Industry News

Business Records Management Acquires The Paper Exchange
The records management firm Business Records Management LLC (BRM), based in Pittsburgh, has acquired the records and information storage and document destruction business and related assets of The Paper Exchange, also based in Pittsburgh. BRM says the acquisition is designed to position the company as a regional leader in the information management industry by complementing its existing information management solutions with The Paper Exchange’s mobile- and plant-based shredding services. (The Paper Exchange was profiled in the September/October 2011 issue of Storage & Destruction Business magazine.)

The acquisition of The Paper Exchange follows BRM’s acquisition of Underground Archives in April 2012. According to BRM, which operates facilities in Pittsburgh, Erie and Johnston, Pa., the two acquisitions are part of the company’s larger strategy to improve and expand its business in the information management industry.

Joe Gross, BRM director of sales and account management, says the acquisition of The Paper Exchange brings the number of buildings the company operates to 16, which includes two underground storage facilities. The company will retain The Paper Exchange facility as a shredding location.

BRM offers a variety of information management services, including physical document storage, secure destruction, data tape management, electronic vaulting, data center backup services and document imaging.

Cornerstone Acquires Delaware Company
Columbia, Md.-based Cornerstone Records Management LLC has acquired the assets of Document Security Management Inc. (DSM), Wilmington, Del. DSM provides mobile shredding services and electronic media destruction in the New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania areas.

“Cornerstone has steadily been expanding our presence in southern New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania through sustained organic growth and acquisitions such as DSM, says Kent Misemer, CEO of Cornerstone. “Over the past few years, we have been dedicated to servicing our customers in the region with exceptional service. This addition gives our customers even more service options.”

He continues, “Cornerstone is very pleased with the roster of clients in the tri-state and proud of the relationship we have built with them. The acquisition of DSM gives us several key additions to our client list, and we are excited to serve them and be their flexible and responsive records information management partner.”

DSM will become part of Cornerstone’s East region, which is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa.

The acquisition of DSM is the 24th completed by Cornerstone since June 2008, according to the company, reflecting its philosophy of growth through acquisition.

Cornerstone Records Management provides a wide range of records and information management services, including the storage and management of hard copy records, plant-based and mobile document destruction services, electronic media vaulting and digital imaging.

RISI Outlines Paper Pricing Changes
Forest products information and media company RISI Inc., Bedford, Mass., has announced that its Pulp & Paper Week publication will serve as the home of Official Board Markets (OBM) paper stock prices starting Oct. 5, 2012.

According to Todd Petracek, RISI vice president of news and prices, RISI’s acquisition of OBM in May of 2012 was followed by discussions with readers and internal research to determine the best way to combine the long-time pricing models offered by both Pulp & Paper Week (known as PPI pricing) and OBM (also known as The Yellow Sheet).

“We are going to integrate OBM into Pulp & Paper Week,” says Petracek, who indicates subscribers of both publications will receive the newly combined periodical. “There will be a transition period for three months, October through December, when readers will see one page with PPI prices and one page with the OBM prices.”

This carries the possibility of some grades having two different prices during this time frame, but Petracek says RISI determined it was important to provide continuity to readers who may have contracts pegged to either of the two published prices.

Starting Jan. 5, 2013, prices will be consolidated, says Petracek. “For the bulk grades we will be keeping the OBM prices [and regional breakdowns], while the PPI pricing stays in place for the high grades and pulp substitutes,” he says.

SDB Articles Count toward CSDS Continuing Education Units
The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), based in Phoenix, has teamed up with Storage & Destruction Business (SDB) magazine to offer Certified Secure Destruction Specialists (CSDS) continuing education units (CEUs).

Selected educational articles in the magazine now are eligible for CEUs for those readers maintaining their CSDS accreditations. The eligible articles will be designated with a CSDS CEU logo that will include the number of units the article is worth. To earn the CEUs, the applicant must complete a form and write a brief synopsis of the article. Other methods for earning CEUs include attending related educational events, speaking publically and writing articles.

“NAID wants to encourage members to look to a variety of sources for professional development,” says NAID CEO Bob Johnson. “SDB magazine routinely publishes content that provides educational value, and we are happy to recognize that fact.”

NAID established the CSDS accreditation program two years ago to recognize competency in a broad range of secure destruction issues, including data protection legislation, records management, physical and data security and secure destruction operations. To maintain the accreditation, CSDS professionals are required to earn 20 CEUs annually.

NAID is a nonprofit trade association representing the secure destruction industry. The association currently represents more than 1,900 member locations globally. NAID’s mission is to promote the proper destruction of discarded information and to encourage the outsourcing of destruction needs to qualified contractors.

Cintas Document Storage Receives Privacy Plus Certification
Cincinnati-based Cintas Corp., a provider of secure document management services, has announced that all of its document storage facilities have earned the Privacy Plus certification from Chicago-based Professional Records and Information Services Management (PRISM) International, a global association for records management professionals. The certification is designed to ensure that document management firms store and maintain data in a manner consistent with industry standards while protecting against unauthorized access or use that may result in harm to a customer.

“Businesses with the Privacy Plus certification have demonstrated significant security control measures throughout all aspects of their operations, including visitor logs, risk assessments and control systems,” says Sarah Koucky, Cintas Document Management senior director of security and compliance. “We have taken extensive measures to meet and exceed its rigorous criteria and are pleased to hold this prestigious certification.”

Privacy Plus is designed to provide organizations with a means for staying up to date with laws and regulations. It also provides a forum for sharing resources and best practices to reduce privacy breach risks. With the goal of preserving the reputation and trusted status of the document storage industry, the Privacy+ program recognizes companies that have implemented administrative, physical and technical safeguards that protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of client information.

Cintas offers document management consultation and secure document imaging, storage and shredding programs.

DeVries Buisness Services Acquires Green Shred LLC
DeVries Business Services, headquartered in Spokane, Wash., has acquired the business assets of Green Shred LLC, a mobile document destruction company based in Pasco, Wash.

Pat DeVries, president of DeVries Business Services (pro-filed in the May/June 2011 issue of SDB magazine), says the asset purchase included one shred truck, which will now operate out of Spokane, as well as nearly 100 customers in central Washington and northeast Oregon.

The acquisition brings the number of shred trucks DeVries Business Services operates to four, DeVries says, and represents the company’s entrance into the northeast Oregon market.

“We want to be the top-notch service provider in the inland Northwest,” DeVries says of his company, which provides document destruction, records and information management, scanning, courier and moving services to area businesses. DeVries also offers additional business services, such as logistics support and fungibles management.

The company has found success in part by focusing on clients outside of major population areas “who don’t get the love and attention they need from bigger vendors,” DeVries says.