Once he started working at the scrap yard, where they often hired people of color with criminal records, Gachman said he saw firsthand the struggles of the company’s employees. During those formative years, he listened with an empathetic ear to their stories about discrimination.
“You have to treat people fairly,” Gachman said.
At 27, he became general manager of Gachman Metals & Recycling. He was named president five years later. In the 1980s, he purchased the company from his family and renamed the multimillion-dollar business Gamtex Industries.
Gachman became a national figure in the recycling industry, thanks in part to his role as president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, a trade group that advocates on everything from environmental issues to state and local laws related to recycling. He received the institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
During his 1992-94 tenure as president, Gachman worked toward government recognition of the difference between scrap and waste. Local governments then can mandate recycling efforts for scrap and the proper disposal of waste.
His wife, Harriette Gachman, a TCU-educated interior designer whom he married in 1963, supported him through the career challenges. The Gachmans have two children, son Iric Gachman ’90 and daughter Lesha Carlson, and four grandchildren.
Today, Iric Gachman is president and CEO of Gamtex. As chair, Arnie Gachman works on the administrative side of the business, dealing with issues including government relations, insurance, banking and real estate.
He said he is proud of the fact that the average tenure of Gamtex employees is 12 to 15 years. “We are a family.”