Ken Shuman is committed to family, business and giving back

Around eight decades ago, in Buffalo, N.Y., a man from Ukraine scrounged for rags and metals that he could resell. He and his family lived in a house with no running water and a dirt floor.

From those modest roots, his sons started a scrap business, reclaiming waste plastic and later expanding to offer compounds for flushing out plastics from processing machines.

Now in its second generation, Shuman Plastics is active in the community. While he’s proud of the company’s success, President Ken Shuman told Karen Hanna, senior staff reporter for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, he’s most grateful for the chance to give back, as well as the relationships he’s enjoyed with his family.

He and younger brother Dan, the executive VP, run the company, while their father, Charlie, still maintains an office. 

How did you get started in this particular, very niche part of the plastics industry? 

Shuman: We have a recycling and compounding business and raw material. And we have a purging compound line that is a separate entity.

The company [dates] to my grandfather, Philip. He was an immigrant from Ukraine, and he plied the streets of [Buffalo] with a horse and wagon and peddled glass, metal, rags, paper and different materials that were recycled at the time, and consolidated them and took them to the mill. Immigrants had to figure out ways to scrap and make a living by their hard work and moxie. That's how he put a life together for his family. 

When my dad and uncle got out of the military (following World War II and the Korean War), they joined him in that scrap business. I believe in 1962, (Shuman’s father and uncle) incorporated in New York, and they took a scrap business that was sort of in a general scrap yard, and really had to pick one commodity to go after. They decided, since everything else was taken, they would go after something new, which was plastic, which really had not seen a lot of traction industrially. A lot of it was for military and high-value use. They were early recyclers [of] scrap plastic, and through the ’70s and ’80s, were exclusively plastic.

The purging compound business was through some R&D work, good fortune and discovery. That launched in 1982. 

How did you come onboard?  

Shuman: As a kid, I loved riding shotgun on a forklift with somebody or pushing a broom or standing on a grinding platform and listening to big motors hum, which was exciting. I would hang out, mesmerized by what was happening. But the business itself seemed like a lot of phone work and a lot of conversations; it wasn't that intriguing to me as a kid.

Later, I managed to work in the plant in the summers, to apply myself and have something to learn, something to do physically. But it was never part of my plan or interest to be in Buffalo and be part of this. 

I went to Michigan State, moved to New York City and was in an unrelated field about five years. In ’87, I decided I wanted to leave New York and change industries. At that point, my dad said, “Why don't you think about moving back to Buffalo and getting involved in our family business?” It really had not occurred to me that was a good option for me, or an open door, anyway.

We had a bunch of discussions and conversations around what that might look like, mostly because I didn't want to risk my family relationships for a job. I wanted to make sure whatever we were going to do, we were going to have a healthy family, good loving relationships, and if the work worked out, that would be nice, too. We did a lot of work making sure we could be high-functioning. That's what really mattered. I moved here in ’87 and had no idea what I'd be up for. It's been a blessing. It hasn't all been great, but, on balance, it's been amazing. It's been a wonderful journey. Got to learn a lot about business, life, myself and other people, and help people in a big way. It's really a great privilege to run a business and be in a position to help others. It's really powerful. It's been a gift, and it's still fun.

How do you make things work within a family business? 

Shuman: You can't have too much family in a family business. It's got to be restricted; it can't be an entitlement program [or] a safety net. You've got to have something to offer, in terms of workmanship and capacity to lead or develop something. You’ve got to learn it and earn it. Some of it is about just treating it a little bit more arm's length as a professional, and not letting the family piece influence that. Sometimes, it's easier said than done. But we really committed, “I'll come and give it my best shot. If I'm failing or floundering, you'll tell me to go look for a job. But if I can prove myself, I want the opportunity to acquire the business. By the same token, if I'm miserable, and it's just not the place for me, I'll tell you it's not the plan we hoped for. ... I'll get out of the way.” ... Everyone's got alignment on where we're going. As long as we're honest and upfront with each other, it'll all work out. ... Doesn't mean we didn't have our disagreements, some difficult days, but we always had the ability to talk and be honest and always end up in a place where family mattered, and we still had good, loving, caring relationships. We're lucky. I know lots of families that struggle with their business, and it breaks my heart because there's so much that matters beyond wealth. 

How many other Shumans are still with the business? 

Shuman: Just myself and my brother. We co-decide everything by consensus. 

In 2008, my dad retired, and we bought him out. My dad had bought my uncle out years before. 

My dad was the sole owner at that point. He was 78. He said, “I need to retire. I need to get out of the way, do something different.” So, we planned, probably over a couple of years, [for] leadership transition.

I'd been in the business, probably, working with my dad 23 years at that point. That's a long apprenticeship, but a good one. He taught me a ton. He was fabulous.

My brother probably had been here a dozen years at that point. We were tried and tested, and knew what we knew and what we didn't know. We’re honest about that, and had a great team around us.

What happens in the next generation? 

Shuman: That's a big piece of the work we're involved in now — fourth-quarter planning, in terms of life itself. I still am enjoying work and contributing, but I don’t want to be the guy in the way. What do they always say? The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle? Don't want to be that guy. At some point, I need to extricate myself from the day-to-day and do more long-form, strategic work. .... We had the good fortune of hiring a terrific guy, Dan Rozanski, as our COO in 2025, and the plan is for him to lead the company so I can step aside and do other work, but not be in the way ... an obstacle to our ongoing progress. 

I think as long as I'm vibrant and contributing, I enjoy the purpose and meaning I get from work. It's very fulfilling. At a point where I'm a drag on the enterprise, I need to be taken to the woodshed. 

How are the dual aspects of the business doing? 

Shuman: It’s funny, we all work in the same building, but they are two entirely different businesses.

Our raw material business, it's very dynamic in terms of pricing. ... In our purging compound business, it's very structured. It's a specialty product. There's a price list graduated based on volume. ... That one is more of a long play, where we'll cultivate a relationship with the company, sample them, prove ourselves out in trial. Whatever way they're purging currently, we'll bring in a comparative with Dyna-Purge. ... 

Recycling and compounding [are] always in flux. There's so many variables, macro-, micro-economic variables and industry-specific variables.

There's weather ... tariffs ... geopolitical things.

We're a small to mid-size firm. There's a lot of large firms that have great scale. We've found the best way to manage all the vagaries and disruptive things that happen in our space [is] to be as diverse as possible and keep it relatively tight and small. That's allowed us to survive and not be roadkill. 

The two businesses couldn't be more different, but we share the same values in our approach to customer service, to speed and velocity for service and for making things right by the customer and by our people.

Is there hope for recycling in this country? 

Shuman: There's the altruistic answer, the idealist answer, and then there's the pragmatic answer. And there's the Venn diagram of those two hemispheres, where they overlap, and maybe in that space is the answer.

We're doing commercial recycling with manufacturers, who are really collecting and having good stewardship; they want to monetize it. Curbside is another [story]. And I'm a human on this planet; you're a human on this planet. We want plastics to thrive and survive. The litter, the waste in our oceans, watershed systems and landfills, it's horrible. That's a human problem. If people want to go fast, cheap and lazy, you're going to look at one-time-use stuff that's disposable, and we're never going to get out from under that. That's a case where maybe government comes in and says, “We're not going to do this anymore, because there's always going to be someone who can make a buck, making it fast and easy for people who want disposable stuff.” ...

On the commercial side, everybody monetizes that. They're trying to minimize the scrap they're generating, so it's not wasteful. They're trying to monetize what they are generating, or reuse or recover it. ... Those are economic [factors]. The leaders of the companies take greenwashing stands about sustainability on their website. It plays nice to the market and society, but in truth, we all know these things have to make money, and they do make economic sense. ... Money drives this thing. ...

Municipalities are collecting plastics and recycling when prices are high ... but when those markets collapse, those same municipalities who are touting recycling say, “We can do it, but we have to raise taxes to do that.” And everyone says, “No, let's not recycle then.” They've either got to look at taxing for it, or find a way to lose money until the market comes back and have more of a long-term view about sustainability. 

There's so many places in the supply chain that impact that. You're designing packaging for sustainability, for stacking, displaying parts and pieces, and for barrier systems. ... Maybe it's sterilized and it's medical. There’s so many different needs and uses for packaging. Some of it's over-engineered and over-packed. ... How do you reverse-engineer all that? It's really complicated. I love that all these groups are working really hard trying to figure it out; that gives me hope. 

What are your company’s values when it comes to dealing with both your customers and your employees? 

Shuman: Our three overarching values are being resourceful, responsive and responsible. Our lead value is probably not different than many other companies, but it's really doing the right thing. Our stand is that others’ misdeeds, behaviors or conditions never justify less than doing the right thing. That's how we show up, whether it's making a decision for our people or making a decision for a product, client or supplier. Our words and values matter. Acting with integrity, saying what you're going to do, do what you say. We are really strong about taking personal responsibility. When we goof up, [we] own it, we apologize, clean it up, make it right. We embrace service over self, teamwork, which we're big on, having respect for each other, zero tolerance for people being a bull in a china shop. Everyone's got to work to help each other. And lastly is expressing gratitude, showing appreciation and celebrating the contribution of others, because none of us are an army of one.

How’s the purging business going? 

Shuman: That’s been a really interesting and fun business to scale. We've got a really successful brand, [that] has been really well-received over 40-some years. We have really worked hard to iteratively upgrade our technology in that product line. We're currently in probably the fourth generation of technological innovation and improvement on that product line, and it continues to grow and evolve. We're distributed in 22 or 23 countries around the world. It's a product that processors use to gain efficiency and lower their scrap and their lost production time. There really is no downside to it. It's a consumable, but you're really helping someone lower [the] cost of their operation. It's a win-win situation.

How important are relationships to you both within the company and out in the industry? 

Shuman: We build trust together. Where there's trust, there can be work, and where there's no trust, there is no commercial work. You’ve got to come in and earn your stripes every day, and you do that by just being honest. We don't win every battle, but we try like heck. And the ones we win, people know we're earnest and we're serious about taking care of them and giving them great service and great, really long, very sticky relationships on both sides of the business, which is really gratifying. I think it's a testament to the team we have here. 

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?  

Shuman: I've been here so long. It's been almost 40 years. It's kind of hard to imagine. Coming to Buffalo and joining this business was not a compromise or a sacrifice or a dream deferred. It really was sort of a curious opportunity. I realized I'm not entrepreneurial, in that I couldn't have done what my dad and uncle did, which was to start a business and create a business.

What I did realize is I am a passionate steward, and I could refine, polish and nurture a business, and maybe get it to the next level. This was a really great fit and opportunity. I don't know that I would have an opportunity for myself to lead a company, which was an incredible gift and privilege. This turned out to be a fantastic opportunity to stretch me as a person and professional, and to test my skills and ability. I don't know I would have gotten it anywhere else. I'm glad for the way everything worked out, and incredibly grateful and appreciative, and don't think I’d change anything.

Does your father still provide insights into the business? 

Shuman: My dad's still going. He's 96. He maintains an office. It's really fun, because when he's in town, it's like a little reunion. It's always fun to have him around. He pops in and asks questions and has curiosities and offers opinions. It's really a blessing.

What do you think your grandfather would think of how far his family has come? 

Shuman: My dad tells me when [he was] growing up, they had a house in the city, in a neighborhood that was all immigrants, and they had a shared bath house, no running water. The floor was actually dirt, and they groomed it every day to level it off. They often didn't have enough food to eat. But they never thought of themselves as poor, never realized what their economic conditions were. They just pushed forward and put one foot in front of the other and did what they needed to do. My dad was born in 1929. My grandfather was around to see my dad and my uncle build this business and make something good of it. It was very gratifying for him, and they were able to get him into a comfortable retirement, and he and his wife, my grandmother, into a comfortable home in the city. We would visit them every weekend. He was very proud.

From where they started, now, [the] kids are all college-educated. My first cousins, his grandchildren, are all lawyers and business people; all have different fields of success. They're accomplished and thriving. We're all giving back to our communities in meaningful ways, helping others. We're very lucky.

On the philanthropy side, what are you involved in? What's meaningful to you? 

Shuman: I actually learned that from my grandparents and parents. Our whole family was really committed to that. I think everyone does that in their own way. ... It's not to be in judgment of others. It's just to participate, for everyone to do their part. Everyone leans in; it all makes a big difference. 

We have about a dozen causes. We try to do what we can with local food pantries to fight food insecurity. We're giving to some cultural assets, for a theater. We're doing some things with our local cancer hospital, Roswell Park [Comprehensive Cancer Center]. There's [a] Boys & Girls Club that does a lot of programming for these kids in the neighborhood that need afterschool programs and resources to make sure they're cared for. There's some health things that our family confronts. 

That’s incredibly gratifying to be able to share some of those resources. That's really important. 

It's part of our faith. That's an important aspect and attribute of it. I want to model that for my kids, so they'll carry that part of our legacy on. I can't ask them to participate if I'm not doing it myself.

My wife and I volunteer for lots of things, too, so we're not just on the sidelines. Ultimately, we're only here for a short time, and our legacy is really just how we're making a difference for other people. Our interactions, words we're sharing, ways we're helping and assisting, that's the only legacy I'm going to leave, is if I made a difference for anybody. That makes me motivated to help others, to try to be a blessing to others. I'm not worried about my legacy, but if someone tells a story, I'd like it to be that I did something good and I helped them somehow. 

What do you like to do outside work? 

Shuman: My priorities are family. My kids are educated, out of the house and working. So, it's just my wife and I, but when my parents are in town, I still have my brother's family here, and I have another brother who comes and visits. Family and friends, community work and volunteer work, staying engaged in that is a priority. And we have a lovely dog. I spend an awful lot of time walking and hiking and being outdoors with her. That's a lot of joy coming from that, too.