Lewis Salvage acquires Rochester Iron & Metal

Lewis Salvage, Warsaw, Indiana, has acquired Rochester Iron & Metal in Rochester, Indiana, one of the company’s largest competitors. Lewis Salvage CEO Cary Lewis calls the move the company’s “largest expansion I could’ve ever dreamed of,” advancing the company’s growth, sustainability goals and ability to serve residential and commercial customers across northern Indiana.

“This is more than just a business move; it’s about having every tool in the recycler’s toolkit,” Lewis says of the acquisition, which includes an auto shredder. “With this new location, we’re going to be able to recycle more material, more efficiently, and with greater environmental benefit than ever before.”

The acquired site is located at 1552 East Lucas St. and will operate as Lewis Salvage Shred Services.

At the heart of the expansion is an auto shredder capable of processing up to 60 gross tons, or 45 to 60 cars, per hour. The shredder allows Lewis Salvage, which specializes in orthopedic recycling and nonferrous scrap, to break down vehicles and other large materials more quickly and cleanly, creating high-quality steel products for domestic use while minimizing environmental impact.

Rochester Iron & Metal installed its 6090 shredder from Wendt Corp., Buffalo, New York, in September 2012. The company, which was led by CEO Jason Grube, previously operated feeder yards in Logansport and Kokomo, Indiana, that became Paul’s Auto Yard locations in January 2024 after Rochester acquired 11 Paul’s Auto Yard locations in 2023.

“Technology has changed the way we recycle. Instead of cutting and baling everything, this shredder lets us create a cleaner, more consistent steel product,” Lewis says. “And we can do it with fewer emissions and better recovery of valuable materials like copper and aluminum.”

Lewis Salvage says it plans to keep most of the Rochester Iron & Metal team, which numbers approximately 90 employees, and grow the services offered at the site.

The company also will expand its roll-off fleet from 300 to more than 700 units with the purchase, enabling Lewis Salvage to service jobs that range from backyard cleanouts to ongoing scrap collection from area manufacturers.

The Rochester location is open to the public in addition to industrial accounts.

The new site is expected to help Lewis Salvage recycle an additional 10-12 million pounds of material per month, from old appliances and farm equipment to scrap from the RV and manufacturing industries.

In addition to the shredder, the Rochester site has a downstream sorting plant that recovers copper, aluminum and stainless steel from auto shredder residue, or fluff.

“Instead of sending all that to the landfill, we make sure to pull out the good stuff,” Lewis says. “Not only is it better for business, but it's also a smarter move for the environment.”

He continues, “This is vertical integration at its best. We’re combining our history with cutting-edge technology to build something great that serves our customers, our team and our planet.”