BUSINESS/ORGANIZATIONAL BRIEFS

Cascade Engineering Gets a Make-over

Grand Rapids, MI— Cascade Engineering has developed trash bins with tracking devices, researched animal-proof plastic waste containers, and utilized nanotechnology to mold parts for automotive seating and furniture components. This spirit of innovation is at the heart of a new brand revitalization program for all aspects of Cascade Engineering’s operations.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company is working to translate its 30 years of industry leadership into a new market identity, including a refreshed logo, new corporate website and updated marketing information. The company said the brand revitalization program was established to provide a cleaner, more understandable definition of products and services to customers.

The Company has streamlined their solutions groups into three main categories — Solid Waste Solutions, Industrial Solutions and Automotive Solutions. These groups address the broad capabilities of Cascade Engineering and provide a clearer division for customers.

Cascade Engineering also said it has renewed its commitment to social and environmental responsibility, emphasizing new research, ideas and solutions for customers, employees and the community as keys to long-term success.

EPA Reaches Agreement with Health Center

Chicago, IL— U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has reached an agreement with Southwest General Health Center, Middleburgh Heights, Ohio, on alleged clean-air violations at the center’s medical waste incinerator.

“As part of the agreement, Southwest will protect the health of its neighbors by carrying out a mercury thermometer exchange in 11 surrounding communities,” said Acting Regional Administrator Bharat Mathur. Mr. Mathur said the exchange will cost the center at least $37,500. This is in addition to a civil penalty of $12,500.

The settlement resolves an EPA allegation that Southwest violated the dioxin and furan emission standard for hospital medical waste incinerators. Southwest has permanently shut down its incinerator.

International Steel Group Purchases Assets of Georgetown Steel Facility

Richfield, OH— International Steel Group Inc. has completed the acquisition of the assets of the Georgetown Steel Company facility in Georgetown, South Carolina, for a purchase price of $18 million in cash, plus assumed liabilities.

The Georgetown plant has the capability to produce high-quality wire rod products, which are used to make low carbon fine wire drawing, wire rope, tire cord, high-carbon machinery, and upholstery springs. The facility has annual steelmaking capacity of 1 million tons and rolling capacity of 800,000 tons, and also has the capacity to produce 500,000 tons annually of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), a scrap substitute. Georgetown Steel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2003 and the plant has been idle since then.

Nucor to Acquire Decatur Cold Mill

Charlotte, NC— Nucor Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement with Worthington Industries, Inc. for the purchase of certain assets of their cold rolling mill in Decatur, Alabama for a cash purchase price of approximately $82 million. Closing of the transaction is expected to occur within the next 60 days after receiving the necessary approvals from government agencies.

The assets purchased include all of the buildings, the pickle line, four- stand tandem cold mill, temper mill and annealing furnaces of the Decatur facility adjacent to the current Nucor Steel Decatur, LLC steel plant. The purchase does not include the slitting and cut-to-length equipment, which Worthington will continue to operate. Worthington Industries constructed the plant and started production in 1998.

Test Shows New Tires Increase Fuel Efficiency by 10%

Boulder City, NV— Amerityre Corporation reported that independent laboratory test results demonstrate that Amerityre’s prototype polyurethane run-flat car tire averaged 45% lower rolling resistance when compared with a rubber run-flat car tire. Rick Vannan, a tire consultant working for Amerityre, said “The lower rolling resistance translates to more than a 10% increase in fuel economy for a car equipped with these tires.”

Commenting on the rolling resistance test results, Richard Steinke, Amerityre’s president and chief executive officer said, “We are very pleased with the results because they are better than we had anticipated. It is incredible how our polymer material has performed.”

In April 2004, an independent laboratory completed testing determining that Amerityre’s prototype polyurethane car tires comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109 for new pneumatic tires.

Waste Management Awards Suppliers

Houston, TX— Waste Management, Inc. announced Wastequip, Inc., Volvo Construction Equipment North America, Inc. and McNeilus Companies, Inc. the winners of the company's 2003 Total Customer Satisfaction (TCS) awards. The TCS awards honor the "Best-in-Class" suppliers that are proven performance leaders and are continuously helping create a competitive advantage for Waste Management through their unique supplier solutions.

Total Customer Satisfaction, a Waste Management program, holds suppliers to the highest standards of performance. TCS is achieved when suppliers perform at high levels over a sustained period of time.

Wastequip Expands with McLaughlin Refuse Equipment Acquisition

Cleveland, OH— Wastequip, Inc. has expanded to the west coast with the purchase of McLaughlin Refuse Equipment, Inc. in Lockeford, California. Robert C. Rasmussen, president and chief executive officer of Wastequip, Inc, made the announcement.

Headed by company president Danny McLaughlin, McLaughlin Refuse Equipment, Inc. manufactures equipment for the refuse, scrap, recycling, and hazardous waste industries in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. McLaughlin Refuse’s current management will continue to lead the company.

Founded in 1995, McLaughlin Refuse Equipment manufactures roll-off, front load, rear load, and hazardous waste containers; self-dumping hoppers; and storage boxes.

SWANA’S Scozzafava elected to Maryland Recycling Coalition Board

Silver Spring, MD— SWANA announced that Lori Scozzafava, SWANA’s Director of Technical Programs, has been elected to the Maryland Recyclers Coalition (MRC) board of directors. 

Ms. Scozzafava has been involved with MRC since 1991, when she led the Recycling Services Division for the Maryland Department of the Environment before joining SWANA in July 1999. She also gained recycling management experience as a senior consultant for Falls Church, Virginia-based Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc., and as recycling coordinator for the Municipal Utilities Authority in Morris County, New Jersey.

Startech Environmental Appoints New Distributor

Wilton, CT— Startech Environmental Corporation announced Plastech Solutions, Ltd. of New South Wales, Australia, as its exclusive distributor for the territories of Australia and New Zealand. The Company has received a $250,000 irrevocable payment from Plastech for the distributorship.

The Agreement requires Plastech to contract for a 10 ton-per-day Plasma Converter System (PCS) by October 30, 2004, to serve as its demonstration system in its processing center and showroom. In addition, the agreement also requires Plastech to purchase a minimum number of PCSs in the following years to maintain the distributorship.

Concrete Washout Systems Continues Rapid Expansion into California

Elk Grove, CA— Concrete Washout Systems, Inc., indicated that it has signed a licensing agreement with American Concrete Washouts, Inc. (ACW), who will distribute and service Concrete Washout Systems (CWS) in Northern California.

American Concrete Washouts, Inc., a start-up company specifically formed to distribute and service the CWS, began servicing the fast growing Placer County market at the beginning of May 2004. The Concrete Washout Systems have been well received by construction professionals and ACW has deployed approximately 40 boxes in less than one month in Placer County, prompting their expansion into neighboring Yuba and Sutter Counties.

The patent pending CWS is a portable, self-contained and watertight bin that controls, captures and contains concrete washout material and wastewater. It allows trade personnel to easily washout concrete trucks, pumps and equipment on site.

Waste Industries USA, Inc. Announces New Board Member

Raleigh, NC— Waste Industries USA, Inc. announced the election of James A. Walker as a new board member at its annual shareholders meeting. The new number of directors is six, with four seats held by independent directors and two seats held by management. Incumbents re-elected to the board were Lonnie C. Poole Jr., Jim W. Perry, Glenn E. Futrell, Paul F. Hardiman, and James R. Talton, Jr.

James A. Walker is chairman of the Advisory Group, LLC, which provides consulting services on real estate investment sales and acquisitions, a position he has held since 1997. From 1984 until 1997, he was the chief executive officer of North Hills, Inc., a $350 million diversified real estate development company.

In addition to the election of the board members, the company’s shareholders voted to ratify the selection of Deloitte & Touche, LLP as auditors for the year ending December 31, 2004.

PC Scale Selects New President

PC Scale, Inc. has promoted John “Jack” Wondowski to president of the company. The former president and CEO, Donald Tefft, will continue as CEO. Mr. Wondowski has been with PC Scale since 1986 and has served as vice president of operations for the last seven years.

Mr. Wondowski resides in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania and has a degree in nuclear engineering along with 20 years of experience in the waste industry.

TieTek, LLC Announces New Plant Start-up

Houston, TX— TieTek, LLC, a subsidiary of North American Technologies Group, Inc. celebrated the recent opening of the new Marshall, Texas composite crosstie manufacturing facility. Several national and railroad industry leaders participated in the event, including former secretary of the interior Bruce Babbitt, Texas congressman and member of the House Ways and Means Committee Max Sandlin, and Transportation Technology Center executive Ed Groves. The Transportation Technology Center is an independent railroad technology testing facility owned by the Association of American Railroads. The Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroads were present, along with many of TieTek’s suppliers and strategic partners.

Construction of the first line is now complete and all the components for the second line at Marshall are complete and its start-up is scheduled for the end of July 2004.

Commercial Metals Company Increases Quarterly Cash Dividend

Irving, TX— Commercial Metals Company announced that its board of directors raised its quarterly cash dividend from eight to ten cents per share, an increase of 25%.

CMC Chairman, president and chief executive officer Stanley A. Rabin said, “The cash dividend increase is a further realization of our commitment to enhance shareholder value, and reflects our current strong earnings and cash flow, excellent financial condition and confidence in our long-term business prospects.”

The dividend will be paid on July 16, 2004 to shareholders of record July 2, 2004. This is the 159th consecutive quarterly cash dividend paid by Commercial Metals Company.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation Forms Steel Scrap Partnership

Wheeling, WV— Two Wheeling-based companies, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation and Herman Strauss, Inc., announced a strategic scrap agreement that makes Herman Strauss the scrap steel operator and exclusive scrap steel provider to Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel. As part of the agreement, Herman Strauss will build, own and operate the scrap facility that will supply all of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel’s scrap needs, including for its Electric Arc Furnace. Construction of the EAF, which is located at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel’s Mingo Junction Plant, is scheduled for completion this fall.

Herman Strauss, Inc. is expected to provide in excess of 100,000 tons per month of steel scrap to Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel, or the equivalent of the steel content of 90,000 automobiles. In addition to steel scrap, Herman Strauss will handle other raw materials that can be used as feedstock to the EAF, including pig iron and hot briquetted iron HBI.

Autocar Truck Adds Sales Support Staff

Hagerstown, IN– Trucking and waste-hauling industry specialist Charlie Luper has been appointed to head up the new position of director of sales services at Autocar Truck, reporting to Tom Vatter, vice president of sales and marketing.

Mr. Luper, previously regional sales manager for Autocar’s Central Region, will work out of the Hagerstown, Indiana, corporate offices. His replacement in the Central Region is Wayne Grundmeier, formerly account director with Heil Environmental Industries, Ltd.

Appointed to oversee sales for Autocar’s Central Region in 2001, Mr. Luper previously spent 13 years with Volvo Truck in various positions ranging from cost accounting to sales application engineering.

Attachment Company Signs Agreement with HGT of Germany

Eurotech Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has signed an exclusive long-term agreement with HGT of Ilsede, Germany. HGT designs and builds loader and excavator attachments in the operating weight class of up to 22,000 pounds.

The products to be manufactured in Germany and distributed by HGT include grapples, buckets, sorting grabs, scrap handling, etc.