A new short film preserves firsthand memories of September 11 and the recovery effort from people connected to the operations and communities that later became part of Sims Metal.
Twenty-five years after September 11, the memories remain vivid for those who experienced the day firsthand.
To mark this anniversary, Sims Limited has created a short film preserving personal reflections on September 11 and the recovery effort that followed. The film brings together people who remember the attacks from different perspectives, from Manhattan and the New York Harbor to Jersey City and Port Newark, as well as individuals connected to industrial operations that supported the broader recovery effort.
Among the voices featured are Scott Krempel, who was a foreman with Metal Management at Port Newark in 2001, and Daniel “Danny” Nunes, who was Yard Manager at the Claremont facility in Jersey City. Their recollections describe how normal operations changed as people, equipment and waterfront capabilities were called upon to support the recovery. The film also includes personal perspectives from Suat Cayli, who was in Manhattan on September 11, and Tasha Hogan, whose family was directly connected to a Jersey City first responder.
The historical connection to Sims Metal came later. The operations involved in 2001 were predecessor businesses that subsequently became part of Sims Metal. The film intentionally places their contribution within the much larger response involving first responders, public agencies, recovery workers, businesses and communities across the New York region.
At the heart of the film are the people behind the work, employees adapting to extraordinary circumstances, communities supporting one another and individuals carrying the memories of that period forward. The project was developed as a remembrance story, with the operational history providing context for why these experiences remain part of Sims Metal’s story today.
Twenty-five years later, preserving these firsthand accounts also helps ensure that future generations understand not only what happened on September 11, but the scale of the collective response that followed.
We share these memories in remembrance of those who lost their lives and in recognition of the first responders, recovery workers, families and communities forever affected by September 11.