BUSINESS/ORGANIZATIONAL BRIEFS

Associations team up to sponsor rubber modifed asphalt conference

Washington, DC— The rubber and asphalt industries are joining together to educate buyers, sellers and other stakeholders on the benefits of rubber modified asphalt.

The conference, “Second Rubber Modified Asphalt Conference - Working Together to Improve Roads,” will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Antonio, Texas May 18-19, 2005.

This conference will teach attendees about the uses of rubber modified asphalt, facilitate discussions between industries and government agencies and gain knowledge on materials and specifications.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association is co-sponsoring the event with the Rubber Division, American Chemical Society.

One of the conference highlights will be a field trip to a nearby rubber modified asphalt pavement project. The event will also feature tabletop exhibits and other sponsorship programs.

Central States Tire Recycling agrees to remove tires from two unpermitted sites

Central States Tire Recycling of Nebraska LLC has agreed to remove scrap tires from two sites it allegedly operated without a permit.

The company and its owners, William S. Miner and Mary Beth Miner, reached a settlement with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the State Attorney General´s Office. The state alleged that Central States Tire Recycling operated sites in Dodge and Cuming Counties without a permit and did not comply with an order to cease operations and remove the tires from the sites.

The DEQ estimates that the company had more than one million tires combined at the two sites. Central States Tire Recycling must remove the tires and close the sites by July 1 or face civil penalties.

The state also included as parties to the settlement Nebraska Ag Products Co. and TransAgra Capital Corp., two corporations related to Central States Tire Recycling.

Auto parts sales goes self-service

Detroit, MI— Soave Enterprises, a Detroit-based company, has teamed with long-time auto parts professional Bill Wild to form Parts Galore, a self-service, used auto parts retail outlet that enables customers to remove and purchase parts.

With an initial investment of $5 million, Parts Galore will open its first store in Detroit this spring and plans to open additional outlets in Michigan. Parts Galore operations are also planned for the Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio markets.

Intechra debuts as remarketing pioneer

Carrolton, TX— One of the pioneering companies in the business of commercial remarketing and recycling of technology products is Intechra, LLC, formerly known as Resource Concepts, Inc. (RCI).

Board chairman, Chip Slack, said the new corporate identity is meant to suggest a new, bolder vision for the company. He said the company also will expand its remarketing and recycling services, and specifically intends to expand its distribution business for efurbished computers, peripherals and components - both domestically and internationally.

In October, Intechra named Cindy Brannon, recruited from Hewlett-Packard, as its new CEO. Brannon brings to Intechra more than 18 years of corporate management experience in the technology industry.

Since the company’s founding, it has received eight patents on its end-of-life processing and has opened the door for new uses of recycled base materials. For more information on the company, visit www.intechra.com.

Rechargeable battery group sees 7.7% recycling increase

Americans recycled 7.7 percent more rechargeable batteries last year, according to the industry´s latest data.

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. released its 2004 data in February. The nonprofit group´s recycling program collected more than 4.4 million pounds of rechargeable batteries, 7.7 percent more than in 2003. The group´s Call2Recycle cell phone collection program has amassed more than 48,000 cell phones since its April launch.

Interest from national retailers, businesses, communities and other recycling programs has increased since 2003, said Ralph Millard, RBRC executive vice president. More than 30,000 retail and community collection locations participate in the RBRC´s cell phone and rechargeable battery recycling programs. More than 400 portable rechargeable battery and product manufacturers and marketers fund the RBRC.

Wastequip Accurate appoints sales manager

Erial, NJ— Wastequip Accurate, manufacturer of waste handling and recycling equipment, announced the appointment of Ed Badinghaus as regional sales manager. In his new position, Badinghaus will be responsible for serving Wastequip Accurate customers throughout western Ohio.

“In addition to Ed’s energetic and customer service oriented approach to selling, his waste hauling background and experience make him the ideal person to work with our customers and help them with their solid waste handling equipment needs,” stated Seth Weingarten, vice president of sales and marketing for Wastequip Accurate.

Heil names Banowetz key account manager

Chattanooga, TN— Heil Environmental has appointed an industry veteran with more than 20 years experience to handle some of the fastest-growing accounts in the refuse collection industry. Marv Banowetz, who most recently served as Heil’s technical training manager, has been named key account manager. In this role, Banowetz will be responsible for new vehicle sales and support for Onyx Waste Services, Waste Connections, IESI/BFI Canada and other key customers.

Banowetz’s understanding of Heil refuse collection vehicles is unmatched. He has been with the company for nine years, working in field service, technical support, customer service and training. He also served as branch manager of the Heil Arizona distributorship in Phoenix. Since 2002, Banowetz has led Heil’s technical training program, organizing curriculum, conducting dozens of classes on Heil equipment and dispatching the company’s exclusive mobile training centers to customer locations around North America.

Waste Management elects Weidemeyer to Board

Houston, TX— Waste Management Inc. announced that Thomas H. Weidemeyer, formerly senior vice president and chief operating officer of United Parcel Service Inc. and president of UPS Airlines, was elected to its Board of Directors.

Weidemeyer’s career at UPS included a broad range of experiences in the U.S. and managing Latin American operations. Mr. Weidemeyer started at UPS in 1972, and held various assignments of increasing responsibility before being named vice president of UPS Airlines in 1990.

The election of Weidemeyer brings the size of Waste Management’s Board of Directors to nine members, eight of whom are independent.

U.S. Can announces management changes

Lombard, IL— Philip Mengel has joined U.S. Can Corporation as chief executive officer. George V. Bayly will remain actively involved in the Company as executive chairman.

Mr. Mengel, currently a director of U.S. Can, was the chief executive officer of English Welsh & Scottish Railway in Britain from January 2000 through December 2003. From 1996 to January 2000, Mengel was the chief executive officer of Ibstock plc, an international building products company based in London. Mengel is also director of The Economist Newspaper Group Ltd.

Rulmeca to assemble motorized pulleys in U.S.

Wilmington, NC— Rulmeca Corporation, a manufacturer of motorized pulleys for bulk handling, recently announced they will assemble Motorized Pulleys in Wilmington, North Carolina beginning June 2005. The pulleys, which are built specifically for belt conveyors, are designed with the motor and gearbox hermetically sealed in the steel shell, making them compact, reliable, and safe in harsh environmental conditions.

“Our customers cannot always wait weeks for Motorized Pulleys to ship from our factory in Germany,” said Rulmeca Corporation President, Mike Gawinski. “So, assembling pulleys at our Wilmington facility will enable us to ship key items within 48 hours.”

Copart strengthens Southeast presence

Fairfield, CA— Copart, Inc., a provider of vehicle salvage disposition services in the U.S., announced the opening of its seventh salvage yard in the state of Florida and its nineteenth in the Southeastern region. The 21-acre greenfield facility located in Ocala, Florida will add needed capacity in the northern part of the state, which is currently serviced by yards in Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida.

Copart, founded in 1982, provides vehicle suppliers, primarily insurance companies, with a full range of services to process and sell salvage vehicles through auctions, principally to licensed dismantlers, rebuilders and used vehicle dealers.

Xethanol Corp. announces reverse merger

New York, NY— Xethanol Corporation, a leader in the emerging waste-to-ethanol industry, announced the closing of a private placement of more than $3.0 million and the simultaneous stock-for-stock merger with Zen Pottery Equipment, Inc., a publicly traded company. The combined company will now operate under the name Xethanol Corporation and will assume and execute Xethanol’s business plan as its sole business going forward. Xethanol will retain its senior management team, led by Christopher d’Arnaud-Taylor, its chairman and chief executive officer. Xethanol’s shares will be listed on the Over-the-Counter (OTC) Bulletin Board initially under the trading symbol ZPYE.OB. Following the closing of the private placement and merger, Xethanol will have approximately 13.1 million outstanding shares of common stock.

This private placement and merger transaction will enable Xethanol to expand its capacity and capitalize on favorable market, political, environmental and pricing trends for ethanol.

Gerdau Ameristeel posts earnings of $338 million

Gerdau Ameristeel Corp. reported increased profitability and sales for 2004 and attributed the results to its adaptation to dynamic market conditions and its integration of three major acquisitions.

The company posted net income of $337.7 million, or $1.45 per fully diluted share, on revenue of $3.0 billion for the year ended Dec. 31. Those figures compare with a net loss of $26.7 million, or 14 cents per share, on revenue of $1.8 billion for fiscal 2003.

The board of directors approved the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend. The initial cash dividend of US$0.02 per common share is payable March 4, 2005 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 16, 2005.

Ely Enterprises named dealer of the year

Cleveland, OH— NexGen Baling Systems, a division of Marathon Equipment Company based in Vernon, Alabama, announced that Ely Enterprises, Inc. was named Dealer of the Year and Top Dealer Over Quota by NexGen Baling Systems for the second year in a row.

NexGen Baling Systems is one of the fastest growing baling equipment and conveyor manufacturers in the country. They offer a wide variety of auto-tie and manual tie balers to meet the throughput and budget demands of the printing and recycling industries.