Personnel notes

MBA Polymers founder and former CEO rejoin company

MBA Polymers, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, U.K., has announced the return of Richard McCombs as CEO. Mike Biddle, company founder, also returns in a consulting role.

McCombs replaces Nigel Hunton, who has served as CEO since January 2012.

“I’ve been working with quite a few CleanTech companies since stepping away from MBA over three years ago, and it’s even more apparent to me how remarkable it is that MBA was able to build three world-class plants in three different countries to deploy its technology and business models and produce MBA-branded resins that have been embraced by the global plastics industry for their quality as well as their environmental credentials,” McCombs says.

“I’ve been working to develop plastics recycling technology and businesses for over 25 years, and I’ve never been more excited about the growth prospects for this industry,” Biddle says.

MBA Polymers pioneered the commercial recycling of plastics from large and complex postconsumer material streams.

Raleigh Recycling exec earns North Carolina business award

David Gibb, chief financial officer of Raleigh Recycling NC Scrap Metal LLC, parent company of Raleigh Metal Recycling and Goldsboro Metal Recycling, both of North Carolina, was named chief financial officer (CFO) of the year for a midsized company in the Raleigh-Durham area by the Triangle Business Journal. In 2013, the publication named Gibb a runner-up in the annual awards program.

Gibb also is CFO of Benlee, a Detroit-based, global manufacturer of roll-off trailers and trucks.

Raleigh Recycling is the largest recycling center in Wake County, North Carolina, and a buyer of steel, copper and aluminum scrap and junked cars.

Greg Brown, owner of Raleigh Metal Recycling and Goldsboro Metal Recycling, says, “It has been a great partnership working with David for the last three years, and we will continue to move forward to drive more value and growth.”

Raleigh Recycling is a full-service recycling operation. Benlee has been supplying roll-off trailers for more than 40 years.

Geo-Tech Polymers names vice president

David Bender has joined plastics recycling company Geo-Tech Polymers, Westerville, Ohio, as executive vice president and commercialization officer. Bender most recently served as the chief executive officer of Perpetual Recycling Solutions, Richmond, Indiana, and formerly worked for Downers Grove, Illinois-based HAVI Global Solutions, which manages businesses in the supply chain, packaging and marketing industries.

Ron Whaley, Geo-Tech CEO, who announced Bender’s role with the company, says, “I am thrilled that David has joined our management team. His experience in leading growth efforts provides a catalyst for Geo-Tech. David’s industry experience in both packaging and plastic recycling are uniquely suited for Geo-Tech.”

Geo-Tech says its cleaning process provides brand owners and plastic converters the ability to reuse printed and painted plastic scrap as if it were virgin material by removing coatings to facilitate recycling.

Bender says the company’s DeCoat-R production line for rigid plastics is fully operational and will expand over the next 24 months. He predicts the rigid plastics decoating technology to be operational by year end.

“I am so excited to join the Geo-Tech team,” Bender says. “It is rare to see a technology that fills such a critical void in closed-loop manufacturing. Companies can now reprocess their printed scrap as if it were virgin plastic. Prior to Geo-Tech Polymers, companies had to either sell their printed scrap at a loss or process it in a black application.”

He continues, “Geo-Tech will both provide reclamation services and license its technology for large manufacturers. Geo-Tech is partnering with large converters on other channels and expect future offerings in 2016.”

NRRA honors transfer station manager

The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), Epsom, New Hampshire, has recognized Brian Patnoe, manager of the Littleton, New Hampshire, Transfer Station with the 2015 Rookie of the Year award.

The award was presented at NRRA’s 34th Annual Northeast Recycling Conference and Expo, June 8-9, 2015, in Manchester, New Hampshire, by NRRA Executive Director Mike Durfor.

Durfor said Patnoe, who lives and breathes recycling, always is willing to help with recycling-related questions.

Patnoe, who has worked in the recycling industry since the age of 17, began working at the Littleton Transfer Station while in college. He became a full-time employee of the transfer station after completing college, was promoted in 2010, and in 2013 was named lead attendant of the facility, Durfor said.

Patnoe’s father and fellow recycler, Dennis Patnoe, manager of the Lancaster, New Hampshire, Transfer Station, helped present the award.

Toter adds two regional sales managers

Toter, a manufacturer of carts for curbside collection of recyclables, organics and waste, has added two regional sales managers to its team. Gareth Buxton will be responsible for the company’s mid-Atlantic region, and Blake Wetzel will be responsible for the upper Midwest region.

Toter is a brand of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Wastequip, a recycling and waste equipment manufacturer.

“We’re excited to welcome Gareth and Blake into the Toter fold,” says Jim Pickett, vice president of sales for Toter. “They will be instrumental in growing our residential and hauler business in the mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest regions, and both will have critically important roles in driving Toter’s long-term growth strategy.”

Buxton began his career with Toter in January 2015 as an industrial distribution manager. His territory includes North and South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

Wetzel has more than 12 years’ industry and sales experience. He joined Toter’s parent company Wastequip in 2014, serving as a regional sales manager for the company’s technical division. His territory includes Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

GBB adds vice president

Lori Scozzafava has joined Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB), Fairfax, Virginia, as vice president and operations officer. She has more than 25 years of industry experience, including 15 years in high-profile leadership roles within prominent industry associations, where she provided valuable strategic and operational leadership, improved bottom lines, revitalized operations and finance and managed growth of total net assets.

“We are excited to have Lori on board. She is a passionate advocate for environmental issues and has been very successful in leading key organizations,” says Harvey Gershman, GBB president and co-founder. “In addition to her strategic planning contributions to enhance GBB’s growth and profitability and managing the firm’s administrative and marketing activities, she brings to the table extensive project management, recycling and composting expertise that will prove highly valuable on client engagements.”

“I was part of the GBB family early in my career as a senior consultant, and it’s great to be back as the firm celebrates its 35th anniversary this summer,” Scozzafava says. “I look forward to contributing to, and being part of, GBB’s exciting future.”

Scozzafava most recently served as executive director of the the Bethesda, Maryland-based U.S. Composting Council (USCC), and the Composting Council Research & Education Foundation (CCREF), where she improved the organizations’ programs and influence, expanded membership value, and dramatically turned around finances, GBB says.