Recycling innovator, educator receives ISRI's Lifetime Achievement Award
(Las Vegas, NV) – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the Voice of the Recycling IndustryTM, today recognized industry veteran Ron Reich with
its Lifetime Achievement Award. Over the course of his career, which
began more than five-and-a-half decades ago at H. Kramer & Co., Mr.
Reich became a leading expert in metals identification. Many of his
methods are still in use today throughout the industry.
“Ron Reich is a recycling innovator and educator who has made numerous
positive and long-lasting contributions to the industry,” said Robin
Wiener, president of ISRI. “He is very well-respected throughout the
industry for his honor and integrity. His depth of knowledge related to
metals identification, and his corresponding willingness to share it
with others, has proven to be invaluable to the field of recycling. ISRI
is proud to recognize Ron Reich with its Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Mr. Reich's career in the industry began when he worked at H. Kramer
& Co. while on summer college break. After graduating from Bowling
Green University, and serving in the United States Marine Corps, he was
employed by H. Kramer as warehouse manager. As manager he was
responsible for receiving, processing and grading material for the
furnaces producing brass ingot. After ten years, he was transferred to
the El Segundo, California location as a buyer, later serving on the
Board of Directors. In 1985, Reich began working as a nonferrous manager
at Schnitzer Steel before moving on to Timco. This allowed him to
expand his metals expertise into aluminum. After 20 years at Timco,
Reich moved to Atlas Pacific, where he returned to his first love of
brass. Throughout his career he has lived by his motto, “A good deal is a
good deal for everyone.”
Reich is renowned throughout the industry for his knowledge of metal. In
addition to the many seminars he taught on metals identification, he
created a Metals Identification Chart which proved invaluable to the
recycling industry. He was also very active in ISRI. He was a member of
the West Coast Chapter for more than 45 years, serving as an officer and
board member during that time. From 1972-1974, Reich served as the
Commander of the Jewish War Veterans scrap industry association.
The award was presented to Mr. Reich during ISRI’s annual convention and
exposition in Las Vegas. It is the largest gathering of recyclers in
the world. Sam Proler, industry leader and head of Proler Steel, was
posthumously presented with the award at the convention earlier this
week.
Photos available up on request.
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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.