Mike Biasi – President, Valley Converting - Rural Action

Waste to Wealth Summit
August 6, 2012

• Founded by Gino Biasi in 1973.
• Based in Toronto, OH.
• Started the company with two
employees.

• Valley Converting would purchase rolls and
sheets of chipboard from the Toronto
Paperboard Mill and convert them into
smaller sizes, pasted, tied, scored, and long
sheets.
• Converting operation grew to over 10
employees working six days a week

• Toronto Paperboard mill encountered serious
corporate problems in the mid 80s and closed
in September 1987
• Gino Biasi personally bought the mill in May
1988
• Started making chipboard on #1 Paper Machine
by July 1988 and on the #2 Paper Machine in
January 1990

• Due to economic conditions we shutdown
our #2 Paper Machine in November 2000
• We currently manufacture over 84 tons a
day and 21,600 tons annually on our #1 Paper
Machine
• Chipboard is made up of 100% recycled fiber

• We purchase the majority of our recovered fiber
from paper scrap dealers
• We also purchase from local business and regional
waste programs
• Two grants from the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources in ’04 and ’07 for a total of $500,000.
These grants enabled us the ability to build the
Recycling Center and purchase the necessary
cleaning equipment for the recovered fiber.

• We purchase Old Corrugated Containers (OCC),
Newsprint, Mix, and Boxboard Cuttings from
Brokers, County Recycling Programs, Local
Businesses, and the General Public
• The makeup of our chipboard:
– OCC - 15%
– News - 15 %
– Mix - 20%
– Boxboard - 50%
• Scrap comes generally from Ohio, West Virginia,
and Pennsylvania and within a 200 mile radius of
our plant. Freight limits how far out we can go out
and get scrap.

• In 2011, we purchased 21,700 tons of scrap
• Scrap Brokers - 16,700 tons
• County Recycling Programs - 2,300
tons (Jefferson/Belmont - 1,700 tons)
• Local Businesses - 1,100 tons
• Daily Scrap Purchases - 1,600 tons
• Cost of scrap:
• 2010 - $ 89/ton ($1,730,000)
• 2011 - $125/ton ($2,700,000)

• Manufacturing and converting chipboard is a
capital intensive industry
• Our four biggest expenses are the following:
• Scrap Paper
• Wage / Health Benefits
• Electric
• Natural Gas
• Chipboard market is maturing and not a lot of new
innovations that require use of chipboard
• Manufacturing quality chipboard in the most costeffective
manner and increasing this production
on a yearly basis

Mike Biasi
(800) 255 -0799
or (740) 537-2152
mike@valleyconverting.com