John Shegerian, Chairman, CEO and founder of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s leading recycler of electronic waste, earlier this week received the Harold Zinkin Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2012 Valley Business Conference & awards Luncheon at The New Exhibit Hall in Fresno, California.

Each year the Fresno Chamber of Commerce awards the Harold Zinkin Entrepreneur of the Year Award to an individual that has established a proven track record for leading his or her business through several years of success.

Shegerian established ERI’s headquarters in Fresno in 2005 and since then, under his stewardship, the company has fast become the largest and most efficient recycler of electronic waste in the world. With longstanding private sector and government contracts and relationships, ERI is licensed to de-manufacture and recycle televisions, computer monitors, computers, and virtually all other types of electronic equipment.

ERI developed and houses the largest e-waste crusher in the world right here in Fresno and processes more than 120 million pounds of electronic waste annually at its locations in California, Colorado, Indianapolis, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, Washington State and Washington DC.

The Harold Zinkin Entrepreneur of the Year Award is named after Harold Zinkin, a world famous weightlifter and bodybuilder of the 1930s who was one of the original founders of “Muscle Beach” and was named the first “Mr. California” in 1941 before becoming a legendary entrepreneur and founder of Universal Gym and the Universal Gym product line which featured groundbreaking weightlifting machines and exercise equipment still considered the gold standard in training today. In his later years, Zinkin settled in Fresno where he made his home and continued his entrepreneurial ventures.

“It’s a tremendous honor to receive this prestigious award from my neighboring businesses here in the San Joaquin Valley,” said Shegerian, “and to receive an award bearing the Harold Zinkin name is very humbling as he is very much an inspiration to me. His business success story is legendary but the legacy he created with his amazing family is even more impressive and everlasting. As we have continued to grow ERI as an organization, now servicing the electronic recycling needs of people and businesses all over the country, we are very proud of the fact that we have maintained our headquarters here in Fresno, California. We will exhibit this very special award with great pride at our flagship operation here in Fresno.”

For more information on recycling needs, visit www.electronicrecyclers.com, http://1800recycling.com or www.urbanmining.org.

Now the largest recycler of electronic waste in the US, and the world’s first dual-certified electronic waste recycler, Fresno-headquartered Electronic Recyclers International is licensed to de-manufacture and recycle televisions, computer monitors, computers and other types of electronic equipment. ERI serves public sector clients via GSA contract GS-10F-0051Y and processes more than 120 million pounds of electronic waste annually at eight locations in seven states, including California, Washington, Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, Texas and North Carolina. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-884-8466 or visit http://www.electronicrecyclers.com.