Founder of Accent Wire Tie started that company with just two people in 1986.

Tomball, Texas-based Accent Wire Tie has announced that Junius Pickett (J.P.) Sims III died in late February.

Sims, who was born in 1940, is described by Accent Wire and the Sims family as “a man of great character, integrity, loyalty and dignity” who “had a boundless love for his family, close friends and the company he founded, Accent Wire Tie.”

He started Accent in 1986 in a “small, two-person office,” says the company. Subsequently, Accent grew “into the world’s leading supplier of baling wire to the recycling and waste industry,” adds the firm.

“The culture J.P. created attracted the industry’s best and most talented people to Accent, and many are with Accent still today,” states the company in its announcement. “A visionary and risk taker, J.P. was known for his quiet dignity and unexpected sense of humor. J.P. Sims will be forever remembered for his passions, honesty, kindness and the countless lives he positively impacted.”

Sims’ survivors also describe him as “very giving and supportive of the community,” adding, “In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to your choice of J.P.’s favorite charities: Camp Hope | PTSD Foundation of America and Abandoned Animal Rescue.”

Todd Foreman has been in law enforcement since 1993.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, has named former police chief Todd Foreman as its new director of law enforcement outreach. ISRI says Foreman has been in law enforcement since 1993 and most recently served as chief of police for the Bedford, Virginia, police department.  

“Todd Foreman brings a wealth of law enforcement leadership to ISRI’s national partnership efforts,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “ISRI remains committed to strengthening our outreach and relationship with law enforcement in the battle against metals theft.”  

In his role, Foreman will also lead ISRI’s online efforts to deter materials theft that include the websites StopMetalsTheft.org and ScrapTheftAlert.com.  

“I’m excited to work with ISRI and use the skills I learned throughout my career to helping the industry build a stronger relationship with law enforcement,” Foreman says. “We’ll continue ISRI’s longstanding commitment to helping prevent metals theft by creating a team environment between the industry and law enforcement.”  

Before he was appointed Bedford’s chief of police, Foreman served as the department’s patrol sergeant and its operations lieutenant. During his tenure as chief, he led the department to attain CALEA accreditation standards for the first time while focusing efforts on crime prevention and community policing.   

He graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Arts degree in human services counseling: criminal justice. He attended the FBI Academy in 2009 and served for 16 years in the Pennsylvania and Virginia Army National Guard. 

The company recently announced its fifth and sixth acquisitions in the state.

Meridian Waste, an integrated, nonhazardous solid waste services company based in Greensboro, North Carolina, has announced the acquisition of two waste collection companies in the state. The company says it closed on the purchase of Pinnacle Waste LLC in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Triad Waste LLC in Sanford, North Carolina.   

According to a news release from Meridian, the terms of the asset purchase agreements will remain private. Both acquisitions closed March 1.  

The acquired assets from Pinnacle Waste include an operating construction and demolition (C&D) transfer station, including heavy equipment and tractor-trailers, roll-off trucks, containers and commercial contracts. Meridian Waste will operate its new hauling company, including the Chatham C&D waste and recycling transfer station, from the former Pinnacle location in Goldston, North Carolina. The front-load and roll-off trucks, including container assets acquired from Triad Waste, will be relocated.  

The company says operational and office staff members of both companies have transitioned to Meridian Waste. The combined service area from the two acquisitions includes Chatham, Lee, Harnett, Moore and Orange counties.    

Meridian Waste will operate out of Chatham County, situated between the Triangle Region and the Piedmont-Triad region. The company says those regions are two of the state's biggest populace and commerce centers. 

“North Carolina has proven to be a great state for Meridian Waste to grow and prosper,” says Walter Hall, CEO of Meridian Waste. “The Pinnacle and Triad Waste acquisitions are our most recent examples of North Carolina opportunities that have allowed Meridian Waste to benefit from the assimilated companies’ solid base of business built and serviced by incredibly committed employees.”  

This marks Meridian Waste’s fifth and sixth acquisitions in North Carolina and the 21 and 22 since the company transitioned to private stock under the ownership of Warren Equity Partners in April 2018. 

The two companies will move forward under the name Boro-Wide Recycling to submit a joint bid for New York City’s Commercial Waste Zones program.

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp. (BWR) and Mr. T Carting Corp. (MRT), both based in Queens, New York, have announced plans to merge and move forward as Boro-Wide Recycling to submit a joint bid for the NYC Commercial Waste Zone request for proposal (RFP).

Together, the two companies have more than a century of combined solid waste management experience.

The joint venture between BWR and MRT has been described as a “natural one,” given the two predecessor companies have occasionally joined forces to navigate the highly competitive waste management industry in New York City. Coincidentally, BWR was one of MRT’s first customers at its municipal solid waste transfer station when it first opened in the late 1980s.

“Our companies have a long history of working together and [an even] longer history of servicing customers in New York City. We're proud to combine our efforts to submit a bid in response to the CWZ RFP," says Tom Toscano, president of MRT.

As a result of the merger, the newly formed company’s material recovery facility located in Maspeth will become the largest commercial recycling plant in Queens, with the capacity to process roughly 150,000 tons of mixed recycling annually. The merger will also lead to a transformation of the company’s Brooklyn-based solid waste transfer station into an organics recycling facility capable of processing 90,000 tons of food waste per year for either anaerobic digestion or composting. This conversation is anticipated to expand New York City’s capacity to divert organic materials.

"Boro-Wide is committed to building a zero-waste future in New York City, and we believe Mr. T Carting shares that goal. We're excited to work with them and the city to usher in the next era of sustainability," says Bob Cristina, president and CEO of BWR.

In addition to Boro-Wide Recycling’s commitment to waste diversion, the company also plans to continue a shared priority for state-of-the-art technology. According to a release, the predecessor companies will combine their use of advanced technologies including route optimization and onboard truck scales. They will also actively use collision avoidance technology and five-way cameras to increase the safety of their fleet by scanning for pedestrian and vehicular activity.

As the predecessor companies come together to do business as Boro-Wide Recycling, they aim to keep several aspects of the third generation family-managed businesses top of mind, such as safety, efficiency, equality and continued investment in technology and personnel. 

The scholarship and grant programs will help students at Olive-Harvey College get a degree or certifications for diesel technology, commercial driver’s license A or commercial driver’s license B.

WM, Houston, has partnered with the City Colleges of Chicago to launch a scholarship and grant program for the transportation, logistics and distribution fields. Both programs launched this month and will assist students in obtaining a degree or certifications for diesel technology, commercial driver’s license (CDL) A or CDL B.  

“Diesel technology is a field that is not decreasing,” says Cheryl Freeman, dean of college to careers at Olive-Harvey College. “As more trucks are needed in the transportation industry, more people are needed to keep the trucks in working order. Machines are not replacing these jobs. “  

The scholarship and grant funding totals about $127,000 from WM, and the program will run until the funding runs out. The selection process lasts a week and more than 20 students will be selected, Freeman adds.  

Students can get the grant, scholarship or both with funding up to $5,000. The money from the scholarship will go toward books and tuition, while the grant will go toward equipment needed to complete courses. Students admitted to the program and who maintain the eligibility criteria will be supported for up to two semesters.  

There are diesel technician positions open to students after completing the basic certification, Freeman says. 

Qualified candidates include current, returning or prospective students at Olive-Harvey College interested in earning the basic certificate, advanced certificate or degree in diesel technology. They could also be interested in earning a basic certificate in CDL A or B or interested in taking continuing education classes that are diesel technology or CDL-focused.