WastAway names new chief communications officer

WastAway, a Brentwood, Tennesee-based green tech company that converts municipal solid waste (MSW) to fuel, has named Todd Smith as chief communications officer.

Smith, who previously served as president and CEO of Deane Smith agency, has nearly 35 years of experience in public affairs, government relations, branding, crisis communications, media relations, marketing, new business development and more.

He is a former staff writer for The Washington Times and speechwriter for the George H.W. Bush presidential campaign. He also previously served on the executive team of Affinion Group, a global direct marketer, and has held senior public relations, marketing and advertising positions with HCA and Gaylord Entertainment Co. Smith began his agency career at Atkinson Public Relations, where he was a leader in creating the Nashville Health Care Council.

“WastAway is poised for rapid growth as the waste and recycling industry realizes the incredible potential our multipatented, innovative waste-to-fuel process can power the future of green technology,” WastAway CEO Mark Brown says. “As we position our company to harness this expansion, we needed a branding, PR and marketing expert on our executive team to lead the charge. We are thrilled to have Todd on board to help us build our promising future.”

In his new role at WastAway, Smith will lead overall branding, PR and marketing for the company.

The hiring comes as WastAway is “posed for explosive growth” in the coming years, according to the company.

Two major plants that turn MSW into fuel are set for construction this year: one in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which will divert 90 percent of waste from the Middle Point Landfill, and a second in Kern County California, near Bakersfield, which will also divert 90 percent of the city’s landfill waste into renewable biomass fuel. The two plants will cost an estimated $120 million to build and will process 400 tons of MSW daily.

WastAway was founded in 2002 as a subsidiary of Bouldin Corporation, which began in 1959 as Bouldin & Lawson, a manufacturer of agricultural and horticultural machinery for the greenhouse and nursery industries.