Industry news

Access continues to grow through acquisition

Livermore, California-based records and information management (RIM) company Access has acquired a number of companies in recent months, enabling its further expansion in many of its existing markets.

Access acquired Shred Biz, based near Sacramento in Shingle Springs, California, adding to its secure destruction business in southern California as well as in Phoenix.

In Cincinnati, Access purchased the records storage accounts held by Commonwealth Warehouse Inc., a distribution and warehousing company, relocating its inventory to its Cincinnati records center.

Vital Records Management of Springfield, Massachusetts, was acquired on the last day of April 2014. The Vital records inventory is being relocated to Access’ Connecticut records center in Bloomfield, just outside of Hartford.

Access also has acquired RhinoDox Document Solutions, Bartlett, Illinois, doubling the size of its Chicago operations. Formerly called Federal Record Storage and renamed RhinoDox in 2012, the acquired company, which is located just outside of Chicago, was founded in 1913 as Federal Warehouse Co. in Peoria, Illinois.

RhinoDox’s former team members have joined Access. Brian Nowak, formerly of RhinoDox, has taken on the role of general manager of Access’ Chicago operations.

The company’s newest facilities, completed earlier this year, will become the Access Chicago branch offices.

In early August, Access acquired Hawaii Records Management, a division of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii-based Kona Town Storage. The purchase follows Access’ early July 2014 purchase of File Connection in Pearl City, Hawaii.

Access says the purchase of Hawaii Records Management is its 68th acquisition since the company formed 10 years ago.

Chris Harris, Access Pacific region vice president, says, “We are very proud to be recognized as the leader in the records and information management industry in Hawaii—not only by our clients but by fellow members of our industry. These acquisitions came about because the owners of these two fine companies saw our solid local reputation and our ability to provide their clients the most comprehensive, standardized operations in Hawaii.”

Access President John Chendo says, “As I share our company’s vision with members of our industry that are considering joining Access, many recognize the benefits for both their clients and their team members.”

Access is backed by growth equity investor Summit Partners, with U.S. offices in Menlo Park, California, and Boston.

fastfact
Fifteen percent of c-suite executives surveyed are likely to have never trained staff on security procedures, according to Shred-it’s fourth annual Security Tracker survey.

NAID modifies security certification program

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), the Phoenix-based nonprofit association for the secure destruction industry, has announced that it has implemented modifications to its security certification program designed to align with current data protection regulations. More than 1,000 NAID certified secure data destruction operations will be affected by the changes, including those providing physical destruction and electronic media sanitization, the association says.

The NAID AAA Certification Program sets standards for the secure destruction process and includes operational security, employee hiring and screening, the destruction process, responsible disposal and insurance.

The most notable modifications include a mechanism to provide the NAID certification audit report to clients and an additional measure to verify that employee training appropriately addresses operational vulnerabilities as well as regulatory requirements.

“New data protection regulations require data-related service providers to conduct risk assessments and train their employees to address identified vulnerabilities,” says NAID CEO Bob Johnson. “These changes allow customers using a NAID certified secure destruction service to seamlessly ensure their service providers fulfill those requirements.”

Eric Hass, chairman of NAID’s Certification Rules Committee and president and CEO of ARMS, a De Pere, Wisconsin, records management company, adds, “Because NAID certification addresses the vulnerabilities of providing secure destruction services, its rigorous regime of scheduled and unannounced audits perfectly serve as the required risk assessment.” He adds, “Providing clients the audit reports gives them the documentation they need to show compliance with that requirement.”

The program provides an audit report directly to a member’s client following service provider authorization. This augments the association’s Certification Notification Program, through which anyone can request electronic notification if a service provider’s certification status changes.

Recall appoints chief marketing officer

Recall Holdings Ltd., headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, has announced the appointment of Ron McMurtrie to the position of vice president and chief marketing officer. McMurtrie will be responsible for developing the long-term and go-to-market strategies for each of Recall’s global service lines and for further expanding the product portfolio and brand for the global records and information management (RIM) company.

“Recall has established a strong and well-earned reputation as a leader in transformational information management, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to advance the capabilities of Recall and help accelerate the company’s continued growth and success worldwide,” McMurtrie says.

Prior to joining Recall, McMurtrie served as chief marketing officer at TEXbase, a provider of data management and compliance solutions for brands and retailers, and held similar executive positions at MCI, Verizon, First Data and VCE. According to Recall, he brings extensive and diverse expertise in strategy, business development, product management, communications and brand management aspects of sales and marketing, including markets across the Americas, Europe and Asia.

“Ron’s appointment is a critical step in supporting Recall’s mission to accelerate our organic revenue growth, expand our global presence in new markets and further strengthen operations in markets we currently serve,” says Recall President and CEO Doug Pertz. “We also look forward to the myriad ways he will fortify Recall’s brand distinction globally.”

McMurtrie will be based in Atlanta and will serve on the RIM company’s executive committee.

Allshred Services celebrates 25th anniversary

Allshred Services, Maumee, Ohio, is celebrating 25 years in business in 2014. The company provides confidential, secure destruction services for documents as well as for CD-ROMs, computer reel tapes, counterfeit clothing and products, contraband, R&D designs, molds and other material that could be used to potentially harm a company or individual. In the 25 years since its founding, Allshred (profiled in the April 2003 issue of Recycling Today, a sister publication to Storage & Destruction Business) has grown to become one of the largest independent shredding companies in the U.S.

“‘Security and Service’ has always been our top priority,” says Willie Geiser, owner, president and CEO of Allshred. “We’ve grown to who we are today because our clients know their material is in the most trusted hands possible.”

Milestones in Allshred’s history include June 2002, when the company first earned certification from the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), Phoenix. Allshred has maintained its NAID certification annually.

In February 2005, Allshred Services moved into a new 46,000-square-foot building in Maumee, which features its largest plant-based shredding system. All four Allshred facilities feature digital CCTV systems and are alarmed and monitored 24 hours a day, seven days per week, with access to various parts of the building controlled via a card-swipe system, the company says.

Allshred also says it runs background and credit checks on all prospective employees and maintains a monthly random drug testing program.

In August 2008, Allshred expanded its operations by opening a facility Akron, Ohio, in response to its growing business in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

Allshred also has grown through acquisition, purchasing Mid Ohio Shredding, based in Westerville, Ohio, in November 2011. This acquisition further increased the company’s market share in the Columbus area. In March of 2014, Allshred acquired Hoosier Shred, based in Indianapolis. NAID certified, Hoosier Shred had been in business for seven years and gives Allshred coverage for the entire state of Indiana.

In 2007, 2008 and 2009 Allshred was named one of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. magazine.

The company services more than 2,500 clients with a fleet of 23 trucks.

Geiser says, “Over the last 25 years, Allshred has achieved numerous accomplishments of which we are very proud. However, our greatest successes are the lasting relationships we have built with our customers, our employees and our community. We understand that it is these relationships that have made us successful, and for that we are thankful and humbled.”

A Shred Ahead expands service territory

A Shred Ahead, a Durham, North Carolina-based mobile document destruction company, has announced the expansion of its service area to include Little Rock, Arkansas, and the surrounding areas, effective July 1, 2014.

While A Shred Ahead has existing operations in major markets in Oklahoma and Texas, this move represents the company’s first official service offering in Arkansas.

The expansion was fueled by the addition of large, institutional clients in the Little Rock area, which hoped to be able to access A Shred Ahead’s full set of services going forward, according to the company.

A Shred Ahead co-owner John Chapman says, “We are thrilled to add yet another new state to our service coverage area. We have seen strong interest from potential customers in the Little Rock market, and we look forward to serving this new territory to the best of our abilities.”

In the last decade, A Shred Ahead says it has grown from a small operation serving North Carolina’s Triangle area to the largest independent shredding and document destruction company in the South. The company presently has operations in more than 12 states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, and serves more than 25 cities.

Earlier this year, A Shred Ahead acquired two mobile shredding operations in Miami.

Cintas reports fourth quarter and fiscal year results

Cincinnati-based Cintas Corp., which provides specialized services, including document management, to businesses throughout North America, has reported its fourth quarter and full fiscal year financial results for the year ended May 31, 2014.

Fourth quarter revenue for the document management business unit was $23.1 million, and growth over 2013 exceeded 20 percent, Cintas says. Organic growth was 15.4 percent.

Cintas recognized an asset impairment charge and transaction costs associated with the sale of the majority stake in its shredding business to Shred-it.

However, Cintas also saw gains as a result of the sale. J. Michael Hansen, vice president and treasurer of Cintas, says, “The closing of the Shred-it transaction resulted in the recognition of a gain due to the fair value of our share of the Shred-it partnership being greater than the book value of our investment in the business.”

Hansen says Cintas remains excited about the Shred-it partnership, adding that Cintas will see income related to the transaction in its fiscal year 2016.