ISRI announces recipients of Lifetime Achievement Award

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, has selected Bruce Blue and Robert Goldstein as the recipients of its Lifetime Achievement Award.  

According to ISRI, the award is given annually by ISRI’s chair to bestow recognition and honor upon an individual(s) in the recycled materials industry whose name and deeds are synonymous with integrity and the pursuit of excellence. It also recognizes those who have made significant contributions over their lifetime to the recycled materials industry and/or ISRI.   

Blue was raised in his family-owned recycled materials business, Louisville Scrap Metals, then later owned his own company, Freedom Metals. He has served ISRI as a member of the executive committee and board of directors. He is a former ISRI chapter president and president of ISRI Chapter Presidents and a member of and past chair of the audit committee and convention planning committee, respectively. Blue is currently a member of the ISRI Century Club.  

“Bruce has shown incredible leadership through a lifetime of service to the recycled materials industry and to ISRI,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “I know few other people who have given so much of themselves to supporting ISRI and all our efforts. Bruce is always the first person to raise his hand and give his time and experience to the betterment of the membership.”  

Blue is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. He has served as a member of the Kentucky General Assembly Committee on Deposit Legislation and a member of the U.S. Department of Defense Committee to Study Strategic Stockpiles. He has been a member of committees to pass metals theft laws in Kentucky and the Solid Waste Board Metro in Louisville. He was the president of the Kentucky Recycling Association. 

“I have found ISRI to be my love for 53 years and getting stronger every year, in dedicating my life to the betterment of the recycled materials industry and the men and women who daily meet the challenges to make the world better through recycling,” Blue says. “The majority do not understand that without recycling the world would be back to the Stone Age.”  

Goldstein has been a leader in the recycled materials industry for more than 50 years, starting his career at the age of 13 when he began doing clean-up tasks at the family’s facility. The impact of his work at a young age was formative and served as the backbone of a strong work ethic. In 2003, he was named chairman and CEO of Alter Trading Corp., his family-owned recycled materials company. In 2009, he was named chairman and CEO of Goldstein Group Inc., the parent company of Alter Trading Corp., and he continues to serve as chairman of both today.  

“The good fortune and success that I have experienced in my career would not have been possible without my family and my co-workers, both past and present, who supported and guided me along the way,” Goldstein says. “Staying true to our culture of safety, integrity, respect, customer service, and community support, which was originally established by my father and grandfather, has enabled us to build our organization into one of the nation’s leading metal recycling companies.”   

Goldstein is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans. In addition to his current role, he is an officer and director of affiliated real estate development and transportation businesses involved in inland marine logistics. Under his leadership, ISRI says Alter has grown in its involvement with the association since its beginnings.

“For nearly 40 years, Robert has served our industry and encouraged a commitment to its enhancement and innovation,” says ISRI Chair Brian Henesey. “His business acumen and the ability to use his family’s legacy in the recycled materials industry serve to make the industry even stronger.”  

Goldstein will be recognized during the ISRI2023 opening general session, April 18. Blue will be recognized during the closing general session, April 20.