public traded as nyse trex industry consumer discretionary founded 1996 1996 headquarters winchester va area served u.s.a. international key people james e. cline president and ceo 1 products decking railing revenue us 441 million 2015 2 operating income us 77.4 million 2015 net income us 48.1 million 2015 total assets us 211.9 million 2015 3 number of employees 630 website www.trex.com trex company inc. known to global consumers and others simply as trex or trex decking is the leading recycled materials manufacturer of wood alternative decking railings and other outdoor items . 4 it has been a public company since 1999 and trades on the new york stock exchange under the ticker symbol trex . the company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in winchester va usa . 5 with manufacturing facilities in fernley nevada and winchester virginia the company s products are sold in 29 countries . trex products are carried by approximately 6 700 retail locations worldwide . 6 according to public documents the company is the world s largest manufacturer of wood alternative decking and railing 7 with approximate 2015 annual revenues reported of 441 million annual operating income of 77.4 million and net income of 48.1 million . james e. cline was named president and ceo of trex effective august 17 2015 . bryan h. fairbanks was named vice president and cfo effective august 17 2015 . key executives of trex decking include ; james e. cline president and chief executive officer ; bryan h. fairbanks vice president and chief financial officer ; ron kaplan chairman ; jay scripter vice president of operations chris gerhard vice president sales ; adam zambanini vice president marketing ; bill gupp chief administrative officer general counsel and secretary . 8 9 10 11 contents 1 trex composite decking 1.1 company patent 1.2 manufacturing processes 1.3 transcend decking 2 products 3 environmental record 3.1 recycled components 3.1.1 environmental affiliations 3.1.2 environmental programs 3.1.3 environmental recognition 4 industry recognition 5 controversy 6 company history 7 references 8 external links 9 additional sources trex composite decking edit trex composite decking trex is widely considered as one of the inventors of composite decking made from recyclable materials . 12 the idea for a process and product created to maximize the use of materials that would otherwise wind up in landfills is credited to inventors kjell ake gustafsson of binghamton ny ; john j. muller of winchester va ; and roger a. wittenberg of newton pa . 13 company patent edit the first patent for a method of producing a wood thermoplastic composite material was filed as u.s. patent number 5746958 in march 1995 and granted in may of 1998 . the assignee was trex company llc operating in winchester va. 13 the process abstract for the creation of composite decking is a method for producing a wood thermoplastic composite material using a high bulk density feedstock . since the feedstock is easy to handle it provides manufacturers with lots of control over the process . prompted by the prospect of environmental regulations mandating recycled materials this process uses spent sawdust and plastic material rather than disposing of it . 13 manufacturing processes edit trex continues to employ a process that combines different materials mostly wood and plastic that are formed to create a product that has the appearance of wood . the wood content in trex products is largely wood byproducts like sawdust wood pallets wood chips and wood fiber . the polyethylene plastic continues to be mostly recycled materials from commonly discarded items like stretch wrap packaging films grocery and retail bags and case carton product overwraps . 14 trex uses about 100 000 tons of waste polyethylene film each year and claims to keep 200 000 tons of plastic and hardwood scraps out of american landfills each year . 15 over 120 000 pieces of post consumer film packaging bags overwraps etc. can be used to create a 500 square foot trex deck . 16 the components are mixed and a pigment and preservative are added during the process . the mixture is then heated formed into a board shape and cooled . 14 transcend decking edit in 2009 trex introduced a transcend line of decking 17 that is a co extruded composite decking product that includes a shell around the composite boards on three sides to protect the boards from staining fading and scratching . 18 the trex transcend line of decking claims a recycled content rate of 95.4 % . 19 products edit transcend porch flooring and railing system trex products include 20 elevations steel deck framing trex rain escape deck drainage system transcend decking and railing enhance decking select decking and railing transcend porch flooring and railing system trex outdoor furniture trex outdoor lighting trex outdoor storage trex pergola trex spiral stairs trextrim trex seclusions fencing environmental record edit trex promotes an environmental stance as part of its commercial appeal in the marketplace . 21 in public materials trex company inc. cites that no trees are cut down to make trex decking products ; that the company uses vegetable based oil hydraulics in transportation trailers ; and that it recycles factory waste back into the manufacturing line . 20 recycled components edit trex composite decking contains 97 % recycled content and offers verification by icc es . 22 in july 2010 trex received a verification of attributes report var 1011 from the international code council evaluation service icc es under the sustainable attributes verification and evaluation program . the verification validates trex s wood alternative products are manufactured with a minimum of 95.4 % recycled content . trex claims is the first composite decking manufacturer to obtain this certification . 22 environmental affiliations edit trex has been a member of the green building council a trade group promoting environmentally friendly building practices usgbc since 2009 . usgbc is best known for the widely recognized leed program leadership in energy & environmental design . 23 through the leed point based system the use of trex decking and railing products add points based on the percentage of recycled product content . 20 environmental programs edit trex conducts and participates in eco friendly educational and recycling programs in various parts of the united states . 21 since 2006 students at selected schools throughout the east coast and midwest have participated in a trex plastic bag challenge recently renamed plastic film recycling challenge 20 . students collect plastic bags in exchange for a gift of trex benches to participating schools . 24 the company has also provided in kind contributions financial assistance and expertise to environmental projects around the country . these include the basf near zero energy home in paterson nj . 25 the maui wildlife refuge complex kealia pond nwr in hawaii . the two year participation included the construction of a 2 200 foot pedestrian boardwalk in 2005 and boardwalk upgrades using trex decking materials for a total value of 600 000 in 2006 . 26 the solar decathlon a collegiate green building competition . 24 the point defiance zoo a theater and kids zone in tacoma wa . 24 the national building museum s the green house exhibit in washington d.c. 27 environmental recognition edit trex corporate participation in environmental efforts coupled with its eco friendly product profile has led to recognition by governments publications and trade groups . these include the 2013 green award from washingtonian magazine . the award recognizes citizens companies and organizations in the dc metro area working to improve the environment and encourage eco friendly living . 28 the green builder media s 2013 reader s choice awards earning more than 40 % of the vote for the greenest decking in the industry . 29 the excellence in plastics recycling award from the society of plastic engineers recycling division . the award is given based on plastic volume type and the success of the resulting products . 30 in 2005 trex was given the green award by winslow management company in recognition of companies that contribute positively to both the environment and shareholders . 31 the governor of virginia s environmental excellence first place award . trex has received this award twice . first in 2001 for building a nature trail on teddy roosevelt island in arlington va and again in 2003 for outstanding environmental project in the smaller manufacturer s category . 32 industry recognition edit trex company named a top 2014 workplace by the washington post in their annual feature released on june 22 2014 33 trex elevations & trex pergola named by professional builder and professional remodeler trade journals as 101 best new products 2013 in the decking outdoor living category . 34 trex chairman president & ceo ron kaplan receives e 3 executive award from emerald asset management during the twentieth annual emerald groundhog day investment forum in philadelphia pa on february 7 2013 . 35 trex won six 2015 adex award for design excellence awards three platinum awards . and three gold awards for design excellence 36 trex outdoor lighting platinum award trex aluminum gates platinum award trex transcend in island mist platinum award trex ada compliant handrails gold award trex spiral stairs gold award trex transcend in havana gold gold award trex named number one in all categories in builder magazine s 2015 builder brand use study 37 trex sweeps composite decking category in remodeling magazines 2013 brand study for fifth consecutive year . 38 trex recognized by builder magazine 2015 brand use study for top spot in composite pvc division for 39 brand familiarity brand used in the past two years brand used most within the decking category quality rating transcend decking & railing featured in the march issue of prosales magazine for 2010 editors choice . 40 trex earned a 2015 & 2016 readers choice award from green builder magazine for greenest product in the decking category 41 trex awarded 2015 hardware builder supply dealer s golden hammer award in the decking category ocean home magazine honored trex as best decking on their 2015 platinum list 42 trex won eight awards in remodeling magazines 2015 brand use study 43 decking trex tied for 1 in brand familiarity brand used in the past two years brand used the most highest quality brand railing 1 brand familiarity 1 brand used in the past two years 1 brand used the most 1 highest quality brand trex spiral stairs named a 2014 best new product by professional remodeler magazine 44 trex outdoor deck storage was chosen by the this old house as one of 2015 s top 100 best new home products 45 trex won a gaia award the middle east s premiere environmental award 46 controversy edit lawsuit a manufacturing problem at the trex manufacturing facility in fernley nevada led to the production of some decking boards from 2002 to 2007 that were prone to surface flaking . these boards were sold throughout 16 western states in the u.s. and resulted in a class action suit against the company . 47 in a settlement approved in 2010 48 trex agreed to replace any decking boards including some resulting labor costs for decking affected by surface flaking . 47 company history edit year event 1988 roger wittenberg combined sawdust and plastic bags to create park benches and later decking 7 1996 mobil chemical co. acquired wittenberg s technology and later that same year trex company llc was formed after a buyout of the mobil division that owned the technology 7 trex established its corporate headquarters in winchester va 5 1999 company ipo on new york stock exchange nyse trex 5 trex opened a second manufacturing facility in fernley nv 5 2000 trex created the trexpro program providing installation and sales training to pre screened contractors in u.s. 5 2003 trex introduced a line of railing products to complement the composite decking offering 2004 trex introduced the accents decking line 2005 trex introduced seclusions fencing 49 2007 trex introduced the