Veteran recycler to receive ReMA Proler Award

The Washington-based Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) Gulf Coast Region has selected Mike Ronnel, co-owner of Metal Recycling Corp., based in Little Rock Arkansas, as its 2024 Israel Proler Award winner.

Photo courtesy of ReMA

The award is named in memory of Israel Proler, who served as Gulf Coast chapter president of ReMA predecessor the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel from 1955 to 1956, and given to individuals for their leadership, achievements and contributions to the recycling industry.

Ronnel’s career has spanned nearly four decades, beginning in 1989 when he joined his family’s recycling business, Metal Recycling Corp., after receiving both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in finance from the University of Texas.

Since joining the family business, he has overseen its growth and expansion along with his brother and co-owner, Steve Ronnel. The company includes two metal commodity trading businesses, both based in Little Rock: Metal Recycling Corp. and Metal Trading Corp. It also encompasses three metal recycling facilities in Arkansas: Metro Scrap Metals in North Little Rock, Thompson Recycling Co. in Searcy and Alman Recycling Co. in Little Rock.

But, according to a news release from ReMA, Ronnel attributes the growth and success of Metal Recycling Corp. to the “solid financial foundation” laid by his late father, Lee Ronnel—a fellow Proler Award recipient—and the dedication and loyalty of his managers and teammates, many of whom have been with the company for decades and whom he says he considers “extended members of the Ronnel family.”

Ronnel was president of the Gulf Coast Region from 2001 to 2003 and served on its executive committee from 1997 to 2003. He has been a member of the ReMA national board of directors as well as a member of many ReMA committees and councils during the course of his career.

The 2024 Israel Proler Award will be given June 27 at the ReMA Gulf Coast region summer convention in Austin, Texas.