When and how did you enter the paper recycling industry? In 1978, I was working for a CPA firm that had a paper stock plant in St. Louis as a client. I was a junior accountant working on that company’s audit for several years. I was interested in the business and developed a relationship with the company. I eventually left accounting to work in finance and real estate, but I kept in touch with the owner of the paper stock plant. About 10 years later the owner called and asked if I’d be interested in joining the business. I took the job and fell in love with the paper recycling industry. It was a fun, fast-paced business to enter.
Then, in 2005, I approached Alter Trading Corp., a large metal recycling company in St. Louis, and I asked if it would be interested in starting a paper division. The Goldstein family, which owns Alter, referred me to its then-partner company, Midland Davis Corp. Marty and Mitch Davis agreed, and I greatly appreciate the confidence they showed in me then and in our brokerage division now. We’ve grown from basically a one-person startup to a brokerage operation with six brokers in the United States and Canada as well as six customer service reps. Along the way, we’ve expanded beyond recovered paper into scrap plastics and postconsumer metals.
What keeps you interested and engaged in the business today? The people and making deals. I’ve been at this business 32 years now. The people make it fun, and I love making deals. I’m fortunate that my vocation is also my avocation. If someone asked me to spell “work,” I’d spell it “fun” most of the time.
What do you like and dislike about the business? I continue to like working with my co-workers, my suppliers, and my customers. I dislike the tremendous amount of mill consolidation in the industry, which means fewer customers, as well as the vertical integration, which means some of our customers are also our competitors. They have their own brokerage operations now along with MRFs.
What have been your most rewarding professional achievements? Professionally, I’m proud of my involvement on the ISRI national board of directors and my service as chair of the Paper Division, chair of the MRF Council and president of the PSI Chapter. I’m currently chair of ISRI’s Recyclability Protocol Committee and serve on several other ISRI committees. In each of those positions, I’ve worked with great people, learned new things that have helped me in my business, and developed some decades-long friendships with people such as Joel Litman, Myles Cohen, and others throughout the industry.
Personal achievements? Personally, I’m most proud of my family. My daughter, Samantha, is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and my son, Joel, just graduated from law school and is starting work as an Assistant State Attorney for Cook County, Ill. And, of course, my wife Stacy has been a great partner in my life, and she is very successful in the jewelry business. I could not have achieved any of my successes without her support and encouragement.
What are the most significant changes you’ve seen in the business over your 32-year career? The role that export plays in the paper markets has been a huge change. What happens across the world affects a load that I buy literally across the street. The ripple effect of exports is huge, whether you’re exporting directly or just shipping domestically. The domestic market pressures—good and bad—definitely are affected by the export market expansions and contractions. Our company philosophy has always been to take care of our domestic mills and leave the export for other people. Our goal is to build firm domestic relationships by providing quality and consistent recovered paper at fair pricing. Fortunately, our company has some great domestic partners that have made that approach possible.
If you could improve anything about yourself, what would it be? I believe in persistence and determination, but sometimes that comes at a cost of patience. I’d like to improve my patience and be a better listener.
What are the defining memories from your term as PSI Chapter President? One of them was a trip I took to Indonesia with ISRI President Robin Wiener to advocate for the industry on trade issues. Adina Renee Adler, ISRI VP of Advocacy, set up that memorable and productive trip. Also, PSI rebranded during my term, which was huge in reminding the paper industry of the importance of PSI and its specs. It has also led to a big increase in our membership. I had a great PSI board of directors that was supportive and innovative about organizing events and raising funds for the chapter’s scholarship program. And I truly valued developing a relationship in PSI and ISRI with [PSI member and past PSI President] Myles Cohen, formerly with Pratt Recycling [now retired]. He and I worked together to move the grade changes in our ISRI specifications from the old #6 and #8 ONP grades to the current #56 (Sorted Residential Papers & News) and #58 (Sorted Clean News) grades.
What issues were most important to you during your term as PSI President? In my four years as PSI vice president and president, the chapter reviewed and updated the ONP and Mixed Paper specifications to new specs, which was a major achievement. There also was the ongoing trend of MRFs becoming the major providers of recovered fiber in the market. Independent paper stock plants are minimal now, and MRFs are the major players. Responding to that trend, we developed the MRF Council, which has since become an official ISRI committee. That group has developed the new inbound-material specs that many municipalities and MRFs are using in their contracts.
What were the challenges and rewards of serving as PSI President? There was a lot to do, and there was the ongoing challenge of motivating the PSI board and members to be active and involved. One of the biggest rewards was my final meeting as PSI president in Nashville, Tenn., in February 2020. The chapter recognized me for my service in a very moving dedication, and many members and past PSI presidents—as well as my wife Stacy—were there. It was a very special event. I also owe a big thanks to ISRI President Robin Wiener for her generous help along the way as well as to Adina Renee Adler, from whom I learned so much.
What are the major challenges facing your company and the overall paper recycling industry today? For independent brokers, the major challenges will continue to be mill consolidation and mills having their own brokerage operations. The big new challenges in 2021 are transportation and logistics. Problems in those sectors will cause all types of supply-chain issues. If a company doesn’t have the parts or materials it needs, then it can’t make a product and put it in a box to sell it. If the company has to take downtime, it will lay off employees, then those people won’t have money to buy new products. Also, the shortage of baling wire and baling parts could present some major issues in our paper supply chain in the coming months ahead.
What advice would you offer to the new generation entering the paper recycling industry and ISRI/PSI? I’d say to someone entering the business—be flexible, be a good listener, be determined and persistent, return your phone calls and emails on a timely basis, be prepared to work hard, certainly get involved in the industry, and have fun along the way.
