It all started with a single truck – and, as company literature describes it, “modest beginnings.”
In 1960, the roots were planted for Belson Steel Center Scrap Inc., and since then, the Bourbonnais-based firm has continued to grow and evolve.
New and reusable metals are available through Belson’s steel service center. Angle, channel, flats, pipe and rebar are among the types of metal available. Within Belson’s 35,000-square-foot warehouse, commonly used new and reusable steel materials are also stocked.
Over time, Belson has become a renowned name in the region and has been serving end-users’ varied needs throughout the southern portion of the Chicago area, as well as northwest Indiana and central Illinois.
Much has changed within the company since its earliest years, but some of the core connective tissue between Belson’s origins and its current state still holds. The company continues its lineage as a family-owned operation, with Marc Pozan currently serving as Belson’s president and owner.
The company employs an estimated 60 people in a variety of different skilled positions in Bourbonnais and beyond.
“Our primary 16-acre facility in Bourbonnais provides comprehensive recycling solutions – from residential aluminum can collection to large-scale industrial scrap management – supported by an extensive fleet of containers and trucks,” said John Urban, Belson’s vice president of sales and purchasing.
Belson was recognized as Mid-Size Business of the Year in The Daily Journal’s 2026 Progress Awards – a recognition reflective of the company’s ability to nimbly pivot and transition as trends and technology emerge. The company also has become an ingrained part of the community over time.
One of Belson’s most recent milestones, Urban said, is the company’s expansion of its existing scrap processing facility. Belson acquired an additional 27 acres in Bourbonnais on Larry Power Road to foster the expanded capacity of the company’s day-to-day operations within the region.
Another notable milestone, Urban added, is a strategic acquisition within the company that will enhance future operations. The company has purchased industrial equipment supplier Motion Industries’ building at 811 Larry Power Road and plans to relocate the corporate headquarters to the site.
The granular growth within Bourbonnais is a microcosm of Belson’s expansion beyond Bourbonnais through strategic decisions.
Alongside core operations in Bourbonnais, Belson operates a subsidiary, Chicago Heights Processing, out of the namesake community within Cook County.
Urban described the 12-acre Chicago Heights Processing operation as a “specialty processing facility.”
“This location provides advanced recycling services and specialized scrap processing, including railcar dismantling operations,” Urban said. “Chicago Heights Processing also delivers on-site scrap recovery and dismantling services to railroad operators throughout North America.”
Alongside building acquisitions, technological innovations and industry-leading enhancements, Urban said another key ingredient to Belson’s recipe for success has been the company’s people-first mantra.
Belson executives have long pledged a commitment to personalized service, industry-leading expertise and a transparent, competitive pricing process on all of the materials it sells to end-users.
While strategic business growth has been at the heart of Belson’s corporate mission for more than half a century, Urban said the company is involved in other initiatives as well. He cited outreach efforts to strengthen the company’s ties to Bourbonnais as one such example.
“As a fourth-generation scrap company, Belson is going to expand its community involvement and charitable giving,” Urban said. “As an example, we plan to double the size of our food assistance campaign in 2026.”
This year’s focused goal, he said, builds off some of the company’s more recent outreach efforts to the greater Bourbonnais area.
“Last year, Belson handed out 300 meal kits to local families in need,” Urban said.
Belson might specialize in purchasing, sorting and processing ferrous, non-ferrous and electronic scrap, but embedded within the company culture, Urban said, is a continued desire to enrich the Bourbonnais community beyond the confines of the operating site.
“We view people and support as a root of our success and will continue to give back anyway we can,” Urban said.
For more information, visit belsonsteel.com.
