COVINGTON, VIRGINIA – WestRock’s Alleghany Highlands Operations announces position changes that were announced internally in July 2023.
Brian Shinault has accepted the position of senior quality assurance technician in the Woodyard. He is responsible for taking and analyzing chip samples, doing wood quality inspections, sampling and analyzing fuel wood samples, and maintaining equipment.
Shinault graduated from Alleghany High School in 1994 and he attended DSLCC. He began his career at Gala Industries in 1996 as a grinder operator and was promoted to assistant team leader. He joined WestRock in 2002 at the Low Moor converting plant as an operator. Shinault transferred to the Covington mill in 2007 where he worked in GMS&S. He transferred to No. 1 Paper Machine in 2008, and the Woodyard in 2010, where he promoted up through the sequence to second assistant.
Julie Baty has accepted the position of assistant environmental manager.
In this position, she will support Covington operations to ensure compliance with environmental permits and regulations and manage the Environmental Services department.
Baty graduated from the University of Lynchburg in 1994 with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences. In 1999, she accepted a position as an environmental supervisor with Georgia Pacific in Big Island, VA. From 2013 to 2014, Baty served as assistant plant manager with Chesterfield County Falling Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. She joined WestRock in 2014 as a senior environmental engineer at the West Point, VA mill. In 2017, Baty accepted the position of environmental manager at WestRock in Hopewell, VA.
Brian Way has accepted the position of wet-end engineer on No. 1 Paper Machine. In this position, he is responsible for safety coordination, production, equipment improvements and quality on the wet-end. He reports to Josh Norman, superintendent – No. 1 Paper Machine.
Way earned a B.S. degree in Paper Engineering / Process and a minor in Business Management from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. He worked as a summer mill trainee at NewPage, Escanaba (2000-2003), a laborer at WMU Paper Pilot Plant (2003), and an intern at Altivity Packaging in Michigan (2004-2007). Way joined MWV as a project engineer in the Covington mill’s Technical department in 2007 and moved to the Stock and Additives department as a process engineer in 2008. In 2011, he advanced to senior process engineer where he was responsible for the coating rooms. Way accepted the position of validator on No. 1 Paper Machine in 2013. He moved to No. 1 Paper Machine dry-end engineer in 2021.
RJ Helmintoller has accepted the position of technical assistant, dry-end for No. 1 Paper Machine. In this position, he is responsible for safety coordination, production, and quality on the dry-end. Additionally, Helmintoller will assist with the winder activities and coordinate maintenance operations, including daily and scheduled outages, through the validator.
Helmintoller graduated from Alleghany High School in 2004. He joined ManPower in 2005 and worked in the analytical lab at the Covington mill. Helmintoller started his career at the Covington mill as a laborer in 2007 then moved into C8 Loading that same year as a bracer / shipper. He joined No. 1 Paper Machine in 2009 as a vacancy replacement and over the next 9 years promoted through the sequence to 2nd assistant. In 2018, Helmintoller began working as a fill-in foreman and accepted the No. 1 Paper Machine shift supervisor position in 2022.
Aaron Hill has accepted the position of operations supervisor on No. 2 Paper Machine. In this position, he will be responsible for the overall coordination of No. 2 Paper Machine operations to ensure safety, quality, and productivity on the machine.
Hill obtained a B.S. degree in Geology from Concord College in 2004. He joined MeadWestvaco’s Specialty Chemicals division in 2004 as an hourly associate. In 2009, Hill transferred to the Covington mill as an hourly operator on No. 2 Paper Machine. He was promoted to tour foreman on No. 2 Paper Machine in 2012, and then was promoted to dry-end engineer in 2021.
