The Steel Environmentalist: A Look at Central European Waste Management's Chairman Frederick Von Strasser

Online, February 10, 2011 (Newswire.com) - (Reprinted from "The Steel Environmentalist" - September 2010)

VIENNA, Austria - Dr. Frederick Von Strasser is not just another steel tycoon.

The multi-millionaire industrialist and chairman of the board of the Austrian mega-recycling company, Central European Waste Management, has established himself as a leading environmentalist in recent years.

"I freely acknowledge," he famously said, "that I am a businessman and industrialist first. However, today, steel recycling goes hand-in-hand with environmentalism."

In 2005, after visiting Somalia, Von Strasser vowed to put at least 60% of his vast wealth into, "companies, research and grants focused on earth-friendly economic development." Von Strasser saw first hand the secondary damage of the tsunami as it disrupted and destroyed dumps where for decades nuclear and chemical waste had been deposited in Africa.

Determined that he would use his wealth and influence to stop the destruction of the African coast, he began lobbying for investment in companies that can aid in the clean-up effort. Since then, reports indicate that Von Strasser and his various foundations have contributed more than one-hundred and thirty million US dollars to the clean-up and restoration of East Africa.

Von Strasser began his carrier as an industrial engineer in apartheid South Africa in the early 1970s. In 1979, he pioneered a process for the clean, safe and economic removal of mercury used for the separation of gold from the ore. Of this, Dr. Von Strasser said in an interview with the South African newspaper, The Rand Daily Mail, "that prior to this method, the system was messy, unclean, expensive and dangerous to the environment."

"There was no real effort [to improve the process]," said the Austrian business mogul, "as no one could see an economic benefit in doing so. However, we were able to develop a system by which we could clean and dispose of this toxic waste safely. We also were able to reclaim large quantities of mercury and small amounts of gold and platinum, making it both environmentally friendly and profitable."

Indeed, the process was a money maker and one that the directors of the South African mining giant Deelkraal saw as both politically advantageous and lucrative. In 1982, reports indicate that Dr Von Strasser sold this process for an undisclosed sum and royalties.

In the years to follow, and well before it became fashionable, Dr. Frederick Von Strasser increased his holdings in recycling and environmentally friendly enterprises in Africa and North America. At one stage, the Financial Mail reported that he was asked to bid for the proposed scrapping of 400 kilometers of rail track in Tanzania. He was one of a small group of businessman who was allowed to conducted business with the formerly communist state.

In 1993, Dr. Von Strasser acquired a large stake in Paradigm Industrial Metals, becoming the majority shareholder in 2002. In 2010, the company merged with Vulcan Holdings AG under the new name of Central European Waste Management, acquiring the assets of several smaller recycling plants in Austria, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic. With holdings estimated at more than 300 million US dollars, Dr. Von Strasser now serves as the company's Chairman.

Dr. Von Strasser's campaign in Africa left him with specialist knowledge which is now being used in the Gulf of Mexico, following BP's oil spill. Indeed, one of his companies was the first to receive US Federal funding to help aid in the clean up efforts.

A concert pianist and a passionate conquer of classical music, Von Strasser can often be found jetting to Vienna and Rome for concerts of Mozart Verdi. His sports activities include skiing, golfing and yachting.