Inventor, leader, visionary receives Lifetime Achievement Award
(Las Vegas, NV) –
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the Voice of the
Recycling IndustryTM, today recognized industry leader Sam Proler of
Proler Steel with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Proler’s ingenuity and
innovation led to the invention of the automobile shredder, a
development that changed the course of the industry.
“Sam Proler came from a distinguished family of recyclers. He was
passionate about recycling, the environment, and his family,” said Robin
Wiener, president of ISRI. “He made countless contributions that had
significant impacts on the recycling industry. Early on in his career,
he helped change the image of the industry by eliminating the word
‘junk’ from the name of the family business. However, Sam Proler, along
with his brothers, will always be remembered for developing the
automobile shredder which forever reshaped our industry. Whenever anyone
sets foot in a scrapyard, they just have to take a quick look around to
see the Proler legacy. ReMA is honored to present Sam Proler with the
Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Sam was born into a recycling family. His family owned The City Junk
Company in Houston. Growing up, he learned the business from his father
while riding along on a horse-drawn junk wagon after school and on the
weekends. During the Great Depression Sam was forced to quit school
after the 8th grade and begin working in the family business. Within
four years, he was running the company. At the age of 18, he recognized
that scrap was not junk, and changed the company’s name to Proler Steel
to better reflect the value of scrap. Over the next four decades, Sam
and his brothers Izzie, Hymie, and Jackie, built Proler Steel into a
publicly traded, international company. Proler retired from Proler Steel
Corp in 1969, however he continued his involvement with the industry
offering new ideas. Proler passed away in February 2018 at the age of
101.
It was in 1956, that Proler brothers together developed an idea that
would forever change the recycling industry … The Prolerizer. This
groundbreaking machine was capable of recycling whole automobiles, a
process that increased efficiency and quality in recycling. The
Prolerizer also had a positive influence on the environment, an issue
very close to Proler. During this era, many cars were discarded in
fields, woods, and even highways. Proler worked with President Lyndon
Johnson and First Lady Ladybird on a national beatification project to
recycle more cars through the Prolerizer.
The award was presented to Mr. Proler posthumously during ISRI’s annual
convention and exposition in Las Vegas. It is the largest gathering of
recyclers in the world. Metals identification expert and recycling
industry leader Ron Reich will also be presented with the award at the
convention on Thursday.
Photos available up on request.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)
is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry™." ReMA represents more than
1,300 companies in 21 chapters in the U.S. and more than 40 countries
that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals,
paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. With
headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides education,
advocacy, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness
of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the
environment and sustainable development. Generating nearly $117 billion
annually in U.S. economic activity, the scrap recycling industry
provides nearly half a million Americans with good jobs.