Supplier News

Amp Robotics makes key leadership hires

Amp Robotics Corp., a Denver-based company focused on developing artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies for the waste and recycling industries, has hired several people to its leadership team, including a chief commercial officer, a vice president of operations, a sustainability consultant and a leader of talent and culture.

Jeff Loebbaka has joined Amp as its new chief commercial officer. Loebbaka will lead the strategic expansion of Amp’s business globally and help scale the business for growth.

Throughout much of his career, he has led marketing, sales, product and service functions at venture-backed startups and S&P 500 technology companies. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of global sales for California-based Poly, where he led Plantronics and Polycom post-merger go-to-market strategy and integration efforts to build a foundation for future growth.

Amp also added Mike Krings to its leadership team as vice president of operations. Krings will focus on scaling the business to meet demand and service Amp’s growing fleet of installations and customer base.

Krings spent the last 11 years at Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems, most recently as vice president and general manager, where he oversaw the company’s North American manufacturing operations of large-scale wind turbines.

With Krings joining Amp, the company’s Robb Espinosa will assume a new role as vice president of facility development. He will be responsible for managing a new development effort around integrating the company’s technology throughout recycling facilities’ operations.

Amp also appointed Lisa James, a sustainability consultant and waste management veteran, as director of enterprise sales. James has more than 15 years of experience in sustainability, recycling, reuse and waste management.

Prior to joining Amp, she held various strategic account management roles at Waste Management, Houston. She most recently served as national account specialist for recycling and diversion, working with Fortune 500 companies with a focus on consumer packaged goods leaders, where she directed major recycling, diversion and sustainability opportunities with national account clients and their locations. Prior to her time at Waste Management, she was in sales at Atlanta-based Unisource Worldwide.

In addition, Amp hired Emilie Kintner to lead the company’s talent and culture initiatives, including its efforts to attract and retain top Colorado tech talent. She most recently served as vice president of people and culture for Denver-based Galvanize.

“Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our teams continue to support the resilience of our global supply chain by advancing the recycling industry and sustaining the essential public service it provides. We’re doing this by maintaining the pace of installations and helping facilities modernize infrastructure and operations with the help of AI and robotics,” says Matanya Horowitz, Amp founder and chief executive officer. “On the heels of a strong first quarter with revenue growth over 50 percent, that trend continued, with strong demand, an increased sales pipeline, and a significant ramp up in bookings into the second half of the year. We’re also pleased to welcome some notable new leaders to AMP, spanning local, tech and recycling industry talent, who will help us build on our momentum and provide additional bandwidth and experience as we continue to grow.”

McCloskey adds new equipment dealer in Kansas

McCloskey International, Keene, Ontario, has added Berry Tractor & Equipment Co. to its global network of equipment distributors. Berry Tractor will serve the Kansas and western Missouri markets in the U.S. with McCloskey equipment.

Berry Tractor was founded in 1957 and is a division of Berry Cos. Inc., Wichita, Kansas. Berry Tractor has three additional locations—Garden City, Kansas; Topeka, Kansas; and Springfield, Missouri. The company is also an authorized Komatsu dealer, maintaining a rental fleet and providing repair and maintenance services on site or in its shops.

According to a news release from McCloskey, Berry Tractor has provided heavy equipment sales, rental and support in the heavy construction, aggregates, waste handling, roadbuilding and forestry sectors.

“The addition of this mobile screening and crushing line will allow us to better serve our customers and increase their productivity,” Jon Berry, president of Berry Tractor, says of the new partnership.

BHS promotes chief technology officer

Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Eugene, Oregon, has promoted Thomas Brooks to the position of CTO. Prior to taking on this position, Brooks was the company’s director of technology and product development.

Since joining BHS, Brooks led the redesign of NRT’s optical sorters, oversaw the creation of BHS’ Controls & Intelligence division and led the development of BHS’ artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technology, Max-AI. Recent developments include the integration of Max-AI technology into NRT optical sorters, which combines AI with both color and near infrared (NIR) optical detections to make enhanced sorting configurations possible.

In this new position, Brooks will focus on leading new technology and product development efforts across the organization, including for BHS, Max-AI, Nihot, National Recovery Technologies (NRT) and Zero Waste Energy.

“Thomas is an exceptional leader and does an excellent job of bringing to market innovative technology that’s in line with our corporate vision,” says Steve Miller, CEO of BHS. “The progress he’s made with Max-AI, our optical sorters and our system control and intelligence solutions are advances that are paying real dividends to our customers.”

“It’s an honor to lead the technology development for BHS and all of the brands that are in our family,” Brooks says. “I have the pleasure of working with a tremendous team, co-workers that deeply care about performance and achieving results for our customers, and for a leadership team that is forward-looking and invests heavily in our technology.”

McNeilus increases focus on refuse collection vehicle sales and support

McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corp. company, recently announced that it is dedicating its Dodge Center, Minnesota, headquarters to refuse collection vehicle manufacturing and technology development. According to the company, this focus will boost its capacity to build products and provide services for the refuse industry. The production of McNeilus concrete mixers in Dodge Center is being consolidated and moved to other Oshkosh manufacturing facilities in London, Ontario, and Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Concurrently, McNeilus is combining its factory-direct sales and support for trucks, parts and services into one aligned team to improve its customer support.

“This increased focus unlocks much-needed capacity for growth and opens the door for many of the opportunities and advancements we’ve been working on,” Jeff Koga, vice president and general manager for McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing’s Refuse Collection Vehicles segment, says. “And with the only direct-from-manufacturer team in the business, we offer sales and support that’s laser-focused on the needs of the refuse industry.”

McNeilus recently opened a 135,000-square-foot warehouse to streamline the supply chain for parts critical to the production of its refuse collection vehicles. The company also constructed new manufacturing, training and office space at its Minnesota campus dedicated to innovation and customer support to further enhance its offerings to its waste customers.

Big Truck Rental names Zach Martin president

Big Truck Rental LLC, Tampa, Florida, announced Aug. 4 that it has promoted Zach Martin to the position of president effective immediately. Martin will report directly to founder and CEO Scott Dols.

Martin originally joined Big Truck Rental in 2016 as vice president of sales.

“During his time with Big Truck Rental, Zach’s contributions have been invaluable, not only driving the growth of the business and enhancing customer service, but also strengthening the great company culture for our dedicated employees. He is now ready to assume the broader, strategic leadership role as president,” Big Truck Rental CEO Scott Dols says.

“It is an honor to be selected for the position of president at Big Truck Rental,” Martin says. “I have been very fortunate to work with an outstanding team. Big Truck Rental is a special place, and high-performing people are core to our DNA. I look forward to leading this fine group of people and cementing our company’s position as the leader in the specialty waste rental space.”

The company says that the appointment will help position Big Truck Rental for continued success in the future.

“I’m excited about 2021 and beyond,” Martin says. “I welcome the challenge and will continue to focus on the four pillars of our success—product, brand, customers and execution—as we transition into this next phase of growth.”

“I know Zach will do a great job in his new role, and we are confident about the future of Big Truck Rental under his leadership,” Dols says.