Athens Services

Oct 26, 2022

Randon Lane joins Athens Services as vice president of government affairs Lane has a background in government and public affairs, energy and transportation policy and land use and development. October 26, 2022 City of Industry, California-based Athens Services has named Randon Lane as vice president of government affairs for Riverside County and South Bay coastal cities in Los Angeles County. Lane comes to Athens from Brylan Strategies, Murrieta, California, where he served as director of government and public affairs. In his prior position, Lane led a team that drove statewide policy and strategic direction on regional and local energy, transportation and development issues with federal, tribal, state and regional clients. Lane has an extensive background with an emphasis on government and public affairs, energy and transportation policy, as well as land use and development. Previously, Lane served at the federal level at the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration, the Maritime Administration and the Office of the Secretary. At the state level, he served as the district director for the 66th California Assembly District serving Riverside and San Diego Counties. “Government affairs is all about building relationships and working with people. Randon knows the issues and excels at building relationships between the public and private sectors,” says Athens Services Executive Vice President Gary Clifford. As a former Murrieta Mayor and council member, Lane has held leadership positions in several regional agencies throughout Southern California, including the Riverside Transit Agency, the Southern California Association of Governments and the Western Riverside Council of Governments. He worked with waste-hauling vendors and municipal contracts affecting his community and the region. Lane has a degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in marketing and communications from the University of Texas at Arlington. “I welcome the opportunity to help elected officials understand the laws they will have to implement in their community and how Athens is here to help them,” Lane says. Packaging Corp. of America (PCA) has reported third-quarter 2022 net income of $262 million, or $2.80 per share, and net income of $266 million on net sales of $2.1 billion in 2022, marking an increase in sales from $2 billion in sales in the third quarter of last year. The Lake Forest, Illinois-based company’s earnings per share (EPS) figure also increased 6.4 percent year on year from $2.63 in the third quarter of 2021 to $2.80 this year. Reported earnings in the third quarter of 2022 were lower in part because of special items pertaining to expenses at the Jackson, Alabama, mill for its paper-to-containerboard conversion costs. PCA says in its packaging segment, total corrugated products shipments and shipments per day were down (6 percent) compared with last year’s third quarter. Containerboard production of more than 1,116 million tons led to containerboard inventory that finished higher by 11,000 tons compared with the third quarter of 2021, and up 22,000 tons compared with the prior quarter . In the paper segment, sales volume was down 13,000 tons compared with the third quarter of 2021 and up 6,000 tons compared with the second quarter of last year. “We were able to exceed our guidance for the quarter even though we continued to experience significant cost inflation across the company and demand in our packaging segment was well below our expectations,” says Mark W. Kowlzan, chairman and CEO of PCA. “Implementation of our previously announced price increases in the packaging and paper segments continued to generate excellent results, and our mills and plants remained focused on lowering operating costs through process efficiency optimization efforts and material usage initiatives," he adds. "We also ran our containerboard system in a very cost-effective manner to match our supply with demand, and the scheduled outages in our mills were executed very well.” Regarding the remainder of the year, Kowlzan says, “Looking ahead as we move from the third and into the fourth quarter, we see most of the issues that impacted third quarter packaging segment demand continuing, and we will run our containerboard system based on this current outlook. At our Jackson, Alabama, mill we will be completing the scheduled annual maintenance outage as well as the first phase of the containerboard conversion work on the No. 3 machine.” Referring to additional challenges, Kowlzan says, “Our box plants will have four less shipping days in the fourth quarter, and we also expect a seasonally less rich mix in corrugated products as well as lower average export containerboard prices. "In our paper segment, we will continue to implement our price increase that took effect in September; however, volume will be lower compared to the seasonally stronger third quarter.” He concludes, “Scheduled outage expenses will be higher, and we expect slightly higher operating costs, primarily labor and benefit expenses, along with anticipated colder weather resulting in higher energy costs. Considering these items, we expect fourth-quarter earnings of $2.22 per share.” That figure would mark a 20.7 percent decrease from third-quarter EPS. PCA describes itself as the third-largest producer of containerboard products and a leading producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America. The company operates eight mills and 90 corrugated products plants and related facilities. Kore Infrastructure, El Segundo, California, has announced the successful one-year demonstration of its waste-to-energy modular system at its Los Angeles facility . According to Kore, this demonstration proves that the company’s technology can produce 100 percent renewable energy from organic waste using a closed-loop, carbon-negative process. Kore also demonstrated its ability to produce UltraGreen hydrogen that can be used to decarbonize a variety of industrial applications, including steel manufacturing and ammonia production. The UltraGreen hydrogen can also be upgraded for fuel cell electric cars, trucks, buses and trains. As explained by the company, the process produces biocarbon—a solid elemental carbon that can be blended into soil to reduce irrigation and fertilizer costs, improve drought resilience and increase plant yields. The biocarbon is a “stable form of carbon that will not revert to CO2 or CH4: its use sequesters carbon for centuries,” the company says. Companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprint can purchase Kore’s carbon credits through voluntary exchange markets. “This demonstrates that Kore’s technology is commercially-ready and able to scale up to solve the twin problems of reducing waste and increasing access to clean, carbon-negative fuels,” says Cornelius Shields, CEO and founder of Kore Infrastructure . “Our technology is now available to waste, energy and transportation sector leaders to provide a made-in-America, carbon-negative energy solution, creating a supply chain that is emissions-free, sustainable and affordable.” Kore's modular system uses a proprietary pyrolysis process, which heats organic waste under high temperatures in a zero-oxygen environment. The process is designed to meet South Coast Air Quality Management District’s ultra-low nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions standards. The facility has been running for one year in Los Angeles, one of the most tightly regulated airsheds in the country. “This innovative technology is designed to divert organic waste from landfills, reducing short-lived climate pollutant production and instead, producing carbon-negative hydrogen and renewable natural gas,” Kore says. Olyns, a San Jose, California-based startup that offers reverse vending machine technologies, has partnered with McLean, Virginia-based Mars Wrigley North America to launch the Sweet Rewards Challenge as a way to encourage consumers to recycle rigid plastic candy containers. Through the challenge, consumers in Northern California can recycle rigid plastic candy and gum containers to participating Olyns reverse vending machines (RVM) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Justin Comes, vice president of research and development of Mars Wrigley North America , says the company decided to partner with Olyns on this challenge in order to try to recycle more rigid plastics. “Plastic waste is a challenge that requires new and innovative solutions,” Comes says. “We’re excited to work with Olyns on this innovative approach to the collection and recycling of rigid plastics.” Olyns says its plug-and-play RVM Cubes feature a 65-inch video display, offering a sustainable way for advertisers to reach consumers in-store. According to Olyns, the Sweet Rewards Challenge launched Oct. 25 and will run for a limited time. Consumers can deposit their hard plastic candy and gum containers to Olyns Cubes at participating locations and play a game to earn badges and win up to $100. Olyns lists participating retailers online . “Rigid plastic containers, like those used for gum and candy, may slip through the cracks of traditional recycling systems because they’re just too small. And because states don’t offer redemption value, there is limited incentive to recycle them,” says Philip Stanger, co-founder and CEO of Olyns. “We’re changing that by combining convenient recycling with the potential to win big rewards. Every time you deposit a candy container in one of our RVM Cubes, you’ll earn points and a chance to win. We’ve set it up like a slot machine, but instead of inserting a coin to play, you deposit an empty candy container.”