Personnel Notes

ISRI honors metals identification expert

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, has presented industry veteran Ron Reich with its Lifetime Achievement Award during the ISRI2o18 Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas in mid-April. Reich’s career began more than 55 years ago at the brass and bronze recycler H. Kramer & Co. He has since become a leading expert in metals identification. Many of his methods are still in use today throughout the industry, ISRI says.

“Ron Reich is a recycling innovator and educator who has made numerous positive and long-lasting contributions to the industry,” says Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “He is very well-respected throughout the industry for his honor and integrity. His depth of knowledge related to metals identification, and his corresponding willingness to share it with others, has proven to be invaluable to the field of recycling. ISRI is proud to recognize Ron Reich with its Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Reich began working at H. Kramer & Co. of Chicago while on summer break from college. After graduating from Bowling Green University and serving in the United States Marine Corps, he was employed by H. Kramer as warehouse manager. He was responsible for receiving, processing and grading material for the furnaces producing brass ingot. After 10 years, he was transferred to the company’s El Segundo, California, location as a buyer, later serving on H. Kramer’s board of directors.

In 1985, Reich began working as a nonferrous manager at Portland, Oregon-based Schnitzer Steel before moving on to Timco, expanding his metals expertise into aluminum. After 20 years at Timco, Reich moved to Atlas Pacific, where he returned to working with brass.

Reich has taught seminars on metals identification and created a Metals Identification Chart that proved invaluable to the scrap industry.

He was active in ISRI as a member of the West Coast Chapter for more than 45 years, serving as an officer and board member. From 1972-1974, Reich served as the Commander of the Jewish War Veterans scrap association.

Sam Proler, the one-time head of Proler Steel, posthumously was presented with ISRI’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the convention as well.

ISRI names new chair, national officers

During its 2018 convention and exposition, the Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) named Brian Shine of Manitoba Corp., Lancaster, New York, its new chair. The association also elected four new national officers who will lead the association and industry over the next two years.

Shine is a fourth-generation nonferrous metals recycler and president of Manitoba Corp., which operates two plants in Lancaster and St. Louis that focus on processing high-grade copper scrap. Shine has held many leadership positions within ISRI, including membership committee chairman, audit committee chairman and member of the board of directors. In addition, he served as president of the ISRI Empire State Chapter from 2004-2006.

The three other national officers are Chair-Elect Gary Champlin of Champlin Tire Recycling, Concordia, Kansas; Vice Chair Brian Henesey of Rocky Mountain Recycling, Commerce City, Colorado; and Secretary/Treasurer Colin Kelly of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Everett, Massachusetts.

ISRI elected three directors-at-large for a first term: Dan Becker of Becker Iron & Metal, Venice, Illinois; Edward Kangeter IV of CASS Inc., Oakland, California; and Joel Litman of Texas Recycling, Dallas.

Stephen Moss of Stanton A. Moss Inc., Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, was elected to a second term as a director-at-large for the association.

Andreas Ernst of Sennebogen, Stanley, North Carolina, was elected as associate director.

“ISRI congratulates and welcomes a new slate of leaders to its board of directors,” says the association’s President Robin Wiener.

“As the recycling industry continues to evolve and adapt to changing global dynamics, this leadership team is prepared to lead the way,” she adds. “They are dedicated to providing the value and service ISRI members have come to know for the past several decades and committed to continuous improvement across the association to strengthen both the organization and industry. ISRI members are in good hands with this team.”

AISI staff member is NRC’s new president

Dave Keeling, director of recycling for the Steel Recycling Institute (SRI), a business unit of the Washington-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), has been elected president of the National Recycling Coalition (NRC).

The NRC, Lafayette, Colorado, is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting and enhancing recycling in the United States. The organization describes itself as “working to maintain a prosperous and productive multimaterial recycling system, committed to the conservation of natural resources.” The NRC’s network of more than 6,000 members extends across the waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting sectors.

AISI indicates the steel industry has worked closely with the NRC since the inception of the SRI in 1988 to promote and sustain the recycling of steel products.

The NRC, which is now entering its 40th year, held an open election to appoint a new president to follow outgoing President Bob Gedert, who will retire in 2018.

In his role with the SRI, Keeling works on behalf of the steel industry to maximize steel recycling efforts and to expand the steel recycling infrastructure by developing additional end markets for postconsumer steel. He represents the steel industry with nearly 40 state and national recycling associations, providing educational guidance on steel and recycling.

“For more than two decades, Dave has been integral to the steel industry’s commitment to promoting and sustaining steel recycling,” says Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of AISI. “Dave’s leadership with the National Recycling Coalition is a natural extension of the steel industry’s commitment to multimaterial recycling and sustainability, and he will be an outstanding president.”

AISI consists of 21 member companies, including integrated and electric arc furnace steelmakers, and approximately 120 associate member companies that are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.

The SRI promotes the recycling of all steel products, educating the solid waste industry, government, business and consumers about the benefits of steel’s infinite recycling cycle.