# Welcome to Built to Work

## Host: Colin

Welcome to Built to Work, the podcast that gets its hands dirty, dives into the grit, and uncovers the heart of what makes the blue-collar world tick. I’m Colin, your host, and I’m sitting down with the people who keep our world running. From those tackling tough jobs no one else dares to do to the HR professionals working overtime to find the labor force we desperately need. Whether you’re in the trenches or behind the scenes, this podcast is for anyone who values hard work, determination, and stories that build the backbone of our workforce. So, grab your gloves, your coffee, or your clipboard. It’s time to get to work.

Welcome to another episode of the Built to Work podcast. I am here today with my friend Randy Goodman. Randy, thank you so much for joining me today.

## Guest: Randy Goodman

**Randy:** Thanks, Colin. It’s great to be here.

**Colin:** Yeah. So, I’ve gotten to know Randy over the last couple of years, different industry events, running into each other, having conversations. Very interesting guy, has a long background in the recycled materials industry and the scrap industry. So, I thought it’d be fun to chat with you and learn about your history and kind of what you’re doing now. So, Randy, how did you get your start in this industry?

**Randy:** Well, it was at a lake house, Lake Alatuna, Georgia. I met a person who was a friend of my sister’s, and he was interested in hiring my sister. But instead, he interviewed me for a position that was basically a grunt in a brokerage division, small brokerage house at a scrapyard in Atlanta, Georgia. I had a cousin of my mother’s in the industry, and she told me to talk to him. He said, ‘I don’t care if you have to sweep floors and clean out toilets, but if you can get into a family-owned business in the scrap metal industry, it would do you well.’

I was a guy that made it through high school with little issues, and college was really challenging. I kind of consider myself smart dumb—not really a book-smart guy but kind of able to navigate the world with street smarts and just common sense, and a sales ability, if you will.

**Colin:** Okay.

**Randy:** That was ’89. Fast forward 11 years, they got bought out and bankrupted afterward. Coming out of that bankruptcy, a little company out of New York City named Hugo New Schnitzer Joint Ventures back in 2001 picked me up to replace somebody who had been with them for 53 years. He was 87 years old and had actually immigrated from Frankfurt, Germany with Hugo New himself. So, it was an amazing jump into the big leagues, if you will, international marketing, traveling. I loved it. It was an amazing opportunity.

**Colin:** Yeah, it sounds like an incredible journey. You’ve been really active in the trade associations, haven’t you?

**Randy:** Yes, along the way, I’ve been extremely active in the trade association, formerly known as ISRY. I actually named my company Scrapper G, my consulting business, since I was on my own for a couple of years along the way, recently. I worked alongside ISRY’s leadership to work on specifications for about almost 20 years. I led that specification group for about 15 years and wrote and modified a lot of the current specifications that we use today in the non-ferrous realm around the world.

**Colin:** That’s impressive work. And you mentioned transitioning into a role with Pillar, how has that been for you?

**Randy:** Pillar was a match made in heaven. They had just gone through their first round of venture capital at some point before that. I think of Scrap Metal as their proof of concept, if you will. Their product, which is an AI-powered hedging platform, was unique to our industry. I’d never seen anything like it before. They basically have a way that runs your entire hedge program online with AI-powered while it’s plugged into your systems in one way or another. It’s groundbreaking.

Being able to take that on the road for the last year and a half, first as an adviser, and now as the VP of sales, has just been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had in my life.

**Colin:** That’s awesome. It’s exciting that you’ve transitioned to the VP of sales. Do you see any similarities between your past roles and what you’re doing now?

**Randy:** Yes, I’ve always been about team building and communication, and succession planning is important to me. I make sure to train the next person because if I drop dead tomorrow, god forbid, somebody has to take over.

**Colin:** Yeah, succession planning is indeed crucial. With your vast experience, what’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in the industry?

**Randy:** Keeping an open mind, both vertically and horizontally. You have to look down to the people in the yard all the way up to the people unloading on the other end. It’s about understanding that it’s not just the partnership between the purchaser and the seller or operations and the buyer. It’s the whole relationship, including logistics companies, containers, railroad, steamship lines. You have to treat everybody the right way, whether they treat you that way or not, to make it through the process.

**Colin:** That’s such valuable advice. Thank you for sharing that with us, Randy. It’s been fantastic chatting with you, and I hope all continues to go well with Pillar. We’ll be sure to point our audience to your website at [www.pillarhq.com](http://www.pillarhq.com).

**Randy:** Thanks, Colin. It was great talking to you.