Local Ring Recycling Company Finds Niche

by B. S. Ryter

Select or travel sports has taken off over the past 10 years. Select soccer, baseball, and softball have been popular for years, but select volleyball has really grown in the past few years in The Valley and surrounding areas as well. Many kids are involved in tournaments every weekend, and the first place and second place teams’ players are normally awarded with rings, especially in baseball and softball. So, thousands of rings are being awarded each year, and most of these rings end up collecting dust as time passes. Mom gets tired of these rings over time, and she really doesn’t want to to throw them away. Now, she has something to do with those rings.

Ray’s Ring Recycling (Triple R) can now help Mom out. Ray Ripowski started Triple R four months ago, and his business is doing very well. Ray’s wife, Ramona, got tired of their sons’ rings just sitting around everywhere in their rooms, and she threatened to throw them all away. Ripowski said, “When Ramona said that, a light bulb came on in my head. These rings are everywhere now, and I could start recycling these rings for people. I knew I could create something neat to sell back to the ring owners, and I’m still coming up with ideas for that. But, business is booming. Moms are glad to get rid of the rings.”

Ripowski works as a metal fabricator, and he’s doing the ring recycling on the side right now. But, he eventually hopes to do it full time. Ripowski gets the ring owners to mail or hand deliver the rings to him. After he receives them, he melts them down, and then creates a new customized metal piece for the customers. Currently, he offers just a handful of options including metal name plates, metal pictures, and engraved metal baseballs or softballs. His customers love the metal balls; many parents put their kids’ stats on the balls for keepsakes.

I was able to catch up with some of Triple R’s customers. One mom said, “I was fed up with all my sons’ rings. They kept accumulating, and I was about to throw them away. A friend told me about Triple R, and Ray created really nice engrave metals balls for my boys. I’d recommend Triple R to everybody.”

One dad said, “Look, it’s crazy that a business like Triple R even exists. I still can’t get over all these tournaments handing out second place rings. That wouldn’t have happened back in my day. I make my kids throw their second place rings away. We’ll keep the first place rings, but not the second place rings. But, Ray made some really nice name plates for my kids, and they really like them. If they keep winning rings, we’ll get some engraved balls done too. Ray does great work.”

Triple R has already garnered a reputation for doing great work. With the continued growth of select sports, their business should continue to grow. Ripowski said, “I hope they start handing out third and fourth place rings too. I’m for everyone getting a ring! That’s good for business.”