscape."

Paladin Brands Asia names Director of Asian Operations
Genesis Attachments and Paladin Brands, Superior, Wis., have named Tony Choo director of Asian operations for Paladin Brands Asia, a division of Singapore-based Dover Asia Trading.

Choo will develop a dealer/distributor network, bringing the full range of Genesis attachments, as well as tools offered by other Paladin Brands companies, to new and existing customers in the Asia Pacific region.

David Palvere, Genesis director of business development, says, "Obviously, this is a region with tremendous sales potential, so there are opportunities to gain market share. However, it is also an area with many cultural challenges which take a seasoned professional to navigate, and Tony is the right person. He brings more than 20 years' experience in equipment sales to the position and has a proven track record of building strong distributor and end-user relationships."

As director of Asian operations, Choo's will direct efforts in Singapore, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. He will focus on equipment sales for the scrap recycling, demolition, construction and reconstruction industries.

Freedom Metals Hires Vice President
Randy Goodman has joined the staff of Freedom Metals Inc., Louisville, Ky., as executive vice president. He will be responsible for all aspects of nonferrous metals for the company and will work out of the Louisville location.

Freedom, owned by Bruce Blue and Spencer Blue, operates three facilities in the Kentucky cities of Louisville, Elizabethtown and Winchester.

Goodman has been involved in the scrap metal industry for more than 20 years, having previously worked for OmniSource Southeast, Hugo Neu Schnitzer and Recycling Industries' Central Metals.

Goodman also has been active in recycling-related organizations. He served as president of the Georgia Association of Recycling Industries and was a board member of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI) and chair of ISRI's Nonferrous Division, the Nonferrous Specifications Committee and the Trade Committee.

"We are extremely excited to have Randy join our team," Bruce says. "His dedication and leadership within this industry and reputation both here, in the United States and overseas drew our attention over the years, and we are elated that we will now be able to put his unique skill sets to work within our team."