B.C.’s ABC Recycling grew from great-grandfather’s survival as junk peddler

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There is no one path for rising generations in enterprising families. In this series we talk to members of next generations, whether they choose to take on a role in the family business, or its wealth stewardship, or to carve their own path. Sometimes, it is all of the above.

One man’s junk becomes another woman’s treasured empire, at least this was the case for Karen Alko, after her maternal great-grandfather, Joseph Yochlowitz, sparked what would become her family’s entrepreneurial spirit (and eventual recycling business) with his career as a junk peddler and backyard metal dealer when he arrived in Canada in 1912.

As a Jewish immigrant, his options to make a living were limited, Alko recounts.

But the family took those beginnings and built a multigeneration business. Today, Burnaby-based ABC Recycling Co. is a significant player in metal recycling in the west, with 10 locations across British Columbia, Alberta, and Washington State.

Here, Alko, who is part of the fourth generation and is manager of community relations, shares how she grew up playing in a salvage and metal yard and how she eventually made the decision to take a role in the family business.

How did the founding generation start a family business in Canada?

“In 1912, after arriving with his family in Vancouver, my maternal great-grandfather Joseph Yochlowitz began scratching out a living as a junk peddler and backyard metal dealer.

As a Jewish immigrant, Joseph’s options to make a living were limited. His sons, Daniel and Charlie, soon joined him in his labour and by the 1920s, the family business was established on Main Street as Service Auto Wrecking.

By 1935, my grandfather Daniel Yochlowitz was ready to invest in his own recycled metals shop, independent from his father’s. In 1949 he established ABC Salvage & Metal.

In the following two decades, the company expanded to occupy multiple lots on Main Street, Prior Street and Union Street.

Today, ABC Recycling is the largest metal recycling company in Western Canada, with 10 locations across British Columbia, Alberta, and Washington State.”

How did the founding generations shape your own work ethic?

“My grandparents worked very hard to build the family business, and they always believed in giving back to the community.

This core value is rooted in the Jewish tradition of tzedakah [charity], the Hebrew word for righteous behaviour. Their experience as Jewish immigrants who eked out a living doing what they could to support their family, while maintaining the importance of supporting others, has profoundly shaped my work ethic.

Today, my role in our family business is to oversee our community relations, Indigenous relations, philanthropic partnerships and family leadership development. My founding family member’s experience is woven into the work I do on a daily basis.”

What was it like growing up in a family business environment?

“I have some early childhood memories of playing in the yard on weekends, but it was not until my mom joined the business when I was a teenager that I was really exposed.

It was then that I began to learn about and understand that we had a family business.

Growing up in a family business on my maternal side was complemented by my dad being a commercial developer. I feel like I grew up with business in my blood.”

When did you feel your own entrepreneurial interests start to take shape, and how did your family support you in your earlier years?

“My entrepreneurial interests slowly started to take shape when I graduated from undergraduate university.

My family supported me by offering to train and mentor me in various areas of the business. I then decided to continue my studies, completing a graduate degree in business administration.

It was after I completed my internship when I discovered that I wanted to devote my energy to the family business. This is when my entrepreneurial interests really started to take shape.”

What supports and training other than your formal education did you find valuable?

“My Personal Advisory Group, which is a peer support group through Family Enterprise Canada (FEC).

Also, engaging with various professional associations: FEC; the Burnaby Board of Trade; the Recycling Council of British Columbia; the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries; and United Way’s Campaign Associates Program [where businesses donate time to help with fundraising].

And I completed FamilyShift through The Ivey Academy at Ivey Business School [at Western University].”

Did you turn to any advisors along the way and were they helpful?

“We have turned to Family Enterprise Advisors over the past 20 years. They have been immensely helpful in both my personal and my family’s evolution.

Personally, they have helped me to define my purpose in the family business: to be a values-keeper and champion for the family, and to ensure we continue our legacy of building thriving communities.”

How do you cope with family-business pressures?

“I lean on my Personal Advisory Group for support – they are a great sounding board. I work with our family advisor and facilitator who coaches me on an as-needed basis.

I also try to focus on leveraging my own strengths and how I can contribute positively to the success of our family business. A successful business is comprised of multiple stakeholders who all have important roles to play.”

Do you have any advice for next generations, whether they want to be involved in the family business or follow their own path?

“Listen to your gut and lead with your passions. I think this is the key to finding true fulfillment in life.

It is okay to go a different path. There are many ways to be involved in your family business, other than in the day-to-day operations. There may be opportunities to be involved philanthropically, on your family council or other committees, as a mentor to other family members, or just as an engaged and interested owner.”

Responses have been edited for clarity and length.

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