BHS was awarded a prestigious 2010 Emerald Award for Innovation recently by the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of the company’s dynamic vision and innovation.

BHS is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacturing and installation of patented sorting components and systems for the solid waste and recycling industries. The company, headquartered in Eugene since its founding in 1976, won the Emerald Award for Growth in 2008.

The company’s “history of pairing innovation with plain common sense has enabled thousands of companies to literally cut through their clutter,” judges said, in choosing the company from three finalists to receive the award. “Today it is one of the leading and most innovative manufacturers of recycling processing equipment in the world.” The Emerald Awards is a program honoring businesses in the Eugene/Springfield area that contribute to the community’s vitality and quality of life by implementing sustainable business practices including significant financial, social and environmental contributions.

“This is an award that really honors our employees,” says Steve Miller, CEO of BHS. “All of our innovation, success and growth rest with our dedicated employees, who are excited about what we are doing and keep us moving forward.”

The award is another high point for the company in a year of growth and honors. The company is currently installing its largest system to date, a $15.7 million recycling sorting system for a state-of-the-art materials recovery facility (MRF) in San Carlos, Calif. This facility will be the largest municipal-owned MRF in North America. BHS systems have won the top Gold Award in Excellence for innovation in recycling systems from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) in each of the last two years: Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago County MRF in Appleton, Wisconsin in 2010 and GreenWaste Recovery in San Jose, California in 2009.

“What we do here has relevance throughout the world,” says Miller. “When every thing that’s put out in the waste stream is mixed together, it has no value. But each thing, when separated from every other thing, does has a value. That’s really what we do--take these waste streams and figure out how to separate all the commodities into discrete units so they have a value to someone else.”

In addition, the company moved into new headquarters this summer; “recycling” an existing facility, emphasizing environmentally-friendly practices in the extensive remodel, using recycled and sustainable materials throughout the building. The move expands the company’s production and office space in Eugene to more than 100,000 square feet.

BHS is a major supplier of processing systems for the solid waste, recycling, wood products/compost and waste to energy industries and continues to develop new generation products and systems, while adding to an extensive list of patented technologies.