Upstate Shredding
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Metal processing & recycling company |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Adam Weitsman |
| Headquarters | , USA |
| Subsidiaries | Ben Weitsman & Son, Inc. |
| Website | www |
Upstate Shredding - Weitsman Recycling is an American scrap processing and recycling company headquartered in Owego, New York.[1]
History[edit]
Adam Weitsman, who founded Upstate Shredding in Owego, worked at the Manhattan Art Gallery. Later, he set up his own American Folk Art Gallery in Greenwich village in 1991.[1][2] Weitsman returned to his hometown of Owego, NY after he lost his sister to cancer and joined his father in the family scrap metal business. He developed an interest in the processing side of scrap metal recycling, and began growing the third generation family business.[3]
In 1997, Weitsman opened Upstate Shredding on a 17-acre site at the Tioga County Industrial Park in Owego.[1][4]
In 2005, Upstate Shredding purchased its sister company, Ben Weitsman & Son, Inc. Adam's father Fred announced his retirement in 2005,[5] and Adam acquired a new scrapyard in Solvay, NY in 2009.[6][7]
In 2014, the company acquired Murtagh Scrap Handling, a recycler based in Rome, New York.[8]
After receiving $1 million from the state of New York’s Empire State Development (ESD) fund, the company announced plans to open a media plant in Owego.[9]
In 2015, Upstate Shredding bought a 5.6 million stake in Metalico Inc., a Cranford, New Jersey-based scrap metal processing company.[10]
Various other acquisitions took place between the periods of 2012 - 2016, including acquisitions of a scrap yard in New Castle, PA,[11] a port facility in Albany, NY[5] and Empire Recycling in Watertown which was later closed.[12][13] By the end of 2016, these locations were collectively known as Upstate Shredding - Weitsman Recycling.[5][14]
The company has two facilities in Owego, and operates in 12 locations across New York and Pennsylvania.[15]
In 2019, the company made a donation to the American Cancer Society as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives.[16]
Controversy[edit]
In May 2021, Sierra Club, an environmental organization based in Oakland, California, filed a suit against Weitsman alleging that the scrap recycler did not take adequate steps to protect against stormwater discharge from its facility in Albany, New York.[17]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "From scrap to Skaneateles: Adam Weitsman's lifetime mission to salvage a reputation". syracuse.com. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ^ Louie, Elaine (1995-03-16). "HOUSE PROUD; A Studio Breathes, Idea by Idea by Idea". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ^ "Transforming A Personal Brand After Hardship: A Case Study With Adam Weitsman - NewsOpener". News Opener. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
- ^ "Scrap Company of the Year (Large) | American Metal Market | Fastmarkets AMM". www.amm.com. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ a b c "Metal-shredding scrap company growing in region, across N.Y. | The Daily Gazette". dailygazette.com. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ syracuse.com (30 April 2018). "A beautiful scrapyard? Weitsman starts $5M makeover of Geddes 'eyesore'". syracuse.com. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ "Upstate Shredding Wins Tioga County Business of Year Award". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ "Upstate Shredding Buys Recycling Firm Murtagh Scrap". Waste360. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ "Upstate Shredding to build heavy media plant". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ "Upstate Shredding CEO takes large stake in Metalico". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ "Recycler lands in New Castle, takes on nation's largest scrap processors". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ "Owego company buys Pearl Street scrap metal facility". The Daily News. 2019-02-07. Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ "Upstate Shredding – Weitsman Recycling closes Watertown, New York, location". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ syracuse.com (24 January 2015). "Scrap king Adam Weitsman buys stake in biggest competitor". syracuse.com. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ Hill, David. "Upstate Shredding-Weitsman wins top industry honor". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ "Scrap industry CEO funds charity food service facility renovations". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ Borrelli, Anthony. "Lawsuit accuses upstate New York scrap company of stormwater pollution. How Weitsman responds". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved 2021-07-05.