The Independent Equipment Dealers Association (IEDA) announced the addition of three new members to its board of directors March 6. Michael Cole from Cole Equipment, Ada, Oklahoma; Kiki Brignoni from Heavy Equipment Inventory, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Mike Pentz from Calvin Group, Loveland, Colorado, were inducted into the association’s board of directors during IEDA’s Annual Meeting and Expo held Feb.18-20 in Orlando, Florida.

Outgoing board members include Drew Van Brunt from Global Tractor Company, Colleyville, Texas; Brian Pokrajac from Peps Equipment, San Jacinto, California; and Chris Lohman from South Mountain Tractor, Phoenix.

One board member was also promoted. Luke Brenner from Heavy Equipment Co., Austin, Texas, is now the vice president of the IEDA.

"IEDA board members consist of highly recommended individuals, recruited by previous board members, [who will bring the] insight of a fresh perspective progressing the group and its members forward," Kristen Williams, IEDA's executive director, says. "We appreciate the time and contributions from our outgoing president and board members. They have done a wonderful job serving the independent used equipment industry. Under their leadership, the association has experienced a lot of success, and we are confident our new newest board members will continue to propel the association forward.”

Members of the IEDA board of directors serve a minimum of two consecutive years and are responsible for establishing industry best practices and quality used equipment standards. Retiring board members were presented with the IEDA Leadership Award, which is given to outgoing board members annually for their contribution to the organization.

While New Hampshire the Beautiful (NHtB) has long given equipment grants to assist municipal transfer stations and recycling centers in buying equipment, signs and curbside recycling bins, the NHtB board voted recently to offer a new annual grant to schools with innovative waste reduction ideas or school recycling programs.

The grant stemmed from Campbell High School’s recycling group, Campbell Recycling Advocacy Program (C.R.A.P.), which received a grant to purchase a wire stripper to process donated copper wire for recycling, earning extra money for the school.

New Hampshire schools that want to improve their recycling programs can apply for grant funding. Applicants could be a school recycling club looking to make recycling more efficient or easier or an environmental or science club with a waste reduction idea that needs help getting off the ground.

Any school that currently has a recycling program or is trying to start one can apply by submitting an essay detailing the school’s current program and how it can be improved upon or built. Applications should include information on how winning the grant would benefit the program or group.

Grant funds in the amount of $500 will be awarded and made payable to the school/club/organization.

The grant will be awarded annually as part of a new award to be presented to the winning participant(s) at the Northeast Resource Recovery Association’s School Recycling Conference held each May, NHtB says. Essays should be submitted to NRRA’s School Recycling CLUB, http://www.schoolrecycling.net/grant-fundraiser-contest/nh-schools. Essay submissions will be reviewed, and one school/group winner will be chosen by NH the Beautiful board members prior to the conference. Winners will be notified prior to the conference, and attendance is not necessary but is strongly encouraged.

To read more about previously awarded grants visit www.nhthebeautiful.org/category/recycling-grants.

NHtB is a private nonprofit charitable trust founded in 1983 and supported by the soft drink, malt beverage and grocery industries of New Hampshire. It offers municipal recycling grants of more than $2.5 million to date, signs, anti-litter programs and technical assistance to recycling programs. The organization supports the NRRA’s School Recycling CLUB (the CLUB) and is administered by the Northeast Resource Recovery Association, Epsom, New Hampshire. 

Fairbanks Scales Inc., Kansas City, Missouri, the has released what it says is the “new and improved” FB2550 instrument, the FB2558). According to the company, the unit maintains an industry leading feature set while incorporating faster processing power, an updated operating system and more memory.

Up to five FB2558 instruments can be networked, sharing transactional data and traffic light controls from up to eight scale platforms. Transaction data are shared among each networked instrument, the company says.

The FB2558 features an integrated web utility that, according to Fairbanks Scales, gives technicians complete access to all menu options, including calibration, with a user-friendly, web-accessible interface. All configuration and calibration functions can be performed from a connected laptop or tablet using an Ethernet crossover cable or an existing network. When used with Fairbanks’ Remote Configuration Device (RCD), a technician can calibrate the FB2558 from the scale platform, eliminating the need to travel between the platform and instrument to test and calibrate the scale system, the manufacturer says.

With the FB2558 users can automatically email transactional data or trouble codes. Daily transaction data can be exported automatically to a shared user-defined network folder at the end of the day. Load cell diagnostics data can be viewed, printed, exported or emailed. 

Also standard on the new FB2558 is short or long platform Axlematic software, which enables customers to secure axle weights along with total vehicle weight to ensure compliance with Department of Transportation requirements. IP camera interface capabilities round out the new features.

Germany-based Vecoplan AG has named Martina Schmidt the head of its business unit responsible for the areas of plastics recycling, alternative fuel processing, the recycling of domestic and industrial byproducts and file and data destruction.

Schmidt began her career with the company in 1990 as an industrial clerk. She assumed the lead of the internal sales department in 2010, and since 2013 has held responsibility for the sales of the recycling/waste business unit.

With the promotion, Schmidt will join the company’s management team along with Dirk Müller, head of wood/biomass business unit; Markus Claudy, head of the service/parts business unit; Chief Operating Officer Thomas Sturm; and Chief Financial Officer Michael Lambert.

“We are glad to have won Martina Schmidt as an internationally experienced representative with profound product and market knowledge for the management of the recycling/waste business unit,” says Werner Berens, CEO of Vecoplan AG.