Thirty years in scrap. The lessons that never made it into a training manual.

Balls of Steel is the field guide for operators who want to protect margin, spot opportunities earlier, and build a yard that outlasts the next decade — and beyond.

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Featuring top industry voices

Balls of Steel draws on stories and lessons from guests on the Born Scrappy podcast; heavyweights who've been in the trenches, taken the hits, and built something worth talking about.

Amy Bird

Founder of Women In Recycling

Bill Slulak

President of Ferrous Processing and Trading

Bob Alvarez

President and Chief Operations Officer at Shapiro Metals

Craig Weber

Vice President of Scrap and Global Recycling at Metal Exchange

Dhawal Shah

Partner at Metco Ventures LLP

Evan J. Schwarts

Chief Innovation Officer at AMCS Group

George Adams

CEO and President of SA Recycling

Jay Robinovitz

Former President and Chief Operating Officer at Alter Trading

John Sacco

Former President and Owner of Sierra International Machinery

Marc Schupan

CEO at Schupan & Sons, Inc.

Michael Goldstein

Executive Vice President of Operations at Alter Trading

Michael Lion

President of Everwell Resources Ltd and Lion Consulting Asia Ltd

Michael Movsas

Chief Commercial Officer at Sims Metal Managemen

Murat Bayram

Director of Non-Ferrous Activities at EMR

Neil Bryce

Co-Owner of CW Metals and Nordic Metals

Robin Wiener

President at ReMA

Sandy Brooks

Vice President of Finance at SA Recycling

Steve Deacon

Chief Commercial Officer at EMR

Steve Zusman

Executive Vice-President and Co-Owner at Metro Metals Northwest INC

Part field guide, part wake-up call,
and part tribute to the industry

The playbook for scrappies who want stronger yards, sharper decisions, and a business ready for what’s next. 

Change is coming, whether you're ready for it or not. The next decade will reward yards that can move faster, manage risk better, build stronger relationships, and spot the opportunities other operators miss. Instinct and hustle still matter, but they need backup.

A few things you'll take away: Why "profitable" and "broke at the gate" can happen in the same month, how to navigate forward commitments without carrying all the risk yourself, and what staying loyal to "the way you've always done things" can actually cost you.

Written by industry veteran Stu Kagan, with lessons from some of the most experienced operators in the trade, Balls of Steel is full of honest truths and moves you can actually make.

Who this it for

If you've ever stood in a yard wondering whether you're leaving money on the table, or watched a deal go sideways and spent weeks untangling it, this is for you.

Owners

who recognise the industry is changing and want to stay ahead of it.

Managers

who are obsessed with running the best yard they can.

Traders

who want to get more for their metal and reduce risk

Anyone

in the scrap game (whether you're new or an old-hand) who wants to build instincts that usually take a decade to earn.

Stu Kagan

Stu has spent nearly thirty years in scrap. He worked his way up from yard labourer to Executive Director of Trading and Operations at the largest metal recycler in sub-Saharan Africa, before building one of New Zealand’s most-loved, fastest-growing recycling companies.

Today, through Buddy, he’s focused on helping the industry trade better, think sharper, and build for what’s next. He speaks at industry events around the world and is the host of Born Scrappy, the podcast where the trade’s hard-earned lessons get airtime. This book is him putting some of that on paper, finally.