Personnel Notes

Shapiro Metals appoints new president/COO

Shapiro Metals, headquartered in St. Louis, has announced that Bob Alvarez has been promoted to president and chief operating officer (COO), replacing previous President Bruce Shapiro. Alvarez becomes the first person outside the Shapiro family to hold the title of president at the company.

Shapiro’s grandfather Max founded the company in 1904. Shapiro, the company’s third-generation owner and chief executive officer, is celebrating 50 years in the recycling industry in 2020. He says the transition to Alvarez’s leadership will take the company into its next growth phase.

In 2015, Alvarez joined Shapiro Metals as vice president of operations. “Bob interviewed me for the job,” Shapiro says. “As I’ve come to find out, he is always five steps ahead of me.”

Alvarez has held management roles in operations and human resources prior to joining Shapiro Metals. He also has experience in strategic and organizational leadership.

Since joining the company, Alvarez has worked “to operationalize Shapiro Metals’ vision of creating a better tomorrow,” the company says in a news release. He also has played a key role in harnessing the organizational culture at Shapiro Metals, codifying it and leading the team to leverage it as a competitive advantage.

Schupan & Sons names new chief financial officer

Schupan & Sons Inc., headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has appointed Phillip Haan as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Haan has experience in corporate and operational finance, most recently as CFO and chief compliance officer of Ottawa Avenue Private Capital, an investment firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Prior to that position, Haan served in various finance and accounting positions of increasing responsibility over his 12 years at Brunswick Corp., a publicly held manufacturer of marine engines, boats and fitness equipment. He also spent almost six years with public accounting firms Arthur Andersen and KPMG.

Since 2005, the company’s previous CFO Andrew Knowlton provided key financial strategies contributing to the extensive growth of Schupan & Sons, according to the company. Knowlton starts the new role of chief financial advisor to CEO Marc Schupan and Schupan & Sons and also will provide key guidance to Haan during his transition.

Exodus adds new VP of service

Exodus Machines, Superior, Wisconsin, has announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Brian Hawn as the new vice president of service. He will oversee parts and service for Exodus and its four branches: BladeCore, Connect Work Tools, OilQuickUSA and ShearCore.

“I could not be more pleased Brian chose to join our team,” says Kevin Boreen, CEO of Exodus. “After our first meeting, I knew he was the perfect addition to make our management team even stronger. He brings with him nearly 15 years’ experience in the demolition and scrap recycling equipment industries and has earned the trust and respect of dealers, vendors, end users and co-workers.”

Hawn was most recently with Stanley Black & Decker, where he oversaw the Stanley infrastructure field service team. He was responsible for coordinating all training for sales, service, dealers and end users for the entire Stanley infrastructure division, including LaBounty, national and global accounts.

“I am thrilled to join the Exodus family. As soon as I met the team, I quickly related to and felt like I fully understood their vision on customer service. It was clear that Exodus was where I needed to be,” Hawn says. “The state-of-the-art factory and innovative way of manufacturing is the perfect combination for Exodus and its branches to excel within all the industries they serve.”

Established in 2008, Exodus manufactures and distributes products under four branches for the domestic and international scrap, demolition and construction markets.