The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI) honored Leonard Rifkin of OmniSource Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind., and Ben Sacco of Sierra International Machinery LLC, Bakersfield, Calif., at the organization’s 2009 Convention & Exposition in late April.
Accepting the award for Leonard, who passed away in 2008, was his son Danny Rifkin, formerly COO of OmniSource Corp. John and Phillip Sacco, Ben’s sons, accepted the award on his behalf, as an injury kept him from attending the 2009 conference.
Ben immigrated from Italy to the United States in 1935 at the age of 13. He and Morris Rosenberg, his business partner, established the Sierra Bag Co. in 1947 in California. As the business expanded to handle radiators, copper and batteries from area farmers, Sierra Iron and Metal Co. was formed in 1959.
In the mid-1980s, Ben purchased a mobile baler while on a trip to Italy. After another U.S. scrap dealer inquired about the machine, Ben embarked on the next chapter of his career, forming Sierra International Machinery. Today, the company sells shear/balers, shear/baler/loggers, cranes, grapples and fiber balers.
Leonard’s father, a Russian immigrant who collected and sold rags, paper and scrap metal from the back of a truck, was responsible for his introduction to the scrap industry. However, Leonard did not warm to the industry initially and instead pursued a bachelor’s degree in business. He then served in the U.S. Army for two years before finding himself back at Superior Iron & Metal Co., which he become president of in 1963.
Leonard made more than 25 acquisitions during his tenure and welcomed his sons Danny, Martin and Richard to the business. He changed the company’s name to OmniSource at Danny’s urging to more accurately reflect the company’s scope.
Today, OmniSource, now a division of Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, handles 65 million tons of ferrous scrap and 700 million pounds of nonferrous scrap annually.
Washington, D.C.-based ISRI represents more than 1,400 companies that process, broker and consume scrap commodities. The organization held its annual convention in Las Vegas April 27-April 30.