Upstate Shredding Adds to Management Staff

Adam Weitsman, president of Upstate Shredding - Ben Weitsman & Son, has announced that the company has added two long-time scrap metal recycling veterans to its staff.

In a press announcement, Upstate Shredding says that Phillip Krieger has joined the company as chief financial officer (CFO). Prior to joining Upstate, Krieger was chief operating officer and CFO for Sims Metal Management East.

Krieger will supervise financial matters for Upstate Shredding LLC, as well as its sister company Ben Weitsman & Son, Inc., both headquartered in Owego, N.Y. He also will work with Upstate’s various other facilities.

“Phillip has a fantastic reputation in the industry and came highly recommended. I knew he was a man with vision to match ours,” says Steve Green, Upstate’s vice president. “We have experienced incredible growth over the past several years, and Phil’s financial, operational and administrative experience, especially his scrap metal background, will go a long way towards helping us reach our goal of $1 billion in debt-free sales and the continuation of our acquisition model.”

“I saw an opportunity to join a unique company that is building a management team that is going places. The scope of acquisitions during 2010 was impressive, if not unparalleled for this industry. Adam’s all-cash, debt-free philosophy is the type of business that America needs to return to,” says Krieger in the release.

Before joining Sims, Krieger was COO and CFO of Mercer International Group’s Fairless Iron and Metal of Trenton, N.J.

Upstate Shredding also announced that Adam Rosenthal joined the company as director of Acquisitions. Prior to joining Upstate, Rosenthal was general manager of scrap metal facilities for Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.

“Over the past year we have acquired businesses in Syracuse, Jamestown and Liberty, N.Y., and in Towanda, Pa.,” Adam Weitsman says. “We are eager to acquire others to feed our upgraded shredder capacity and maximize our investment in the latest nonferrous technology. Mr. Rosenthal’s nearly 30-years experience in virtually every aspect of the metals business, from mining to brokerage to managing multiple scrap metal and recycling facilities, is invaluable. He knows the business inside and out and that’s what it takes to evaluate and complete successful acquisitions as well as the integration that needs to come with it.”

Prior to joining Upstate, Rosenthal had operational responsibility for six northeastern Schnitzer Steel facilities. Before that, he held management positions with New York Recycling Ventures, a division of Metal Management NE Inc.; W. Silver Recycling; Commercial Metals Co.; Albert Bros. Inc.; Recycling Industries; Staiman Recycling/Brothers; David J. Joseph Co.; and World Resources.

“I see this as a wonderful opportunity to put a wealth of hard-earned career knowledge to work on an exciting venture for a dynamic, growing company. Adam has told me what he wants, and I know what to look for. I look forward to working with a harmonious team that is bound for even greater success,” says Rosenthal. “We plan on announcing more exciting acquisitions in the next 60 days.”