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Clean Up Clan

Waste management is a dirty business, and Kinsbursky Inc. is finding ways to clean it up.

The environmental management and recycling company is installing solar panels on three buildings at its six-acre site in Anaheim, expanding a lithium ion recycling plant in Ohio and devoting significant resources to handle new business from hybrid and electric car makers.

“We’re one of the only companies in the world to handle hybrid and lithium batteries,” President Steve Kinsbursky said. “Batteries are a very big commodity. That market is growing and will continue to grow with hybrid and electric vehicles.”

The company recycles about 4 million pounds of lead-based batteries every month. It also handles catalytic converters, reclaiming precious metals such as platinum, rhodium and palladium.

Kinsbursky Brothers counts Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC among its clients.

The company has adapted to the changing times and weathered plenty of cycles in its 87-year history.

It rewrote the book on government compliance during some major regulatory shifts. It’s penned new chapters on recycling electronic waste, including televisions, cell phones and laptops.

Kinsbursky Brothers was honored with the medium business award at the annual Family Owned Business Awards lunch hosted by the Orange County Business Journal and California State University, Fullerton’s Family Business Council on Nov. 18 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.

“We’re very pleased to receive this award and very shocked,” Steve Kinsbursky said.

His brother Scott, who serves as vice president, attributed much of the company’s success to his parents, crediting them for instilling honesty and integrity in the family business.

“Even though we don’t do business with a hand shake, that’s the principal of our business,” he said. “That is the ethics our parents taught us. I don’t think a lot of companies have that anymore.”

Company History

Kinsbursky Brothers has been in family hands for more than three generations.

The company began with a horse-drawn wagon in Los Angeles, collecting scrap metal from homes and businesses.

The early start in the industry allowed the company to build operations and market share without much competition.

The industry saw big changes in the 1970s, with new regulations, permitting processes and increased federal oversight. The added costs kept other companies from entering the field.

“They didn’t want all these regulations and stipulations that we have to go through,” Steve Kinsbursky said.

The company moved from Los Angeles to Anaheim in 1976.

In 1988, Kinsbursky Brothers was granted one of California’s first Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permits by the Environmental Protection Agency and California Department of Toxic Substances. Later that year, it acquired a second permit, which allowed an expansion of battery recycling operations and the addition of hazardous waste management.

Scott Kinsbursky said the company was under constant inspection from customers and government agencies. In addition to navigating new laws, employees had to learn emerging technologies while crafting a business model that continues to evolve with the times.

Battery Recycling

Kinsbursky Brothers’ Lancaster, Ohio subsidiary, Toxco Inc., is expanding its battery recycling facility. The plant received a $9.5 million grant in August from the Department of Energy.

It’s expected to be operating within three years and will employ about 180 workers at full capacity.

Kinsbursky Brothers’ employs about 85 people in Orange County and 250 nationwide through its affiliated companies in Baltimore, Oakridge, Tenn., Philadelphia, Ohio and Canada.

Steve Kinsbursky estimates that 40% of his employees have been with the company for at least 10 years and many for more than 20.

When the recession hit, many were worried about their jobs.

“Everything came to a screeching halt,” Scott Kinsbursky said.

Management tightened budgets by cutting expenses other than payroll.

“We didn’t let anyone go or put anyone on furlough,” Steve Kinsbursky said.

Now that the worst of the cycle is in the rearview mirror, the company is focusing on its North American expansion.

The next era of the company will be led by the newest crop of Kinsbursky sons, nephews and cousins who are earning their spurs.

Scott Kinsbursky’s son Rich works in tracking. Nephew Danny runs the alkaline battery and small computer business line. Cousin Joel is purchasing agent in the catalyst division.

“The third generation is slowly becoming the fourth generation,” Scott Kinsbursky said.

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