‘Top traders learn from the good, the bad and the ugly times’

Recycling International regularly spotlights individual scrap traders from around the globe. Here we give the floor to Autumn Barnes of Georgia-Pacific Recycling in the USA.

HOW I STARTED OUT

‘Growing up I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. After I finished school, I was thinking to myself, “Ok, I have a business degree, so now what?” All I knew was I liked travelling and didn’t want a tedious 9-5 job where you look at the clock 20 times an hour wondering how you’re going to make it through the day.

Luckily my first job in the recycling business checked all the right boxes. In this industry there’s never a dull moment, no two days are ever the same, and I can honestly say each day is a new and fun challenge which, of course, is very rewarding.’

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY JOB

‘I find it fascinating to hear people’s stories about how they were introduced to the metals trade. Usually, it is in a family business where they grew up as a kid. You don’t meet many who intentionally went into metals recycling as an initial career choice. I have optimism for the younger generation of recyclers.

Being a female trader in a mostly male field has served me well because I am fortunate enough to have had a few great male mentors and role models who supported my ambitions of becoming a good trader. Interestingly, I have been surprised to find many of my clients’ processing facilities are managed and owned by women who have been in the industry for many years.’

MY YEAR SO FAR

‘Since I joined GPR in January we have been focusing on providing our clients with logistics options, assisting them by procuring more material into their processing yards and assessing if there is better value in placing their materials in the domestic or the international markets.’

MOST EXCITING MOMENTS

‘The Great Financial Crisis of 2008 was a definitely one of the most challenging times and served as a lifelong lesson in the recycled metals trade. More recently, dealing with the global Covid lock downs and then the reopening of the global economy was another memorable time in my career.’

THE UPS AND DOWNS

‘Bumpy rides are part of all businesses but I would say that doing business with people of high integrity and accountability is most important. It also helps to work for a supportive company like Georgia-Pacific where we have a strong team.

One of the strongest qualities for a trader is the ability to listen to their client’s particular needs and taking the time to understand their business model. Being able to adjust quickly to the market environment is also an integral quality.’

LESSONS LEARNED

‘It helps to have the experience of seeing the good, the bad and the ugly of our markets because with each business cycle there are many lessons to learn. The trader’s ability to learn from past experiences, pivot and move quickly to make the best decisions for the client and the future of the business is key.

Understanding regional dynamics and the needs of our counterparts, is where we focus our time to have continued success.’

FREQUENT FLYER

‘I have a home office but I prefer to travel to our office in New York and I always enjoy seeing my clients and visiting their facilities. I’m usually on the road a few weeks out of the month with a stop at our head office in NY to connect in person with my managers and colleagues.

For closer client locations, I prefer to jump in my car but for longer hauls to the south and out west I fly. Networking is the lifeline of a trader because only so many phone calls or emails can really help build that stronger connection.’

BEST COUNTRIES VISITED

‘I would say my favourite foreign countries are Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Vietnam. These are interesting because I’ve seen positive developments in their economies over the last decade.’

BEST TRIP

‘The most memorable trip was Vietnam and seeing the enormous expansion of the country’s infrastructure. Visiting an industrial park with several different steel works was really interesting. Also gaining a better understanding of the culture and experiencing the delicious food was nothing short of amazing.’

THE FUTURE

‘Change is constant in all that we do and is all around us. There’ll be no shortage of continued changing circumstances that we will have to embrace as time goes on. We do our best to not only recognise change but also to drive positive changes and optimisation to be a better business partner each day.’