In 1906, Russian immigrant Sam Schnitzer founded a one-man scrap business called Alaska Junk Company. Sam and his wife, Rose, raised seven children in Portland, Oregon. With his sons, Sam grew the family scrap metal business into a steel recycling, shipping and real estate organization known as the Schnitzer Group. Sam’s youngest son, Leonard, became the CEO of Schnitzer Steel Industries in 1973 and remained chairman until his death in 2003.
For decades, this private family’s charitable donations remained largely anonymous. The Schnitzer Group began to visibly support the community by leveraging contributions and increasing their giving capacity through matching gifts. The Schnitzer’s early gifts were concentrated in Portland and throughout Oregon, where their business was located. As their business grew to other communities across the country, so did their giving.
And when tragedy strikes, Schnitzer Steel and its employees rally to help. When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Schnitzer Steel employees demonstrated their generosity by responding with donations to the charities of their choice. In addition to fully matching employee contributions, Schnitzer Steel donated $50,000 to Mercy Corps and individual $25,000 donations to local Red Cross chapters in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama. When the tsunami struck Southeast Asia just after the holidays in 2004, Schnitzer Steel immediately donated $125,000 to Mercy Corps to support relief efforts.
Throughout the company’s operations, the Schnitzer tradition of generosity lives on through the community service provided by dedicated Schnitzer Steel employees and the passion they feel for the communities where they work and live. The following pages tell some of their stories.
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