PADNOS

Company History

History of Louis Padnos Iron & Metal Company

The First Generation

The Padnos story begins at the turn of the century with Louis Padnos. Louis, formerly from Russia, worked in the Netherlands during his teenage years to earn money for his passage to the United States. After saving enough money, he crossed the Atlantic and earned a living peddling and bartering household goods throughout the United States. Louis settled in Holland, Michigan in 1905. With Holland as his base, Louis spent the next years peddling clothing, indoor/outdoor tools and utensils in Michigan and Wisconsin. After several years, he began visiting local sawmills, creameries and farms, trading his goods for old iron that he would ship to Chicago. In 1915 Louis Padnos, not yet a citizen, was drafted into the United States Army and served his adopted country during World War I. When he returned home from the war in 1917, he was faced with the challenge of rebuilding the business he had left behind. In 1918 Louis married Helen Kantor and began to concentrate his business activities in Holland and the surrounding areas. In 1920 he bought an existing scrap yard on East Eight Street in Holland. Helen was an equal partner in this new venture. When Louis fell ill in 1930, she ran the business single-handedly for almost a year, while continuing to manage their home and raise their two sons, Seymour and Stuart. In 1932 Helen and Louis expanded the business with the purchase of the land and buildings of the bankrupt Ottawa Furniture Company on River Avenue.

The Second Generation

Seymour and Stuart Padnos grew up helping out in the family business. During their early teens, they worked after school and on Saturdays with their father and the other employees who had been added to service the expanding business. After graduating from high school, Seymour attended Hope College and Stuart enteredthe University of Michigan. After returning home after the war, Seymour and Stuart gradually began taking over management of the Company from their father. With their vision, leadership and education the Company grew from the original yard in downtown Holland to thirteen facilities throughout West Michigan. Seymour has been very involved in the community as well as building bridges between business and education. He has formed a strong alliance with Grand Valley State University that houses the Padnos Hall of Science on the Allendale Campus. He also loves sailing. Stuart has maintained for many years that scrap is beautiful. He often tells this story. My father was a “junkman” who founded the family business. My brother and I followed into the business, but we were “dealers in secondary materials. "Our children followed us and promptly became “recyclers,” but most recently, people have said upon meeting me, “Oh, you’re the artist.” Isn’t that nice. Stuart has many sculptures on our premises. He has also done several commissioned pieces for the community and the IXL shop has been proud to be a part of that effort.

The Third Generation

Today a third generation of Padnos family members has joined Seymour and Stuart in managing the growing Company. In 1976 Mitch Padnos joined the firm. Mitch is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. Three years later, Jeff Padnos joined the Company bringing with him expertise in business administration. He graduated from Harvard. In 1984 Shelley Padnos joined the firm after earning a degree from Michigan State University and Thomas Cooley Law. In 1989 Doug Padnos also joined after gaining experience in the furniture industry and graduating from the University of Michigan. Together these family members make the decisions that drive the future of the Company. With their commitment to a strong set of values, the Company is moving aggressively into the new millennium. The Padnos family believes that recycling is key to solving many problems that plague our world, including overflowing landfills, expensive and dwindling energy supplies, and environmental pollution.

Milestones

The Padnos Company stands ready to meet these and other challenges as it continues its tradition of prompt service, quality products and innovative ideas. The Company has grown through the expansion of operations beyond the original yard in Holland. There have been several notable milestones along the way.