Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/180153
Meanwhile, back home in Wisconsin, his dad, secondgeneration leader of the family business, Sheldon Lasky, was considering selling the company, as many scrap iron businesses were undergoing consolidation in 1998. In the 11th hour, it fell through. That's when the family business lawyer called Mark and asked him to meet about an opportunity. He listened. He became intrigued with the notion of walking in the footsteps of his grandfather, Israel "Edward" Rudoy, an immigrant from the Ukraine who had started the business in 1947. Still, running a scrap business? It didn't seem all that sexy. "My dad said, 'Give it a year. I don't want to hear you love it or hate it until you've tried it,'" he recalls when he joined the company in 1999. That was the philosophy Sheldon Lasky, now chairman of the company, says he took with Mark, 39 and brothers Jason, 36 and Bradford, 34. "We pushed them not to go into it. Maybe that backfired," Sheldon says with a chuckle. "Believe me, if somebody had told me 15 years ago all three boys would be in the business, I would have been surprised." Mark learned the ropes in multiple roles, from driving a forklift and riding with truck drivers to working with the chief financial officer and maintaining the Midwest territory as a buyer. In 2003 he became president of Block Iron & Supply Co., then a subsidiary of parent company Sadoff and Rudoy Industries (where he had worked through high school). One of the first lessons he learned was the difference between the types of metal they deal with. "They said, 'Think of it this way, Mark: non-ferrous is anything that doesn't stick to a magnet – copper, brass, aluminum, certain grades of stainless – and ferrous is the big stuff.'" He quickly learned how it all works: Sadoff sorts, grades and processes scrap that is collected from suppliers. Once processed to meet size, chemistry and density requirements, the scrap is sent to foundries, steel mills and smelters to be used in creating new products. Mark was mentored by his father and many others before taking the reins as chief executive officer of Sadoff Iron & Metal in 2008. His brothers had left home to earn business degrees from the University of Denver before they also returned to join the family business. Today, Jason serves as senior vice president of corporate shared services, and Bradford, who went on to earn an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, serves as senior vice president of operations. All three say the opportunity to carry on their grandfather's legacy called them home. "My grandfather gave me the ability to go to college and I thought I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to explore what he had built," says Jason, echoing remarks made by his brothers. Working together in a family business comes, of course, with interpersonal dynamics so special that just 12 percent survive into the third generation, according to the Family 24 | Insight • O c t o b e r 2 013 Sadoff Iron & Metal locations » ond du Lac – Arndt Street (Headquarters) F » ond du Lac – Scott Street F » reen Bay G » Sheboygan » Manitowoc » Berlin » Oshkosh » incoln, Neb. L » maha, Neb. O Firm Institute, a Boston-based organization of service providers to family businesses. "We pay special attention to the old adage, 'The first generation is the entrepreneur, the second grows it and the third pisses it away,'" Mark says from his office in the company headquarters overlooking the bustling truck and train traffic at the Arndt Street facility. Led by Sheldon – whose experience working for his fatherin-law taught him the challenges of working with family – the Lasky brothers determined that Sadoff would not become one of the statistics. Today, Sadoff Iron & Metal is the largest privately-held scrap recycler based in Wisconsin. The company employs 252 people, including 165 at two sites in Fond du Lac. Other facilities are in Berlin, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Green Bay; Omaha and Lincoln, Neb. It conducts business in 38 states and exports 15 percent of its products to China, Mexico, Taiwan, India and Canada. This year Sadoff expects to process or recycle about 430,000 net tons of ferrous scrap and 110 million pounds of non-ferrous scrap. Recycled metal is a commodities industry, subject to the whims of world markets, financial volatility and unpredictable pricing, Mark explains. In the face of challenging times for their industry, business associates attest the Laskys have found a formula for success – and even growth. They credit the company for focusing on its core business and tapping outside advisors, including the hiring five years ago of an experienced corporate steel industry veteran to take on the roles of president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Wearing those hats, Frank Villaire has led the charge for metrics, efficiencies and sound compliance practices. "They're all bright young guys with great perspectives," says Bob Coglianese, chief operating officer at Blended Waxes, Oshkosh, a long-time business peer and family friend. "They take it seriously. That era of the old industrial scrap yard with stuff just floating around is gone. They've expanded, acquired locations, they're doing all the things they can to manage a successful operation. They're on top of their game, in my opinion." Mountains of metal S teep piles of metal sorted in every shape and form imaginable line the perimeter of the scrap ferrous yard at the 33-acre Fond du Lac headquarters. "Not everything is pretty, but it's all got a w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m