Trucking firm merging California operations
CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF. — Plastic Express is centralizing its California trucking, packaging and warehousing operations in a 115,000-square-foot facility in City of Industry.
The move improves flexibility in supporting major resin suppliers and distributors wanting faster delivery of their materials to plastics processors.
``Today, a large percentage of our business is same-day packaging and same-day delivery in bulk or by common carrier,'' said Vice President Bill West.
Plastic Express moved warehousing and packaging operations in December and plans to relocate its truck yard, currently in Ontario, Calif.
Owner Ray Kurtz founded the firm in 1970 and concentrated on truck operations, adding the other functions in recent years. Warehousing and packaging employ 20. West claims Plastic Express has the largest plastic packaging operation west of Houston.
The firm operates 15 self-loading bulk trucks and employs 25 in that area.
In 1998, Plastic Express handled more than 1,500 railroad cars that accounted for about 80 percent of material handled.
Sales for 1998 totaled $5.6 million, up from $5 million the previous year.
Wentworth Capital opens sales office
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Wentworth Capital, a division of Charter Financial Inc., opened a sales office Feb. 1 in Norwalk, Conn.
Wentworth also announced in a Feb. 18 news release that it appointed Kevin McDonald assistant vice president in charge of sales and marketing for Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Portsmouth-based Wentworth has offices in Newport Beach, Calif.; Cleveland; and Charlotte, N.C.
The company provides capital equipment financing to the plastics and packaging industries.
Charter Financial, based in New York, specializes in capital equipment finance and term loans for midmarket and growth companies.
Best Ever changes its name and focus
PLYMOUTH, IND. — Best Ever Specialized Commodities Inc., a supplier of prime, wide-spec and reprocessed resins, has changed its name to Northern Polymers Inc.
Emeric Szalay, president and chief executive officer, said the name change is a result of the rapid growth of the company.
The company said in a news release that the business focus and long-term goals have been readjusted.
``We are no longer just a broker — we offer technical support for both production and tool design, and have 100 percent color-matching capabilities,'' said the release.
In addition to distributing and reselling plastic resin, Best Ever Specialized Commodities also offers grinding and reprocessing services.
With six employees and three grinders, the company buys parts or runners from molders, reprocesses them and resells the regrind.
Best Ever Specialized Commodities, founded in 1992, leases a 78,000-square-foot facility in Plymouth.
Szalay said the majority of Best Ever Specialized Commodities' business is with companies in northern Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan, though it also sells throughout the United States and overseas.
