Member Spotlight: ReMA Multigenerational Businesses

Meet Lincoln Recycling, Manitoba Corporation, and Stanton A. Moss Inc. 

Lincoln Recycling 
Erie, PA, and Meadville, PA | Andrew Lincoln and Jeremy Lincoln, Co-owners 

An eastern European immigrant, Barney Lincoln started out as a rag man in 1930s Erie, PA, and built a business around recycling metals. “He was a true entrepreneur, before that word was even around,” says his grandson, Andrew, who now co-owns the company Barney founded, Lincoln Recycling, with his brother, Jeremy. “Whenever he saw opportunities, he would tinker with them.”

Barney’s son, Howard, joined the company in 1967, and they acquired a second facility in nearby Meadville, giving the company the capacity to handle both ferrous and nonferrous materials.

This work continues to this day. Andrew and Jeremy have added new streams of revenue outside of the core business, including brokering for other smaller facilities and offering remote interior demolition services to take down heavy machinery safely and securely.

What’s not different is the company’s family focus, which came out of the many lessons Barney and Howard passed down. Andrew says, “My father really taught me to flourish and fail, but not to let your failures stop you from trying something else. He never wanted mistakes to hold my siblings and me back from the next opportunity.”

Andrew and Jeremy have continued to grow the core business while adding new streams of revenue, including brokerage for smaller dealers and offering remote interior demolition services to safely and securely recycle heavy machinery and production lines at manufacturing sites across the US. Today, the company employees 65 people at its two facilities in Pennsylvania, and 5 employees for the remote demolition.

Andrew and Jeremy were also taught to give back to the communities they serve. Lincoln works with local schools and several non-profits to educate kids about recycling, focusing on the choices they make on a daily basis (the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; how everyday essential products in the classroom are made from recycled metals (the aluminum frame on the chalk board); and the company assists the kids with setting up a recycling drive. They also sponsor a robotics team in a local high school and an Earth Day contest for kids.

A big theme that my brother and I preach is to ‘do what you say.’ Show up, and be committed to your work, your co-workers, and your family. For us as owners, we don’t over promise and under deliver. Our service differentiates us from our competitors.

Manitoba Corporation 
Lancaster, NY | Brian Shine, CEO, and Adam Shine, President 

Family-owned businesses like Manitoba operate in a unique space within the recycled materials industry. They are sometimes up against large publicly traded recycling conglomerates, which can outcompete on capitalization and margins. The ability to be nimble and flexible helps family-run companies like Manitoba stand apart and fosters innovation. “Being in a family business, there is an internal drive to do great things,” says Adam. “My thinking is, how can we adapt and make it better than how we found it?”

One constant for Manitoba: Its focus on sustainability in its business practices. Both Brian and Adam point proudly to the company’s ISO certification and adherence to ESG standards. “We feel good about the important role that recyclables play in sustainability, and that is a generational pass-down,” Brian says. “It’s always evolving.”

For multigenerational businesses, sustainability is personal. Says Adam, “I appreciate what my father, my grandfather, and my great grandfather have done for not only the world, but for our family. I want to continue to pass that along to my kids and their kids.”

For so long, people have scoffed at the impact of recycled materials, but we provide a renewable source of raw materials, which means fewer natural resources from the forest, hillsides, and ocean floors. We care about the environment. We care about renewable resources. We care about not having to mine new materials. It’s more and more important to tell that story.

Stanton A. Moss Inc. 
Haverford, PA | Stephen Moss, President

Stephen Moss is president of Stanton A. Moss Inc., founded by Stephen’s father, Stanton, in 1974. Stephen joined him in the business in 2000 as its third employee after getting a law degree and working in management consulting. The company trades nonferrous metals all over North America with an emphasis on recycled aluminum.

This family-focused dynamic has been part of Stanton A. Moss Inc.’s success and has guided the business’s growth. Stephen says, “In family businesses there’s a lot more entrepreneurial spirit, and the personal relationship means something.” He adds that he’s been doing business with other companies across several generations, and that continuity has built strong bonds.   

Building relationships through ReMA — Stephen is a past national convention chair, chapter president and currently serves on the board—has also contributed to the company’s success. He’s following in his father’s footsteps — Stanton also served as convention chair and on the board. “I’ve gotten a lot of personal growth and leadership experience from being active in the trade association,” says Stephen. “Taking the time to be active and support ReMA will benefit you and your family, small or large.” 

We’re a small, lean company, so I don't have many peers. ReMA’s allowed me to find people nationally who I can rely on, be friends with, and hopefully do business with.