Machinery Row

Rotochopper Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Rotochopper celebrates 30 years of delivering innovative waste grinding solutions. Through its offerings, companies have been able to find solutions that turn everyday waste materials into profitable end products like colored landscape mulch, animal bedding, compost, and more. 

The history behind the Rotochopper name is much more than innovation in grinding equipment. It’s about a group of people with a different philosophy toward waste materials and a unique focus on customer success. The Rotochopper brand began when two companies from different industries joined forces to manufacture unique recycling equipment. Co-founders Fred Peltz and Vince Hundt established the company’s core values of customer-centricity and “Perfect In One Pass” engineering that continue to define Rotochopper today.

Rotochopper co-founder Vince Hundt said, “For 30 years, the people of central Minnesota — who are Rotochopper — have been inventing and building machines that solve problems.” 

Fecon Announces New Personnel

Fecon announces the hiring of new personnel including Robert Soehner as VP of Operations, and Mike Kucharski as VP of Dealer Development, both new positions within the company.   

Soehner has served in a variety of continuous improvement and leadership roles including positions of increasing responsibility at GE, Henny Penny, Harmon, and most recently as VP of Operations at Skillcraft. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and an MBA from Xavier University. As VP of Operations, he will lead the purchasing, quality, and manufacturing teams. He strives to implement tools for continuous improvement and “continue to develop a respectful, collaborative culture.”

Kucharski, who has extensive experience in dealer development, has spent the past 16 years with Caterpillar or its dealers, most recently working on the post-purchase experience for Caterpillar. He holds a BS in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University. In addition to his responsibilities for establishing, training, and growing the dealer network, Kucharski is also responsible for all marketing activities including internal and external communications, trade shows, advertising, e-commerce, website, and digital solutions.  

Doosan’s New RGW Equipment Location in California

There is a new convenient dealership for Doosan machines, parts, and service in the Central Valley of northern California. Doosan authorized dealer RGW Equipment opened its third location at 700 W. Mossdale Road in Lathrop, just off the West Side Freeway.

“Our new Lathrop location is more convenient for our Central Valley customers and our logging customers in the Sierra Nevada foothills,” says Josh Clark, sales manager of RGW Equipment. “Now our thousands of customers in these areas can easily visit an RGW Equipment location and worry less about fighting traffic from the Bay Area.”

RGW Equipment began in 1992 solely servicing equipment. The company developed a reputation in northern California for its skilled technicians and outstanding customer service. RGW Equipment began selling new equipment in 2005 but has retained its focus on providing excellent equipment maintenance and repair.

Technical expertise is an expectation for all RGW Equipment employees, including the sales staff. Salespeople undergo intensive training to thoroughly understand the operation, maintenance, and service needs of all the equipment they sell, including Doosan articulated dump trucks, excavators, material handlers, mini excavators, log loaders, and wheel loaders.

Forest Service’s New Regional Forester for Rocky Mountains

The U.S. Forest Service named Tammy Angel as acting regional forester for the Rocky Mountain Region. She took over as acting regional forester on January 24. She previously served as deputy regional forester for the region and has a background with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service.

The acting regional forester oversees 2,000 employees and 22 million acres of national forests and grasslands in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming in partnership with other agencies and 48 affiliated tribes.