Business roundup: China Grove trucker passes 1 million miles of driving safely

Kevin Howell, a China Grove resident, has passed 1 million miles of safe driving without an accident.

Howell is a driver sales representative for Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload freight carrier. He safely drove 1 million miles starting in April 1999. The company plans to recognize his achievement in a ceremony at its Charlotte service center, where Howell is based.

"Kevin Howell's impressive accomplishment highlights the personal and professional commitment to safety of those of our employees who go behind the wheel of a truck every day, and who make it their business to demonstrate superior safety performance on the highways, in our service centers and at our customers' facilities," said John G. Labrie, president of Con-way Freight. "Safety is one of our core values, and we congratulate Kevin for his extraordinary achievement."

Howell has worked for Con-way Freight since 1988. His route takes him from Charlotte to Richmond Hills, Ga., a round trip of approximately 550 miles. Howell has been married for 19 years to his wife, Melanie, and has two children: Zack, 17, and McKenzie, 15.

Over the company's 26-year history, more than 1,500 Con-way Freight driver sales representatives have reached the 1 million-mile safe driving milestone, while more than 100 have driven 2 million miles accident-free.

Fiberon changing corporate name

NEW LONDON — Fiberon, a leading manufacturer of composite and PVC decking, railing and fencing, is changing its corporate name from Fiber Composites LLC to Fiberon, LLC. The company began manufacturing composite decking in 1997 and shortly thereafter introduced the Fiberon brand of decking and railing products.

The corporate name change is being initiated to create brand consistency in communications and is aligned with an ongoing strategy to expand the overall decking solutions portfolio under the Fiberon brand.

Scott Schmidt also has been named a regional manager. His territory will include eastern Pennsylvania, southern New York, Long Island and northern Delaware.

"Fiberon products have achieved an unblemished reputation for innovation and reliability in the alternative decking and railing industry segment. As such, we as a company want to focus on the Fiberon brand as we expand our product line and sub-brands in a variety of building products categories," said Doug Mancosh, owner and CEO of Fiberon.

During the past year, under the banner of the Fiberon brand, two new major products were introduced: Fiberon Horizon decking with the patent-pending PermaTech surface technology, and Fiberon Outdoor Flooring cellular PVC decking, with patent-pending Lumenite surface technology.

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