24 WESTERN PALLET
Spotted lantern fly, originally from China, has invaded the US East Coast, and is expected to make its way to California. Credit: Stephen Asmus / USDA-ARS
Report from Atlas Pallets after Caliente Fire
Vecoplan Midwest Expands Team for Wood & Biomass
NEW ALBANY, IN – Vecoplan Midwest, LLC, a subsidiary of Vecoplan LLC, has augmented its sales team to increase its focus on wood and biomass markets. In addition, it welcomes a new engineer for projects and product development.
“As a leader in shredding and pelletizing equipment, it is logical for us to add salespeople in areas where we can grow,” says Vecoplan Midwest COO, Bill Miller. “The new sales team members bring a combined 70 years’ experience to our customers to help them, in turn, grow or increase efficiencies.”
Willie Baldwin is based in Portland, Oregon and comes from the primary wood industry. Previously serving in roles including customer service, inside and outside sales, and sales management, he has over two decades of experience. Baldwin has called on the industry across the entire country and has intimate knowledge of cutting technologies. He will be focusing on western states for Vecoplan.
“I recently joined Vecoplan Midwest as the Western Territory Sales Manager, and I look forward to successfully expanding the Vecoplan footprint to the West Coast,” he said. Baldwin attended the 2020 WPA Annual Meeting where he met many WPA members.
“I have 20+ years of experience in sales across a multitude of industries, which will help me help my customers with their operation,” Baldwin added. After starting in an entry-level position as a customer service representative, he was promoted to Sales Manager where he managed the entire United States C.S.R. team of Burton Saw, and then Territory Sales Manager, growing in his territory by 25% after only two years. He was subsequently promoted to Western Regional Sales Manager position, managing seven territory sales managers, cutting tool specialists and customer service representatives.
Will Brennan serves as an independent rep for Vecoplan in Western Canada. Based in the Vancouver area, Brennan specializes in biomass applications in size reduction. He has over 25 years’ experience in various industries including primary and secondary wood processing and material handling, His technical background in mechanical engineering technology allows him to understand and contribute to complex projects in regards to wood and biomass waste.
Mike Proost has over 25 years in industrial sales throughout the Midwest and Western US regions. Proost brings to Vecoplan expertise in material reduction and handling applications in various sectors. His expertise in size-reducing technology applies to multiple types of material, allows him to identify cost savings opportunities for facilities, be it through production and conveyor efficiencies or extending the life of machines. Proost is based in St. Louis and covers the central Midwest region of the country, south to Oklahoma and New Mexico.
At its home office in Indiana, Vecoplan Midwest has hired Cliff von Hoene as sales engineer who will be part of the team that oversees projects and engineering functions for the company. Over a span of 35 years, von Hoene has worked both domestically and abroad, including Asia and Europe. He specializes in industrial design in fabrication and manufacturing for both large and small customer sectors. Von Hoene is a graduate of Auburn University.
Vecoplan Midwest, LLC is a subsidiary of North Carolina-based Vecoplan, LLC, both of which are part of Vecoplan AG located in Germany. The companies manufacture industrial and mobile shredders for size reduction of virtually any material, selling into plastics, wood, recycling, and waste markets. The Vecoplan Midwest office focuses on the wood and biomass business and sells pelletizing equipment in addition to shredders.