Third-generation recycling entrepreneur. Builder of the East Coast's largest privately held scrap metal company. Philanthropist. Collector. Restorer of history. And one of the most followed entrepreneurs in America with 17 million Instagram followers.
Adam Weitsman grew up in Owego, New York, the grandson of Ben Weitsman, who founded Ben Weitsman & Son in 1938. The family had been in the metal trade for generations — but Adam saw something different. He left Owego for New York City, studied art and business, worked at the Hirschl & Adler Gallery in Manhattan, and opened his own folk-art gallery on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village.
"Having never forgotten his roots, Adam does his best to support his local community — philanthropically giving millions of dollars over the years."
Then in 1996 he had an idea. He came home, purchased 17 acres in Owego, and built Upstate Shredding from scratch. He recently enrolled at Harvard University for continuing education in business. The arc — art gallery to scrap metal billionaire to philanthropist — is distinctly American.
Upstate Shredding – Weitsman Recycling operates 15 locations across New York and Pennsylvania, processing hundreds of thousands of tons of scrap metal annually. The Owego flagship is home to one of the most advanced non-ferrous separation systems in the world.
The company is a leader in environmental stewardship — in constant communication with the NY DEC and US EPA, with the majority of processing performed indoors to reduce environmental impact. The shredder at Owego uses dissipating foam rather than water, suppressing dust and reducing fire risk.
Philanthropy is not a side project for Adam Weitsman — it's a defining part of who he is. From paying off school lunch debts to funding food banks to supporting cancer research, his giving is as wide as it is deep.
Restored the historic Krebs (est. 1899) in Skaneateles and donates all net profits to 16 regional nonprofits serving women and children in Central New York.
A lifelong supporter — his grandfather started the Tioga County Boys & Girls Club. Adam donated $175,000 after promising the gift if Syracuse basketball pulled off a historic Duke upset.
$100,000 to the Rescue Mission's culinary education center. Food banks, scholarships, school lunch debt payments, cancer and ALS research, and law enforcement initiatives across upstate NY.
Long before scrap metal made Adam Weitsman a household name in upstate New York, he was an art collector. He began acquiring 19th-century American stoneware as a teenager — a passion that would eventually produce one of the world's most significant collections of its kind.
In 2014, Weitsman donated his entire private stoneware collection — over 500 pieces including rare crocks, jugs, and jars with intricate cobalt blue decorations — to the New York State Museum. The gift, valued at $10 million, represents decades of dedicated collecting.
A historic fine dining restaurant in the beautiful lake town of Skaneateles in New York's Finger Lakes region. Founded in 1899 — one of the oldest restaurants in New York State. Adam purchased and fully renovated The Krebs in 2010, reopening it in 2014.
When Adam Weitsman acquired The Krebs in 2010, the 111-year-old restaurant had closed its doors. He spent years renovating it back to its original grandeur and reopened it as one of the Finger Lakes region's premier dining destinations.
True to form, Adam donates all of the restaurant's net profits to 16 regional nonprofit organizations focused on women's and children's causes in Central New York. The Krebs isn't just a restaurant — it's a vehicle for community impact.
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