Arizona Tribune - Crush Software Solutions Acquires Leading Car Recycling Operating System

Plans an Additional $3M Investment

SALT LAKE CITY, UT / ACCESS Newswire / October 1, 2025 / Crush Software Solutions LLC announced it has acquired S3 Software Solutions LLC, developer of Crush, the largest yard management system used by more than 200 self-service auto recycling yards in the U.S. and Canada. S3 will operate as Crush Software Solutions LLC. Ryan Paterson will serve as chief executive officer and founder Dimitri Gerontis will serve as chief operating officer.

Terms were not disclosed. The ownership group, led by people with deep roots in auto recycling, including the family offices of Tom D. Klauer Jr. and Kendig K. Kneen, is committing an additional $3 million to reengineer the platform, add new capabilities and return buying power to independent yards. Between the two, they have operated over 70 yards during the last three decades. "We have learned by operating our own yards that we can use the Crush software to teach our buyers to buy inventory that will yield far better results and thereby far more profits," Klauer said.

S3 has supported self-service auto recyclers for more than 15 years with Crush across the United States and Canada. With the acquisition, Crush Software Solutions will accelerate the roadmap for Crush 2.0. The company's goal is to double the footprint to over 400 yards by delivering a modern, cloud-hosted, enterprise-ready system that improves vehicle sourcing, pricing, and sales.

"Independent operators deserve technology that works for them. We are building Crush 2.0 to give yards more control over buying, inventory and margin," said Klauer. "This investment will modernize the platform and remove friction from daily operations so teams can focus on throughput and customer experience."

"For current customers, nothing changes immediately. No disruption. Same highly secure platform. More investment," said Gerontis. "This is an exciting time for the Crush community. The new funding lets us move faster on features, strengthen security and boost performance."

What improvements to expect with Crush 2.0

• Complete re-engineering of the software with a modern cloud architecture

• Data-driven vehicle acquisition

• Integrated marketplace connections

• Enterprise-grade analytics and security

The company's near-term focus includes customer listening sessions, a transparent roadmap and early-access pilots in select markets.

Leadership Background
Dimitri Gerontis founded S3 Software Solutions and developed the Crush platform, which is used by more than 200 self-service yards across the U.S. and Canada. He will serve as Chief Operating Officer of Crush Software Solutions, overseeing product, customer success and day-to-day operations.

Tom D. Klauer is a long-time auto-recycling executive. As a founding partner and former President/CEO of Pick-n-Pull Auto Dismantlers, he led the team to triple the store count and grew annual revenue to ~$500M before departing in 2015. He later spearheaded iPull-u-Pull Auto Dismantlers, where he now serves as Managing Partner.

Kendig K. Kneen is a veteran manufacturing and operations executive in scrap-recycling equipment and U-Pull-It operations. He has led Al-jon, a maker of car crushers, balers and landfill compactors. He has also held leadership roles with iPull-uPull, bringing hands-on yard experience in pricing, throughput and safety to the team.

Ryan Paterson, a technology leader with more than 20 years in federal and commercial markets, will serve as chief executive officer. He founded IST Research in 2008 and led it to an acquisition in September 2020, having deployed advanced information systems in hard-to-reach regions. He has served at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency twice.

Kay Schaefer isa tech entrepreneur known for launching and scaling digital businesses that turn attention into outcomes and will serve as chief product officer. Schaefer built Gamers.Online for the gaming community, helped grow KaFe Rocks as a performance media/affiliate leader and drives operational innovation at iPull-uPull.

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ABOUT CRUSH SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
Crush Software Solutions LLC builds software for auto recycling operators. The company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. In September 2025, Crush Software Solutions acquired S3 Software Solutions, developer of the Crush yard management system. For more than 15 years, Crush has supported self-service yards at more than 200 active installations across the U.S. and Canada. Crush 2.0 modernizes how auto recyclers source, price and sell vehicles and parts.

Media Contact
Jo Trizila, TrizCom PR for Crush Software Solutions
Email: [email protected]
Cell/Text: 214-232-0078

SOURCE: Crush Software Solutions

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

T.Sanchez--AT