Great Lakes Electronics Corp

What Great Lakes Electronics Corp does

Great Lakes Electronics Corp, doing business as GLE Scrap Metal, is a first-generation, family-owned scrap metal and electronics recycling company founded in 2000 by Nathan Zack. The company purchases non-ferrous and ferrous metals from generators and resells processed material to domestic mills, foundries, and international end-users, operating with a stated zero-landfill policy for metals. GLE serves a diversified customer base spanning demolition and construction contractors, industrial manufacturers, HVAC and electrical contractors, municipal accounts, automotive dealers and body shops, aerospace manufacturers, and data center operators. As of the most recent data, the company operates 11 facilities covering 45+ acres of outdoor scrap yard across Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, supported by an owned trucking fleet and a National Accounts Sales function, with approximately 200 employees.

The company offers six integrated service lines: Non-Ferrous Processing (copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel), Ferrous Processing (steel, iron, cast iron), Brokerage and Trading (market-based pricing desk operating out of Longwood, FL), Logistics and Transportation (container drop-off, swap-out, and nationwide pickup), Electronics Recycling (e-waste and data center materials), and specialized Copper Processing. Underlying technology is asset-heavy — physical yards, processing equipment, owned fleet — supplemented by proprietary facility management software referenced in job postings. The company carries ISO 9001 certification, 10-year ISRI and ReMA memberships, and was featured in Recycling Today magazine in 2022.

GLE's revenue model is transaction-based: the company buys scrap at commodity-market rates and resells at prices tied to LME and COMEX benchmarks, with the spread between purchase and sale prices constituting the gross margin. Logistics services and brokerage/trading commissions add secondary revenue streams. Pricing is pay-as-you-go, fluctuating daily with global commodity exchanges, with non-ferrous metals commanding higher per-pound value than ferrous. The go-to-market is sales-led, combining direct drop-off at yard locations with scheduled commercial pickups, container services, and inbound quote requests, supported by content marketing, SEO, and trade association trust signals. No external funding, M&A, or institutional ownership has been disclosed.

Name

Great Lakes Electronics Corp

Legal name

Great Lakes Electronics Corp.

Website

https://glescrap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Electronics Corp (DBA: GLE Scrap Metal) is a family-owned scrap metal and electronics recycler founded in 2000, operating 11 facilities across Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and Pennsylvania to serve demolition, industrial, municipal, and specialty customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Recycling Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals Service Centers & Offices (5051)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Recycling (Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Lead, Zinc) (EUAIAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-Waste & Electronics Metal Recovery (ITAD, Circuit Boards, Precious Metal Recovery) (IMAKAMAG), Enterprise Hardware Recycling (Servers, Storage, Networking) (BPALAIAI), ITAD, Electronics Recycling & Parts Harvesting Retail (CRACAJAF)

Keywords

• Scrap metal recycling
• Electronics recycling
• Non-ferrous processing
• Ferrous metal processing
• Metal brokerage trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Casselberry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Scrap Metal Purchase and Resale: GLE purchases non-ferrous and ferrous metals from generators (demolition contractors, industrial facilities, manufacturers) and resells processed materials to domestic mills and global end-users. Revenue is generated through the margin between purchase price and sale price, with pricing tied to commodity market benchmarks (LME, COMEX).
2. Brokerage and Trading: The company operates as a broker connecting scrap metal suppliers with consumers including domestic mills, foundries, and international buyers. The brokerage division handles various grades of materials including ingot by-product, export packages, and foundry packages.
3. Logistics and Transportation Services: GLE operates its own fleet of trucks for pickup services, charging for transportation of scrap materials from customer sites to processing facilities. They also arrange third-party carrier logistics for cost-effective solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Electronics Corp (DBA: GLE Scrap Metal) is a family-owned scrap metal and electronics recycling company operating 11 processing locations across Florida, Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City. Founded in 2000 with approximately 200 employees, the company processes non-ferrous and ferrous metals, brokers and trades scrap commodities, provides logistics and transportation services, recycles electronics, and processes copper for commercial, industrial, and demolition clients.

Product overview

GLE Scrap Metal (Great Lakes Electronics Corp) operates as a family-owned scrap metal and electronics recycling company with 11 locations across Florida, Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City. The company offers a comprehensive suite of recycling services organized around six core service lines: Non-Ferrous Processing (copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel), Ferrous Processing (steel, iron), Brokerage and Trading (market-based pricing, commodity trading), Logistics & Transportation (container services, fleet pickup), Electronics Recycling (e-waste, data center materials), and Copper Processing (various grades). The services function as an integrated recycling ecosystem where collected materials move through processing, trading, and logistics operations to serve domestic mills and global end-users. The company maintains a zero-landfill policy for metals and provides pickup services across multiple states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Non-Ferrous Metal Processing Processing service for non-ferrous metals (e.g., copper, aluminum, brass) recovered from commercial, industrial, and demolition scrap streams; intended for scrap generators and producers of non-ferrous scrap.
• Ferrous Metal Processing Processing service for ferrous metals (e.g., iron and steel scrap) recovered from commercial, industrial, and demolition scrap streams; intended for scrap generators, demolition contractors, and industrial manufacturers.
• Scrap Brokerage and Trading Brokerage and trading service for ferrous and non-ferrous scrap commodities, connecting scrap sellers with downstream buyers such as mills, smelters, and exporters; serves commercial and industrial scrap sellers.
• Logistics and Transportation Trucking, container, and roll-off hauling service for collecting scrap from customer sites and delivering processed material to downstream buyers; supports commercial and industrial scrap generators.
• Electronics Recycling Recycling service for end-of-life electronics (e-waste), recovering valuable metals and components for downstream refining and resale; intended for commercial, institutional, and industrial e-waste generators.
• Copper Processing Dedicated copper sorting, processing, and preparation service that upgrades copper-bearing scrap for sale to refineries and rod mills; serves scrap generators producing copper wire, tubing, and related materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recycling aluminum saves up to 95% of the energy needed for primary aluminum production
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• David J. Joseph Company (DJJ): One of the largest US scrap metal brokers and processors, with non-ferrous processing plants and export operations; comparable in brokerage/trading and non-ferrous specialization that mirrors GLE's higher-margin streams.
• Hugo Neu Corporation: US scrap metal recycler and exporter with a focus on non-ferrous metals, brokerage, and international trading — closely comparable to GLE's brokerage/trading service line and export packages.
• Metalico: Operates scrap metal yards and processing facilities focused on non-ferrous and ferrous metals with brokerage activities — a comparable mid-scale, multi-state recycler profile.
• OmniSource Corporation: Operates a broad network of scrap yards and processing facilities across the Midwest and Southeast, supplying ferrous and non-ferrous scrap to steel mills and foundries — highly comparable to GLE's yard-plus-fleet regional model.
• Scrap Metal Services (SMS): Operates scrap processing facilities serving industrial, demolition, and rail customers across multiple US regions, with brokerage and mill services — a direct analog to GLE's enterprise-account and demolition customer focus.
• SA Recycling: Large US-based non-ferrous and ferrous scrap metal recycler with a multi-state yard network, brokerage, and metals trading — a close operational and geographic analog to GLE's full-service recycler model.

Regional players

• Cohen Recycling: Mid-Atlantic and Southeast US scrap metal recycler with ferrous and non-ferrous processing; overlaps with GLE's geographic footprint in the Southeast and offers a similar multi-yard, full-service model.

Broad incumbents

• Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel): One of the largest US metals recyclers operating scrap yards, processing ferrous and non-ferrous metals with mill and export offtake; directly comparable in core scrap processing and brokerage, though at substantially larger scale and publicly traded.
• Commercial Metals Company (CMC): Vertically integrated metals recycler and steel producer with scrap procurement at the upstream end of its mill supply chain; comparable in metals-recycling operations though much larger and mill-integrated.

Emerging players

• Cirba Solutions (formerly Heritage Interactive Services): ITAD and electronics recycling specialist serving enterprise, data center, and telecom customers; comparable to GLE's electronics recycling service line and data center vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fglescrap.com%2F

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes Electronics Corp