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knowledgeable executive, he was kind enough to
share information with a young reporter. Despite
the advantage of his name, he made his own
impression on the scrap trade.

Old-timers may recall Louis Galamba, the Chief
Executive of Sonken-Galamba Corp., a foremost
concern in the scrap business. Louis was a power
player whose words were listened to respectfully by
industry members.

Leading ISRI role

In more recent years, the Cozzis – Frank and
Albert – became exceedingly prominent scrap per-
sonalities. Albert ran a large business before becom-
ing Chief Executive of Metal Management, a giant
scrap company which absorbed many small family
firms through purchases and mergers. He remains a
fluent speaker who has addressed many scrap and
steel meetings. Frank has played a leading role in
the US Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI),
eventually being elected its Chairman in 2006. These
days, the Cozzis run their own company.

No article on the contributions of Italians to the
US scrap industry could be written without mention
of Sandy Cortopassi of Overland Metals in St Louis.
A virtuoso in the field of aluminium, he was a
remarkable individual, a humanitarian, and a family
man who devoted much time to his wife and children.
His company grew to be one of the most successful
and respected aluminium firms in the country.

Ask about well-known Italians in the scrap
industry and the name Dick Zampiello will come up
almost immediately. His abilities and ingrained
sense of scrap have helped him expand Omnisource,
the company he currently represents. And he is also
a shining representative of the multi-lingual scrap
business: as an Italian, he claims to speak a better
Yiddish than many of his Jewish colleagues. But
then, he is not alone: reportedly, Frank Cozzi has
been known to throw in a word or two of Yiddish
when appropriate.

Working in harmony

The scrap business is more than multi-lingual.
From the very beginning, it has shown that people
can work together in harmony, irrespective of their
cultural backgrounds. While run by the Bonomos
and Schiavones, the Schiavone-Bonomo Co. had as
one of its ruling figures Herman Moskowitz (and
later other Moskowitzes) who helped build the com-
pany’s fine reputation. Herman was a teacher of
scrap as well as a leading executive.

And then there was the immaculately-dressed
Arthur Chiappari, President of Bronx Iron & Metal
Co., with whom I had lunch several times on
Fordham Road in the Bronx. The Bronx also
launched the Capassos – Frank and Pat – who ran
an outstanding company in the outer borough and
could be seen at meetings of the Copper Club, NARI
and later ISRI.

Peter Avagliano, who held a leading position at
Schiavone-Bonomo and later when the company was
absorbed by Hugo Neu, is probably one of the best-
known scrap executives. He represents a measure
of honesty and integrity that has made his name
respected among all who do business with him. His
knowledge of the steel scrap trade is enormous.

In 2006, I had the privilege of interviewing Ben
Sacco of Sierra Iron & Metal Co. He is a most
charismatic character, a man of wit and humour,
with an extensive knowledge of both the scrap and
related equipment business. Ben has made extraor-
dinary efforts to help build a cohesive Italian com-
munity in his state of California. Ben’s son John,
long active within ISRI, was elected a Vice
Chairman of the organisation in 2006.

Reaching out to help

The Italians who came to the USA did not forget
their own histories, reaching out to help communi-
ties overseas by rebuilding churches, helping to
equip schools, and sending money abroad to aid
many charitable institutions.

The decline in family businesses within the US
scrap trade due to mergers and acquisitions has cer-
tainly affected companies with Italian backgrounds.
Nevertheless, many firms, such as Bantivoglio
Metal Co. of Camden, New Jersey, have been
around for many years and are still very much in
existence. And many newer companies have found a
place in the US scrap business and are carrying on
the work of their predecessors.

Without doubt, the individuals mentioned in this
article, as well as many others of Italian origin,
have stamped their individuality on an industry in
which integrity outweighs ethnicity.

U S S C R A P I N D U S T R Y

Recycling International • March 2008

Si Wakesberg
1913-2008

On Friday February 22, just
before this issue went to press, we
learned that the author of this arti-
cle Si Wakesberg had passed away
in his home city of New York at the
age of 94. Si was a dear friend, a
wonderful colleague and was
known throughout the recycling
industry as a skilled journalist.
Right up until his death, he served
as New York Bureau Chief for the
US Institute of Scrap Recycling
Industries’ magazine ‘Scrap’. Not
many people in the recycling
industry knew that Si Wakesberg
was also a gifted writer of fiction
and poetry whose work has been
published in print and electronic
magazines.

We will miss him dearly.

Peter Avagliano of Hugo Neu Schnitzer East.

Dick Zampiello works for Omnisource, headquartered
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.

An 1957 advertisement in ‘Scrap Age’ of Delawanna Iron and Metal
Company of Newark.

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