Through four generations and more than 80 years of company history, the company’s growth in the past 20 years is a testament to the leadership of third-generation recycler Robert Slesnick and his sons Brian and Scott, who represent the fourth generation piloting the family business. Although its past has included metals recycling and its present and future includes plastics recycling, the story of S. Slesnick Co. is most heavily written on paper.

The Slesnick name has been associated with recycling in Canton since 1924, when Barney Slesnick started collecting recyclable metals, paper and rags. Barney’s son Sidney, who lived to the age of 95, joined the family business and eventually assumed leadership of it. What they created represents the start of not one but two recycling companies spanning four generations of leadership.

Sidney’s sons Robert and Stan began assuming leadership positions in the 1950s, and their attention to managing two different aspects of the business led to a split between metal and paper recycling operations in 1957. Stan assumed ownership of what is now Slesnick Iron & Metal Inc., which is also based in Canton.

Robert, and subsequently his sons, Brian and Scott, have focused on paper recycling, leading to several decades of growth and expansion for the company at its location on the edge of Canton’s central business district.

Upon graduating from Ohio State University, both Brian and Scott had intriguing offers to work out of state, but chose to join the family business. Slesnick Recycling has firmly established itself both directly as a recycler for large generating customers and also as a processor of choice for hauling firms that run their own collection routes but that do not operate recycling facilities.

Through this variety of sources and alliances, Slesnick Recycling has enjoyed growth, with two recycling facilities in Canton and Alliance, Ohio. They currently employ about 60 people that process and ship nearly 15,000 tons of material every month.