In this week’s episode, I chat to Becky Proler, President of SCR Recycling and a powerhouse in the metal recycling world.

Becky’s family is credited with inventing the "Prolerizer," the first automobile shredder, a revolutionary innovation in metal recycling. And she’s still innovating today.

We cover her decades-long journey from hand-sorting metal as a kid, to building a thriving shredding and processing operation in Houston, to pushing the boundaries of what AI can do for alloy separation.

Becky shares what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated industry, what she’s learned about leadership and trust, and why you should never stop buying, no matter what the markets say.

In this episode, we talk about:

👉 Building a business that values loyalty and grit
👉 Why technology alone won’t save the industry
👉 Why “never stop buying” is rule #1 in scrap
👉 Adding value in a world of shifting alloys
👉 And much more!

Listen to the full episode, wherever you stream your podcasts.

Born Scrappy.

Brought to you by Buddy.

The only marketplace and trade OS built for scrappies, by scrappies.

https://www.tradebuddy.io/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tradewithbuddy/


WHO IS STU KAGAN ANYWAYS?

26 years in the metal recycling game and still learning and growing...

I learnt from the best and worked my way up from yard labourer to Executive Director of Trading and Operations for the largest metal recycler in sub-Saharan Africa. Responsible for 4,500 employees, 85 sites, and the overall profitability of a multi-billion dollar operation.

I brought my breadth and depth of knowledge to bear and co-founded the fastest growing, most-loved, and most awarded metal recycling company in New Zealand. No small feat in a country where people are outnumbered 4:1 by sheep (spoiler alert: sheep don’t produce much metal waste).

I thought it was time that tech worked for our industry, so I took all of my experience as an operator and trader and leveraged that to build THE killer scrap app, Buddy. That’s right - built for scrappies, by scrappies.

Father of two crazy-awesome boys. Husband to Lisa. Under 9 rugby coach. YPO member. Lifelong learner. Mentee. Mentor. Chief dog walker. Committed Stoic. Undefeated dance-off champion.

COME SAY HI ON LINKEDIN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stukagan/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/born-scrappy/