Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Born Scrappy I sit down with Brett Ekart, Serial Entrepreneur, Owner of United Metals Recycling and the host of A Scrap Life podcast, for a masterclass in what it really means to grow. Not just bigger, but smarter, broader, and with the right people alongside you. Brett has built one of the most diversified operations in the scrap industry. From eight scrapyards in Idaho and Oregon to pipe supply, trucking, tire recycling, property development, and media. ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Born Scrappy I sit down with Michael Lion, Former Owner of Philipp & Lion and Former Consultant & Chairman at Sims Metal Management, for a masterclass in what really happens when it all goes wrong and what you can learn from it. Michael's career is one of the industry's most extraordinary stories. He entered the business at 17, built Philipp & Lion into one of the world's largest non-ferrous scrap traders, pioneered copper trade routes into Chi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Born Scrappy I sit down with Jonathan Ross from John Ross & Sons Ltd., and his son Alex Ross, VP of Ops and Sales. Recorded live at ReMA 2026, this is a candid, unfiltered conversation about what it actually takes to bring the next generation through a fifth-generation family business the right way. Jonathan has spent decades building one of Canada's largest and most respected metal recycling operations. A company now in its fifth generation, which put...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, I chat to Lenny Formato, Co-founder of Empire Metal Trading. A third-generation recycler out of New York, Lenny has lived and breathed this industry from a young age. From riding trucks as a kid to building a business that’s still evolving today. We cover everything from persistence and patience in deal-making to the power of going “all in” when it really counts. Lenny shares stories that only come from decades in the game, including the deals that to...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, I chat to Andy Golding, Chief Strategy Officer & Partner at Kripke Enterprises and incoming ReMA Chair. This one’s a proper masterclass on attracting young talent, and more importantly, what to do once you’ve got them. Andy shares how the industry needs to rethink some of its oldest habits if we want to stay relevant. From moving away from the “everyone must start in the yard” mindset, to hiring for specialization and actually trusting people to ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I host a live panel discussion diving deep into one of the biggest forces shaping the scrap industry right now: Tariffs, trade policy, and global market dynamics. Joined by industry experts, the panel unpacks what’s actually happening beneath the headlines, covering recent tariff changes, shifting trade flows, and the real-world impact on recyclers, traders, and operators. From 10% global tariffs to 50% steel and aluminum duties, and everything in between, ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Amy Hinton, North American Scrap Editor at Fastmarkets. We break down one of the most misunderstood parts of our industry. How prices actually work. If you’ve ever questioned where scrap prices come from, how they’re formed, or whether the market is being “played”… this is the episode for you. Amy pulls back the curtain on how price reporting agencies operate. From sourcing real transaction data to filtering out noise, bias, and market posit...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode I chat to Ryan Fogelman, Fire Protection Consultant at Fire Rover, about one of the biggest risks facing scrap yards today. Fires. Ryan has spent the last decade helping recyclers protect their facilities from devastating fires caused by lithium-ion batteries and other hidden hazards in the recycling stream. What was once an occasional problem has rapidly become a global issue affecting yards of every size. We break down why fires are becoming more co...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode I chat with John Sacco, former President of Sierra International and former Chairman of ReMA. John has been one of the most influential voices in the recycling industry for decades, helping shape both the culture of Sierra and the broader narrative of our industry. After recently transitioning out of the business he helped build, John reflects on what comes next and why he’s still deeply committed to pushing the recycling industry forward. From brand b...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Born Scrappy, I sit down with Bob Alvarez, President at Shapiro Metals, for a true masterclass on the art of buying scrap into a yard. Bob didn’t grow up in scrap, but over the past decade he’s helped shape Shapiro into one of the most sophisticated industrial recyclers in the U.S. With over 120 years of legacy behind the company, Bob shares how they’ve evolved beyond commodity buying to become a high-value service partner to manufacturers. We unpack how ...