Fresh Perspective

Alex Gershowitz

Nonferrous trader at Gershow Recycling

Growing up in and around Gershow Recycling, Alex Gershowitz always intended to join his family’s scrap business, which his grandfather, Sam Gershowitz, founded in Medford, New York in 1964. Today, the company is co-owned by Alex’s father, Elliot Gershowitz, and uncle, Kevin Gershowitz.

Alex worked at Gershow Recycling on weekends throughout high school and college but says he never had an official “timeline” for when he would join the family business full time.

The opportunity to work in the family business presented itself in 2018—though not specifically at Gershow Recycling. The Gershowitz family also owns Star Island Yacht Club and Marina in Montauk, New York. The marina needed a general manager and Alex was hired to fill that position.

”Your word is very important. I feel that it’s a very important factor, especially if trading materials.”

“While I was learning to run one business in Montauk, I was also learning how to sell nonferrous material at the same time,” Alex says. It’s been a really cool experience being involved in two industries that are very different but also very exciting.”

Today, he spends most of his time working as a nonferrous trader at Gershow Recycling and says he enjoys that the scrap business is “never mundane, and no two days are the same.”

Alex shares what he’s learned since joining Gershow Recycling.

Recycling Today (RT): What are some lessons you have learned since joining the scrap industry?

Alex Gershowitz (AG): As simple as this may be, always do what you say you’re going to do. I don’t think that only applies to this industry but to all business.

Your word is very important. I feel that it’s a very important factor, especially if trading materials. It’s bad business to go back on an agreement you had with someone.

RT: How has Gershow Recycling changed since you joined the business, and what are some recent company projects?

AG: We just built a brand new zorba plant at our main facility in Medford, New York. It’s incredible how different and more advanced this thing is than what we used to have. … It’s like comparing an iPhone to a flip phone from the early 2000s. This thing operates so much more efficiently. … [A]nd the numbers that we’re seeing are just out of this world.

RT: How is Gershow Recycling navigating logistics challenges?

AG: We have a great logistics team. They’re really very good at being on top of what’s going on, especially given the current environment that we’re dealing with, with shipping and ports and getting containers and drivers. It’s tough to export material most days, but it’s a matter of making sure you have options and finding a solution to the problem, and I think we’re really good at doing that.

In addition to that, we do a great deal of business by rail. As we move forward, I think [rail is] going to be a huge part of our business. Especially with a local landfill closing, I think it’s going to be essential to our operation. (Editor’s note: Gershow Recycling is building a 38,000-square-foot rail-transfer station on its 6-acre site on Peconic Avenue near its Medford headquarters. The project will handle construction and demolition debris and auto shredder residue.)

RT: Where do you see the scrap industry heading in the next few years?

AG: With all the new technology that’s coming out and changes and upgrades … it seems like we’re heading in a more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly direction.