September/October 2006
By Kent Kiser
Doug Kramer—Kramer Metals Inc. (Los Angeles)
Did you always plan to work in your family’s scrap business? I think my parents wanted me to be a doctor, lawyer, or some other professional, but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I can remember, when I was a kid, going to sleep in my clothes so there’d be no reason why my dad wouldn’t take me to work with him. I couldn’t wait to go to work at the scrapyard.
What do you like most about the scrap industry? The people. This is an industry of really interesting, smart, hard-working, inventive, honorable people.
What do you like least? I dislike when some recyclers reinforce the negative stereotypes people have about the scrap business—that it’s full of thieves. It puts a blight on the majority of honorable and good people in this industry. I don’t like the playing field being uneven because some people are dishonest.
What is the biggest challenge facing your scrap company? The continued contraction of U.S. manufacturing. We’ve lost a lot of industrial customers over the years because they were put out of business by out-of-state or overseas competition. The challenge is how to compete effectively when the scrap sources you rely on are gone.
What is your business philosophy? Keep your word. Be honest in your dealings. If you don’t know something, say you don’t know. Treat people with respect, whether it’s your biggest supplier, your biggest consumer, or the guy who’s selling you three pounds of copper at the dock.
What lessons have you learned about business in your career? I’ve learned that business requires patience and thoroughness. I’ve been anxious to put deals together and have made a lot of mistakes. I’ve learned that sometimes the most counterintuitive move is the best move, that sometimes the information is worth more than the metal, that it’s OK to pass on material. The only scrap I’m interested in buying is the scrap I can make a profit on.
Can you recount a funny experience from your scrap career? There have been so many, most of which I can’t repeat here. When I was a kid, we had a guy working for us named Elmo Joe, a former professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams. He was a nice man and strong as an ox, a hard-working guy. My dad got mad at him for something and fired him. Elmo sat down in my dad’s office and wouldn’t leave. My dad started yelling at him and told him to get out. Elmo said, “You can’t tell me what to do. I don’t work for you anymore.” My dad let him sit there a couple of minutes. Then he finally looked at Elmo and said, “All right, fine, you’re rehired—now get out of my office.” And that was that. Elmo never worked for anyone else.
What’s your favorite movie? Overall, I’m not a big movie guy. I tend to like old movies. Anything with John Wayne in it is good with me. I like To Kill a Mockingbird.
Favorite drink? Jack Daniels is pretty much my drink of choice socially. Otherwise, water.
Favorite place in the world? Turkey. I went there on my honeymoon, and it was just unbelievable. I’d also love to go to Tibet. That’s one place in the world that really fascinates me.
Hobbies? I love to sail. I love to ski—I was a ski instructor for many years. I like to work in my yard at home.
Which of your traits do you like the most? Somebody told me I’m one of the most genuine people they know. I’m not phony. I like my straightforwardness. And I think I’m an honorable person.
Anything about yourself you’d like to improve? I tend to have poor follow-through on things I’m not particularly interested in. I’ve learned, though, that just because I’m not interested in them, that doesn’t mean they’re not important.
You’re obviously a muscular dude. How much can you bench-press? I don’t get to work out much anymore. At my peak, I could bench over 400 pounds.
As an L.A. native, you must have some great celebrity stories. I try to avoid that stuff like the plague. I’m completely uninterested in celebrity. I have no idea what the attraction is. I couldn’t be less interested in celebrities. I have some friends who are celebrities, but we never talk about it. It doesn’t matter. We just do different kinds of work, and they get overpaid.
What are your greatest personal and professional achievements? Personally, my family. My wife and children, they’re everything to me.
Professionally, I don’t measure my success by my job. I never have. I’m not looking for a pat on the back and an “attaboy” because I go to work every day or because I make a good buy, a good sale, or put a good deal together. That’s what I’m supposed to do. It’s my job. If I can maintain and grow our business to another level, then that’s what I’ll have achieved. If I’m able to give my family a good life, then that’s a professional achievement, I guess.
You have two young sons and a stepdaughter. How would you describe parenting? Parenting is the best job I’ve ever had. It’s the greatest thing in the world. How can you compare it to anything? When your children put their arms around you, and you feel completely responsible for their health, welfare, growth, and development, it’s fantastic.
Any words of wisdom for your kids and the next scrap generation? The scrap industry is a good business with good people, but you’re not owed anything. Don’t count on somebody leaving something to you. You have to make your own way, work hard, and earn it. If my kids want the business, then they’ll clean balers and do the worst jobs in the world, just like I did, and they’ll hate me for making them do it. When they own the place, though, they’ll appreciate it.
If you had three wishes, what would you ask for? I’d wish for long life, health, and happiness for my kids. I’d wish to live long enough to see them grow up and to meet my grandchildren. And I’d like my kids to live in a world without hate.
Doug Kramer--Kramer Metals Inc. (Los Angeles)