Helmut Wiedemann joins MeWa board of directors

Helmut Wiedemann was appointed a director of MeWa and Helmut Oberguggenberger has been given power of sole representation.

In line with corporate growth, MeWa has adapted its organizational structures further to increased market demands. In this context, Helmut Wiedemann was appointed a member of the board of directors, effective at the beginning of 2009. In future, Wiedemann will manage the company alongside the managing partners Heimo Wabnig, Helmut Oberguggenberger and Ulrich Hink. Helmut Wiedemann has already been active in the company for several years as the head of design engineering and operations.

Oberguggenberger joined the company as a management assistant. It was only a short time before he was given power of attorney, and Helmut Oberguggenberger has been a member of the company management since 2005.

NRRA announces new interim executive director

Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) appointed Michael Durfor of Harbor Hill Consulting, Sunapee, New Hampshire as their interim executive director to carry out the executive director responsibilities while the board of trustees searches for a permanent replacement.

Durfor is in charge of completing a full and comprehensive review of NRRA operations with the goal of charting the future course for the organization. In addition, he will assist the board in outlining a long-term strategic plan. Durfor brings a lifetime of commitment to the environment and recycling, and a wealth of professional management experience with which to assess and recommend goals and objectives given the current volatility in all NRRA markets.

Universal Stainless hires William Beible, Jr.

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. announced that William W. Beible, Jr. has joined the Company in the newly-created position of senior vice president of operations. Beible will be responsible for all of the Company’s manufacturing operations, Bridgeville, Titusville and Dunkirk Specialty Steel, as well as engineering and supply chain management.

Beible has broad and in-depth experience in manufacturing, engineering, capital project management and systems development. At his most recent employer, Carpenter Technology Corporation, he served as vice president of manufacturing, specialty alloys operations.

From 2003 to 2005, Beible was with Glatfelter, a global supplier of specialty papers and engineered products, serving as vice president of business improvement and vice president of information technology.

Vega Promotional acquires Natural Fuels Industries

Vega Promotional Systems, Inc. announced it has completed its acquisition of Montana based, alternative energy manufacturer, Natural Fuels Industries in an all stock transaction.

Natural Fuels Industries (NFI) manufactures various products including energy efficient pellet fuel made from organic waste bi-products. The Company’s current expansion includes building manufacturing plants in various international locations that will produce bio-mass products and bio-diesel products for power generation units. It is estimated that in the next five years the bio mass industry will become a $20 billion industry.

SCADA celebrates fifty years in existence

The State of California Auto Dismantlers Association (SCADA) is celebrating its fiftieth year as the statewide voice of the vehicle recycling industry in California throughout 2009.

State-of-the-art recycling facility opens in Pittsburg

Mt. Diablo Recycling Center is fully enclosed, and at 90,000 square feet in size is the “next generation” in recycling facilities. Operated by high-tech computers, Mt. Diablo Recycling Center is a series of belts, filters and slides that separate the incoming materials. There is even a new machine which uses heavy-duty magnets to automatically separate out aluminum, tin and other metals.

The facility is owned and operated by Mary Garaventa and the Garaventa family in Pittsburg, California.

“Going green is not new to our family,” said Sil Garaventa, Jr., CEO of Garaventa Enterprises. Garaventa’s grandfather, Andrew Moresco, operated a one-truck garbage route in the 1930s. “My grandfather was the original recycler – recycling glass bottles, cans, rags and other products,” Garaventa said.

Because Mt. Diablo Recycling Center processes all recyclables in a single stream, utilizing new high-tech computer equipment, recyclable materials no longer need to be manually separated – significantly increasing the amount of materials recovered and turned into new products.

Brian Nadel promoted to president of Marathon

Marathon Equipment, a division of Dover Industrial Products, announced the promotion of Brian Nadel to the position of operating company president, effective February 9, 2009. Nadal will be working through a transition with Gordon Shaw who recently announced his retirement.

Nadal has served as the vice-president and general manager of Paladin Heavy Construction since June 1, 2007. During that time, he implemented a number of business improvement activities, rationalized the product offering and initiated several very effective new product development programs.

Prior to joining Paladin and Dover, Nadal was the general manager of Parker Hannifin’s Hydraulic Gear Pump Division. Before Parker Hannifin, he spent 12 years with TRW in a number of increasingly responsible roles including two years in England as director of operations for Europe.

Nadal will be relocating to Marathon’s headquarters located in Vernon, Alabama area.

AssetNation appoints Dave Dawson as CEO

AssetNation, Inc. announced that Dave Dawson will lead the company as chief executive officer.

A seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience working with supply chain, procurement and technology-enabled auction platforms, Dawson brings a wealth of expertise to the AssetNation team and its global network of customers. Dawson will provide oversight, direction and leadership to AssetNation’s business lines including SalvageSale and AssetAuctions.

Prior to joining AssetNation, Dawson was an executive at Dell where he was responsible for inbound supply chain strategy, supply chain services and a global sourcing organization that managed $45 billion in online commerce. Prior to joining Dell he was the vice president of Global Sourcing Services for Ariba-FreeMarkets where he led teams in Asia, Europe and the Americas executing $35 billion of online auctions.

Safety-Kleen acquires Atlantic Industrial Services

Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., has acquired the assets of Atlantic Industrial Services, Inc. (AISI), headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one of the largest collectors and recyclers of used oil, oil filters and antifreeze in the Southeast. The acquisition includes ten Atlantic locations.

Neenah Enterprises closes Gregg Industries

Neenah Enterprises, Inc. announced the decision of NEI’s board to close its Gregg Industries, Inc. facility due to the poor economy and declining sales. Gregg Industries, Inc., located in El Monte, California, is a manufacturer of iron castings for trucks and heavy machinery.

“Most of the remaining 225 workers at Gregg will receive notices this week that the plant will close approximately in mid-May 2009. We are acting in accordance with the United States Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and California reg- ulations, giving employees 60 days notice of our closure,” stated Jeff Hillier, vice president and general manager of Gregg Industries.

Oakleaf appoints senior VP, general counsel

Oakleaf has appointed Greg Pastore to the position of senior vice president, general counsel. Pastore will be responsible for managing all the legal matters of Oakleaf and its four subsidiaries.

Prior to joining Oakleaf, Pastore served as vice president, general counsel and secretary for Friendly Ice Cream Corporation. He was chiefly responsible for all legal, employee relations, and security matters for the publicly traded restaurant, manufacturing, and retail distribution company. Pastore was instrumental in negotiating the sale of Friendly’s in 2007.