Community Events
March 15, 2026
SMU Community Chat: SA Recycling's Adams 'overflowing' vision for US
Written by Ethan Bernard
George Adams is CEO of SA Recycling, an Orange, Calif.-based company with over 150 yards in over a dozen states, and around 4,000 employees. But it wasn’t always that way. When he began working with his father in 1977, the firm had one “tiny, little yard.” He sat down with SMU Editor-in-Chief Michael Cowden on Wednesday for a Community Chat to talk about the journey and what he’s seeing out in the market now. And how he predicts an unprecedented upcoming golden age.
“When I started working full time with my father, my job was just to drive to the dump every day. I had a crew of guys up there, and we picked recyclables out of the trash and I would drive it back every day,” Adams said. “And we started building from there.”
After buying a shredder, he began acquiring more small yards. (Note the company deals in both ferrous and nonferrous scrap.)
“That allowed my shredder to be very profitable and to grow,” he said. “And I just kept doing that over and over and over again.”
Near-term outlook
Things got forward-looking very fast as Adams gave his outlook for ferrous scrap prices for next month after the sideways move in March. He believes April will be a repeat of last year, a down month. (SMU reported busheling prices fell $20 per gross last April, month over month.)
“I’m telling all of my guys, you need to empty the decks this month, because next month’s going to be down,” Adams said. “I’d love it to be sideways or up, but, you know, I’d love a lot of things.”
Adams made a link between China selling scrap to countries the US traditionally sold to, and that would structurally keep scrap prices down.
“If you have a lower price of scrap, the scrap has to leave the United States,” commented Adams. “So until we build more steel mills in this country to make us scrap neutral, I just don’t see anything to keep the price of scrap up, other than weather.”
He pointed out that the current geopolitical conflict might change the dynamics, “but I just feel that the price will be down for us.”
Mills vs. yards?
One perennial topic not tied to the headlines is to what extent steel mills have an influence over scrap prices, especially as some mills have acquired scrap operations over the last few decades.
Adams was blunt. “I think right now the steel mills have the greatest pricing power they’ve ever had.”
Although he called the mills “really tough competitors,” he got more philosophical. “At the end of the day, we can’t live without steel mills, and I don’t think they can live without our scrap.”
He suggested that no matter market dynamics, it’s important to pay attention to the daily grind. “At the end of the day, it all works… We’re focused on the day-to-day operations of running our yard, and we live and breathe and die by it.”
Long-term golden age
As to what he’d like to see in the future in the US, he struck a familiar note. “I’d like to see a steel mill built on every corner.”
Despite his big investment in export, he said, “I still believe I’d like to see our country scrap neutral. And I think that it will be much better for the scrap business.”
With more competition, he sees the price of steel going down in the US, drumming home his call “to see more steel mills get built.”
Zooming out for the big picture, he had an even more optimistic outlook.
“I think our industry is settled for the best 10 years in history. That’s just my own personal opinion. I’m putting my money where my mouth is. That’s why I keep buying more scrapyards.”
Adams went even further, saying he thinks, “We’re going to have the greatest resurgence our industry has ever seen because of all the reshoring and all the stuff that’s being built.”
And he doesn’t see this development as tied to whoever might inhabit the White House. “There’s so much money being spent, and I don’t think it really matters who or what administration is in,” he said. “I’m really excited.”
He chalked this up to his overall enthusiastic outlook that goes beyond the common conception of half-empty or half-full. “Obviously, I’m very positive, my glass is always overflowing. That’s just what I believe.”
This was just a small sample of SMU’s conversation with Adams. The whole Community Chat is available here.
