Zurich NA names head of their environmental unit

Zurich announced that Julie Dunai has been appointed head of its environmental unit. In this role, Dunai will oversee all aspects of the unit’s operations, which deliver insurance solutions addressing professional liability and environmental risk.

Dunai brings more than 19 years of insurance industry experience to her new position. She joined Zurich in 1997 and has worked in a variety of senior roles, including head of proposition development for commercial markets. Dunai has managed several key projects, including driving the commercial markets’ international product and growth initiative for a business unit spanning industry segments, including middle markets, environmental, energy, construction, and Zurich North America Commercial’s Canada practice.

GSE Scale acquired by Illinois Tool Works

Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) has acquired the GSE Scale Systems product line from SPX Corporation. GSE Scale Systems will become a business unit of ITW and part of the company’s test and measurement group, where it will join with Avery Weigh-Tronix. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition of GSE is intended to provide greater value and product innovations to customers as well as a broader reach to the global marketplace.

Avery Weigh-Tronix is headquartered in Birmingham, England with operations in North America, Ireland, France, Austria, India, Malaysia and China. GSE operates primarily in the United States, with export business to Europe, Mexico, and Central and South America.

Smurfit-Stone elects Klinger to its board

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation has elected Steven J. Klinger to its board of directors.

Klinger is president and chief operating officer of Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation. He joined the company in May 2006 from Georgia-Pacific, where he most recently served as executive vice president of packaging, pulp and global procurement.

Klinger is a member of the board of directors of Navistar International Corporation. He has served on the board of directors of the International Corrugated Case Association, The Atlanta Academy and on the Board of Advisors for Georgia State University’s School of Business. He is also a former chairman of the board of the Fibre Box Association and a former board member of St. Jude’s House and Transition House.

Range Fuels awarded $80 million loan guarantee

Range Fuels, Inc. announced that the United States Department of Agriculture has awarded the company a conditional commitment for an $80 million loan guarantee to assist construction of Range Fuels’ commercial cellulosic ethanol plant near Soperton, Georgia, the first phase of which is under construction and on track to begin production in 2010.

The loan guarantee is the result of efforts between the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development, AgSouth Farm Credit, and Range Fuels. AgSouth Farm Credit, a leader in agricultural and rural loans and part of Farm Credit Services, will be the lead lending agency on the loan.

The loan guarantee falls under the Section 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides loan guarantees for commercial-scale biorefineries and grants for demonstration-scale biorefineries that produce advanced biofuels or any fuel that is not corn-based. The Biorefinery Assistance program is intended to assist in developing new and emerging technologies that produce advanced biofuels to increase the nation’s energy independence; promote resource conservation, public health, and the environment; diversify markets for agricultural products and waste material and spur rural economic development.

Acquisition of Advanced Combustion completed

Fuel Tech, Inc. has completed its acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Hooksett, New Hampshire-based Advanced Combustion Technology, Inc. (ACT) for approximately $22 million in cash plus performance-based contingent payments.

Fuel Tech also announced a reorganization of its United States and Canadian sales force. Bill Cummings was promoted to senior vice president – air pollution control sales. Reporting to Cummings are Volker Rummenhohl, vice president – catalyst technologies, and the United States and Canadian APC sales force. Steve Brady was named senior vice president – fuel chem sales. Reporting to Brady are Chris Smyrniotis, vice president – fuel chem technologies, and the United States and Canadian fuel chem sales force.

Both Cummings and Brady will report to John F. Norris Jr., as will Kevin Dougherty, vice president – marketing and business development. The rest of the Fuel Tech officer team organization remains unchanged.

Richard Davidson joins SmartDrive as CFO

SmartDrive Systems announced the appointment of Richard Davidson as chief financial officer.

Richard Davidson is finance and operations executive with more than 17 years experience in the technology, professional services, financial services and wireless telecom industries. Davidson, former CFO of IBM’s $2.5 billion consumer division, was named SmartDrive System’s chief financial officer. Most recently, he was the CFO of Kintera Inc., a publicly traded software as a service company, focused on providing fundraising tools for the non-profit industry. Prior to Kintera, Davidson was the CFO of inCode Telecom Group, Inc and spent 10 years as a finance executive at IBM.

Atlas Copco announces new business structure

Atlas Copco Construction Equipment LLC is the name of the new Atlas Copco business dedicated to serving the United States construction market. This new entity combines the portable air operations of Atlas Copco Compressor Technique’s sales company with the Atlas Copco Construction Tools USA sales company.

The new organization is headquartered in Commerce City, Colorado, sharing offices and back office functions with the Atlas Copco Construction Mining Technique USA customer center. Although the two companies will operate independently, they have much the same culture and market knowledge and can benefit from these and other synergies. The Westfield, Massachusetts, office of the Construction Tools business will be closed at the end of March 2009.

The new company will have three sales and service regions in the North, South and West United States.

Erik Sparby heads up Atlas Copco Construction Equipment as its general manager.

Dave Crafton joins E-Z Pack sales team

E-Z Pack Manufacturing, LLC has announced the addition of industry veteran Dave Crafton to the E-Z Pack sales team. Crafton has been named regional sales manager for the Central United States.

Crafton is currently serving on the executive board of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and is the chairman of the Wastecon industry trade show.

Crafton began his career in the waste industry with Truxmore/Rand in 1985, in automated collection sales. He joined Heil Environmental in 1991 in the Automated Sales Group and was a regional manager from 1994 until 2000, when he left Heil to run a hauling company in Knoxville, Tennessee, until 2003. From 2003 until 2007 Crafton was a regional manager for SSI Schaefer’s Waste Technology Group, and in 2007 joined Balar Equipment in Houston, Texas.

Marathon Equipment president to retire

Gordon C. Shaw, president of Marathon Equipment Co., located in Vernon, Alabama, announced his intention to retire. Gordon, a 27-year veteran in the waste equipment industry, became president of Marathon in 2003. He began his sales career in 1981, becoming vice-president of sales and marketing and later executive vice-president. Under Gordon’s leadership, Marathon evolved as the recognized leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of waste processing and compaction equipment.

Gordon was recently elected chairman of the Environmental Industry Association (EIA) where he has served on the Board of Trustees for several years. In 2006, Gordon was inducted into EIA’s Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for select industry leaders who have made significant contributions to both the industry and the community. He has been a very active member of the Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC) where he previously held the position of chairman for its Board of Trustees.

Gordon’s retirement will be effective February 28, 2010. Until that time he will continue to represent Dover in several capacities, including serving as chairman of the Environmental Industry Association.

Green Power EMC buys biomass energy

Green Power EMC, a partnership of 38 electric membership corporations (EMCs) in Georgia, announced plans to purchase 17 MW of biomass energy from Multitrade Rabun Gap, LLC.

The Rabun Gap project will use wood waste as the primary fuel in a conventional boiler for the generation of steam to power a steam turbine electric generator.

The power purchase agreement is part of Green Power EMC’s mission to research and deliver renewable energy options from Georgia resources such as biomass, solar, wind and low-impact hydro.

This project is unusual in that it involves several “renewable” resources. The biomass facility will be sited in an already existing power plant in an idled Fruit of the Loom manufacturing facility located in Rabun Gap, Georgia. The textile company closed in 2006 resulting in the loss of 900 jobs and a dramatic effect on the economy of the small mountain town, located near the North Carolina border. Putting the power plant back into service creates approximately 20 jobs for people to operate the plant and an additional 75 jobs for people needed to gather and transport biomass to the facility.

Veolia acquires John Glenn Sanitation Service

Veolia ES Solid Waste of PA, Inc. has acquired the assets of John Glenn Sanitation Service, Inc. (JGSS) in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.

JGSS provides front load commercial, rear load residential and commercial, and roll-off waste collection services in the Philipsburg and State College, Pennsylvania areas.

JGSS’ operations will expand the existing customer routes in Veolia’s State College and DuBois, Pennsylvania locations and internalize the disposal of the collected waste into Veolia’s Greentree Landfill in Kersey, Pennsylvania.

Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Morbark adds Nortrax as industrial dealer

Morbark, Inc., a manufacturer of forestry and recycling equipment, announced that Nortrax has been awarded an exclusive dealership to serve the states Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the upper peninsula of Michigan. Nortrax will carry Morbark’s complete industrial product line which includes recycling, forestry, and whole tree chipping equipment.

Nortrax has eight locations across the region where it also represents John Deere Construction, John Deere Forestry and Hitachi Construction Equipment lines. Nortrax will handle sales, service and parts for Morbark at its locations in Bemidji, Grand Rapids and Duluth Minnesota; Eau Claire, Ashland, Monico, and Wausau Wisconsin; and Escanaba Michigan.

RMT names new chief financial officer

RMT, Inc. (RMT), an energy and environment company, has appointed Tracy Pearson as chief financial officer (CFO) and vice president. Pearson recently served as the CFO for GE Healthcare’s Diagnostic Imaging Services business. Pearson will lead RMT’s financial group with the assistance of Bill Dickrell, who was recently appointed chief accounting officer.

Pearson has 17 years of corporate experience ranging from tenure at a “Big 4” accounting firm to senior leadership in a $2 billion company. Her background includes work on corporate and financial turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions, complex deal structuring, and revenue growth strategies.

AK Steel’s Wainscott elected as AISI chairman

The board of directors of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has elected James L. Wainscott, chairman, president and CEO of AK Steel Corporation, to serve as chairman of the Institute until May of 2010.

The appointment was made by the AISI board following the resignation of Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI) from the Institute. Keith E. Busse, chairman and CEO of SDI, had been serving as chairman of AISI for the 2008-2009 term.

In his role as chairman, Wainscott will be a spokesman for the industry on issues such as the need to strengthen pro-manufacturing public policies as part of America’s economic revitalization and maintaining the competitiveness of the North American steel industry. He previously served as chairman of the Institute’s Policy and Planning Committee, as well as its Finance Committee.

Wainscott has served the steel industry for more than 25 years, beginning in 1982 with the Midwest division of the former National Steel Corporation.