Pile of ScrapEp. 38: Family First – The Saccos of Sierra

John Sacco joins his brother, Philip Sacco, and nephew, Philip Sacco II, in Wyoming for a special Pile of Scrap episode focusing on the importance of family business and what it’s like growing up at Sierra, all while reminiscing on a few crazy stories.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 37: Good Ol’ Buddies

Working in the scrap industry is a little different than your average day job, and A&S Metals owners Stanley Silva, II (Buddy) and Stanley Silva, III (Buddy Jr.) can attest to that. Taking after generations before them, these guys are the embodiment of what hard work looks like. To discuss the history of the company and the essential aspects of recycling, John Sacco and his nephew, Philip Sacco, travel to Castroville, CA, to catch up with old friends over at A&S.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 36: Talking Music with Uncle Kracker

Unlike your typical Pile of Scrap episode, John Sacco decides to shake things up a bit by putting recycling on hold for a moment and discussing a topic everyone can resonate with: music. While enjoying a couple of steaks and sitting down with singer/songwriter Matthew Shafer, better known as Country music star Uncle Kracker, these guys waste no time in talking about how different music artists and music genres have played such a critical role in Matthew’s career all while including legendary stories involving Hank Jr. and ACDC.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 35: Walk the Yard - Scrap is Not Waste

Walking through Sierra’s scrapyard, John Sacco realizes he has a few things he needs to get off his chest. Although touching on topics all across the board, he doubles down how exactly government legislators are silencing those in the recycling industry when it comes to how recycled commodities should be labeled. John says enough is enough! It’s time to speak up and get our message out there: Scrap is not waste.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 34: Mr. Foontastic!

Surprise! John Sacco packs his bags and heads to Sterling Heights, Michigan to pay his good friend, Mikey Foon, an unexpected visit. As the fourth-generation owner of Admiral Metals, things are a bit different for Mikey than when his great-grandfather owned the place during the horse-and-buggy days. Through mastering social media, putting plans in place for a second location, and learning to cope with the toll COVID-19 has taken, Mikey still expresses his excitement for this business every day.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 33: Dave Wolf of JWR - The Jack of All Trades 

Initially establishing itself as a small welding and repair shop in 1972, JWR has evolved into a national waste and recycling equipment company offering additional services over the years, such as sandblasting, painting, truck and hoist repair, and container repair. Traveling to Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, John Sacco joins Dave Wolf, Owner of JWR, to talk about the lack of recycling in rural America, how COVID-19 has affected business, and present safety concerns.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 32: Reuse & Recycle with Bulrushed Books

Back in Moscow, Idaho, John visits the Beauchamp’s to hear how a Pile of Scrap episode influenced their company, Bulrushed Books. For a business that began its start in repairing old, abused books, Mark and Kristen Beauchamp have since made quite the impact within the recycling industry… All thanks to the insight of Pile of Scrap guest Leonard Zeid, President of Paper Stock Industries. Figuring that books are incredibly tricky to recycle due to their binding, Mark and Kristen developed the idea to debind their books to help maintain a clean recycling stream, which ultimately assisted their company’s growing success.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 31: Design for Recycling with Jeremy Spencer

John Sacco is thrilled to finally log off of Zoom, let loose, and give you the full Pile of Scrap experience after the COVID-19 nationwide shutdown. John travels to Moscow, Idaho, to sit down face-to-face with Jeremy Spencer, West Coast Representative of Atlantic Packaging, to cover everything from how packaging can increase sustainability to how consumers can participate in recycling without negatively affecting the quality and content of their products.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 30: The Man Behind the Sierra Legacy

Sierra founder, Ben Sacco, had a vision for his company: to improve the recycling process with better equipment and share that throughout the World. With John and Philip Sacco at the helm, they have been able fulfill this vision. However, this success wasn’t handed over on a silver platter. Between leading an organized and clean recycling facility to Ben’s philosophy to always “telling the customer the truth,” there’s no surprise that Sierra is a recognized leader in the recycling industry. John and Philip sit down to tell us all about Sierra’s roots and the man behind the legacy.

Pile of Scrap Ep. 29: Working Through A Lockdown

After months of being cooped up in our homes day-in and day-out due to the stay-at-home orders swept across the nation, it’s easy to admit that we’ve all been itching to get our lives back to normal as quickly as possible. During this time, John Sacco gives us his take on how the COVID-19 crisis has particularly affected creativity and human interaction in the workplace as well as making a vast impact on the recycling industry in terms of rising contamination levels and declining recycling rates. Considering this, John says it’s time to open up and get this country working again.