DECEMBER 8 • 2022 | 31
Detroit but also as far south
as Monroe, west to Howell
and north to Marlette. They
buy “excess waste” from
their customers, who include
manufacturers, aerospace and
mining companies as well as a
few local steel and aluminum
mills, as well as individual
customers.
“Everything is bought on a
weight basis,” Foon says. Last
year Admiral Metals recycled
almost 50 million pounds of
scrap.
They recycle a wide range
of materials encompassing
scrap metal, including
prototypes from big
manufacturers, old appliances
and some electronics.
Depending on the nature of
the scrap material, it is then
sheared, baled, boxed, loaded
onsite and then sold to
companies that melt the scrap
and process it into sheets,
ingots or bars.
“We’ve grown the footprint
in size and added trucks,
staff and dumpsters,” Foon
says. The business now has
25 employees at its Sterling
Heights location. Michael
Foon focuses on non-ferrous
scrap — metals without iron
such as copper and aluminum,
new business and handling
truck dispatches. His brother,
Elliot, concentrates on ferrous
products (metals containing
iron) and the operation of the
scrap yard.
“We’re seeking to grow,
buying new and better
equipment and looking for
another site,” Foon says. “It’s a
lot of fun.”
The U.S. scrap metal
industry was dominated by
Jewish owners until recent
decades, according to Marvin
Pinkert, the executive director
of the Jewish Museum of
Maryland, which developed
an exhibit about Jewish
scrap metal dealers that was
displayed in 2020 and recently
traveled to Milwaukee.
The founders of scrap
companies often began as junk
men, who like the Foons’ great-
grandfather, bought rags and
scrap metal in small quantities
from individuals and factories.
It was a business that didn’t
require much capital investment
and enabled those who were
Orthodox to set their own
hours, respecting the Sabbath
and Jewish holidays.
Jewish ownership of scrap
metal dealerships has declined
from 80 to 90 percent to
an estimated 50 percent,
according to Pinkert and
industry estimates. This is due
partly to consolidation within
the industry. Larger scrap
companies, some national in
scope, are buying out smaller,
local firms as government
regulations increase and
the scrap metals market has
become global.
If you know of a local Jewish-owned
for-profit business that has been in
operation for 60 or more years old
that would like to be profiled, contact
Jackie Headapohl at jheadpohl@
thejewishnews.com.
“WE’RE SEEKING TO GROW, BUYING
NEW AND BETTER EQUIPMENT AND
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER SITE.”
— MICHAEL FOON
B I R M I N G H A M
Member FDIC
We can’t help you
cross the Mackinac
Bridge in a blizzard.
But we can help you
bank anywhere.
Ad Number:
PP-BOAA-22353K
Trim:
7.375" x 4.8"
Perich Job No:
22353
Bleed:
NA
Colors:
4/C
Live:
NA
Format:
1/2 Page Ad
Version:
11.21.22