ISRI to honor Shelley Padnos with 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, will honor Shelley Padnos with its 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award for her years in leadership and her work in the areas of government relations and environmental management.

“Shelley embodies all of the qualities of a great leader,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “From the start of her career and work with ISRI, to her rise to chair and continuation as a valued board member and advocate, Shelley leaves her mark on everything and everyone she meets, inspiring us all to be the best version of ourselves. On a personal note, I am grateful for her mentorship, leadership and friendship over the years. Shelley may have been the first female Chair of ISRI, but I have no doubts that she has created a path to ensure that she is not the last.”

Padnos is the chair of the executive committee of the board for ISRI member Padnos in Holland, Michigan. She began her career at Padnos (previously Louis Padnos Iron & Metal) in 1984 as an account executive, rising through the ranks to executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

In 1998 Padnos made history as the first, and currently only, female chair of ISRI. Her involvement in the association began years prior as the secretary/treasurer of the Michigan chapter. She went on to serve as chair of the legislative committee, ISRI secretary/treasurer, vice chair and chair-elect.

Padnos was instrumental in the passage of the Superfund Recycling Equity Act (SREA) in 1999. She was appointed by former Environmental Protection Agenvy Administrator Carol Browner to the National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technologies, Superfund Subcommittee, charged with making recommendations to the Clinton administration on the reauthorization of Superfund legislation.

In addition to her work on behalf of recycling, Padnos has served on the boards of various community organizations, including the Ottawa County Parks Advisory Committee, Hospice of Holland Inc., Holland Community Hospital and Child and Family Services of Western Michigan. She also has served in various board positions for Grand Valley State University.

“First, I want to say that Robin Weiner assured me that receiving this award has nothing to do with my age,” Padnos says. “On a more serious note, it is truly an honor to be recognized by my peers for the work that I have done with ISRI, and it is made even more meaningful by the fact that my father, Seymour and my uncle, Stuart, were the very first recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. I feel privileged to carry on a family legacy.” 

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each year in recognition of an individual or individuals’ life-long dedication and leadership in the recycling industry and commitment to ISRI. Padnos will be recognized during the awards presentation Wednesday, April 28, as part of the ISRI 2021 Annual Convention and Exposition.

Also being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 is David Borsuk of Wisconsin-based Sadoff Iron & Metal Co.