Personnel notes

Sims Bros. Recycling appoints CEO

Sims Bros. Recycling, a recycling company based in Marion, Ohio, has promoted Scott Knowles to the position of CEO.

Knowles previously served as vice president of regulatory affairs and compliance and as general counsel. The announcement was made by Gary Sims, president and chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Knowles will be in charge of managing the administrative aspects and resources of Sims Bros. as well as developing and implementing high-level corporate strategies.

Prior to joining Sims Bros., Knowles worked for 10 years at Keis George LLP, a legal firm specializing in insurance litigation.

“Sims Brothers Recycling is a family business, and I’m delighted to have my son-in-law Scott take the reins of the company at this time,” says Sims.

Sims Bros., with four Ohio locations, buys, accepts, transports, processes, brokers and sells all types of recyclables, including scrap iron and steel, nonferrous metals, cardboard, newspaper, high-grade paper, plastics, electronic scrap and glass.

Aluminum Association adds to executive team

The Aluminum Association, Arlington, Va., has announced the appointment of Ryan Olsen as vice president of business information and statistics. The appointment completes the association’s restructuring under President and CEO Heidi Brock.

Tim Calvin, director of sales and marketing, billet and rod, for Franklin, Tenn.-based Noranda Aluminum and chairman of the association’s statistical and market research committee, says, “Ryan brings strong experience to the Aluminum Association’s business information and statistics program.”

In his role, Olsen will direct the association’s North American aluminum industry statistical and business information programs. As the principal source for statistics on the North American aluminum industry, the association publishes a number of reports covering every segment of the market. Olsen also will be responsible for the association’s surveys and data publications, will hold key committee assignments and will serve on the association’s senior leadership team.

Prior to joining the Aluminum Association, Olsen served as a senior data analyst and economist in the Maritime Administration within the Department of Transportation.

Curbside Value Partnership leadership changes

The Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), an Arlington, Va.-based national nonprofit organization that works to increase participation and to improve efficiencies in residential curbside recycling programs, has announced the appointment of Keefe Harrison as its new executive director.

Founding Executive Director Steve Thompson is retiring after more than a decade of service with CVP and almost 40 years in the recycling industry.

“I know I speak for the entire board when I say that Steve Thompson will be greatly missed,” says Beth Schmitt, CVP board chair and director of recycling programs for Alcoa. “Steve has served as executive director since the launch of CVP. He was instrumental in the program’s conceptual creation and has been a thoughtful and passionate leader, helping bring CVP’s expertise to hundreds of communities. He is a good friend and a respected colleague.”

Of the group’s new executive director, Schmitt says, “Keefe is well-positioned to step in and lead CVP forward. We are looking forward to her fresh perspective and believe her background—in particular her experience with local and state government and her knowledge and expertise in the plastics industry—will help her maintain CVP’s success and identify new growth opportunities.”

Harrison comes to CVP with 15 years of experience in the sustainability and recycling industries. She has experience working with trade associations and government and most recently served as a senior consultant for Resource Recycling Systems. She also has worked with the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers, the Southeast Recycling Development Council and the Recycling Division of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“I am delighted to accept the position as CVP’s new executive director,” Harrison says. “I have long admired CVP, in particular for its public-private partnership offering, and look forward to contributing to improvements in curbside recycling through this new role.”

Thompson has been the executive director of CVP since its launch in 2003. Under his leadership, CVP has evolved into a standalone 501(c)(3) organization and engaged 31 communities and four states in cost-effective and strategic campaigns, an additional 15 more through the CVP Connect grant program and hundreds of others through best-practice sharing, speaking engagements, webinars and more.

“Words cannot adequately express how much I have valued my time in this industry, particularly these last 11 years with CVP,” Thompson says. “The wonderful relationships I have forged over so many years and the impact we have been able to make through CVP leave me humbled yet proud and truly excited for what lies ahead. While it feels bittersweet to be stepping down, I am pleased to pass the CVP reigns to Keefe and have no doubt she will lead CVP toward continued progress.”

Through education campaigns and ongoing data analysis to help execute and measure their effectiveness, CVP works with recycling professionals to increase participation and tonnage collected through residential curbside recycling programs. Each year, CVP selects new partner communities to work with.

Strategic Materials appoints new president/CEO

Houston-based glass recycler Strategic Materials has named Denis Suggs its new president and CEO. He joins the company from Belden Corp., which produces and sells connectivity and networking products.

The company says Curt Bucey will continue as president and COO of Strategic Materials’ glass division and Michael Ramirez will continue as executive vice president and chief financial officer, reporting to Suggs.

Strategic Materials recycles glass and glass products at more than 40 facilities throughout North America.

BHS names systems optimization manager

Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Eugene, Ore., has named Richard Sweet systems optimization manager, a new position for the company. Sweet will oversee plant optimization, preventive maintenance, parts programs and regularly scheduled visits to material recovery facilities (MRFs) and other customer locations.

“Richard’s experience and expertise will be a tremendous asset to our current and future customers,” says Steve Miller, BHS CEO. “As we continue to expand our system base, it is a top priority that we have the pieces in place to proactively support them. Our customers’ success is our success, and Richard’s aptitude in the field will help our customers keep their systems running like a BHS system should—leading the industry in throughput, recovery and uptime,” he adds.

Sweet has been closely involved with every major BHS system since he started with the company in 2008, which gives him a unique understanding of MRF operations, BHS says.

Sweet says, “MRFs are larger, more technologically advanced and recover more than ever. Throughout this evolution, I have been fortunate to have worked with hundreds of elite operators and the best equipment in the industry.”

He adds, “I plan to share these best practices to help our customers achieve their business goals. It’s a truly exciting position for me, and one that I’m sure will provide great value to our customers.”

Previously, Sweet served as the company’s projects group manager. A mechanical engineer, he has experience in operations management, product design and development, project management, analysis and assessment, manufacturing and service support, BHS says.