Now under the leadership of Tom Wendt Jr, the family owned and operated Wendt Corp has served the scrap metal recycling industry for over 40 years. Bette Kovach asks him about the growth of the business founded by his father, now chairman, in 1977 and company strategy to supply ever more demanding markets.
Wendt CorpWhile still in high school, Tom Wendt accompanied his father, Thomas Wendt Sr, to a conference held by the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries where he was fascinated by the diversity of the audience. They ranged from owner operators to large publicly traded companies and everything in between, all dedicated to operating their businesses profitably and making a positive impact on the environment. Wanting to contribute to the growth of the family business, he decided to work in the recycling industry to provide equipment that would help to make better use of the world's resources.Today, Tom leads Wendt Corp, Buffalo, New York, one of the world's largest technology-driven manufacturers of a wide range of recycling equipment for ferrous and non-ferrous scrap management. Employing more than 100 people, the firm has customers throughout the Americas and Europe, and is working with potential clients in Asia, including India, the newest developing...