How We Grew a Family Business into a Trusted e-Recycler

Behind the Scenes at Sadoff E-Recycling and Data Destruction: A Family Business

28
Aug

A company like Sadoff E-Recycling and Data Destruction doesn’t just start over night, and while you can learn more about us throughout our site, we wanted to go behind the scenes and explain how we came to be the preferred choice for e-recycling and data destruction.

Because our work is so important for the environment and the security of recycler data, we rely on the insight and innovation of our team for developing our capabilities and helping pave the road ahead. But first, how did we get to where we are today?

Building a Foundation

In 1947, Sadoff Iron and Metal established itself as a sustainable and customer-friendly scrap metal recycler and family business. Eventually growing to multiple locations throughout Wisconsin and Nebraska, Sadoff built a strong foundation through service, pricing, and an environmental focus, or, as we call it, “Down to Earth” recycling.

While non-ferrous and ferrous scrap metal and auto salvage were our initial focus, electronics would always come through our recycling centers due to their metal components. After all, if something has recyclable metal in it, we can work with it. However, as computers and other data-containing technology volume increased in our centers, we recognized the need to handle this material differently than plain scrap metal. The metals in these products are no different than other recyclables, but data posed a variety of unique challenges.

A New Vertical and Vision

It became clear to our owners that electronic recycling and data destruction could become a division of its own. While this diversification seemed an obvious and exciting path, the company needed help with bringing it to fruition.

In 2015, Chad Hayes was brought on board to help boost our IT department. Because Chad’s background and experience was in leading IT teams, he first helped revamp our IT culture to better overcome obstacles and help our work progress. The company then sought his advice in building the new e-recycling division.

Recognizing Data Security as a Priority

Chad’s perspective as an IT professional was that the biggest value we could provide was data security. That is what he always looked for from recycling vendors in the past, and he saw this as an opportunity for the company. Providing customers with paperwork that explained exactly what would happen to customer data, removing liability from companies, and putting them at ease that security of their data would be properly handled was exactly what this new division needed in order to shift from metal recycling and stand on its own.

With the vision in place, Sadoff put together a team of highly skilled people to help it grow. Today, the company keeps the division running efficiently by being transparent and listening to ideas from the team. From breaking down equipment to managing processes, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve. Our company and our customers value that.

“It’s been educational to work for Sadoff and see all the changes and developments, from the range of certifications we’ve brought on, to following and understanding environmental controls, and more. Our operations are always looking for ways to be more efficient. Today, we conduct time studies and other learning opportunities to make our work even better. Coming from my history in IT, at Sadoff, it’s like using the idea of ROI in a totally different way.” – Chad Hayes, Chief Technology Officer, Director of e-Recycling

Building Tomorrow’s Innovations

We’ve learned a lot from the metals side of our business. Plus, having both the metals side and data destruction side in-house brings a lot of value to our customers. For one, we don’t have to go looking for sources to take material that customers bring in. Our unique closed-loop process means all of the certifications that are necessary are acquired and managed by us, which ultimately leads back to that initial focus of the division – to create a high level of security and trust with our customers’ data, while providing efficiency, reducing costs, and the lowering environmental impact of the material we work with.

As we grow, we’ll continue to optimize our operations. We’ll always be on the lookout for the right people, from IT staff for our ERP system, to those who can help our ecommerce efforts. We’ll look to increase our logistics capabilities to help schools and companies not only transport their equipment, but properly pack, load, and remove it from their facilities. Anyone interested in recycling and the environment, and possibly has a background in IT or other technology, should watch our Careers page for new opportunities as they develop.

From Our People to You

As mentioned, people have been the main contributor to our success, but a key component of our people is that Sadoff is still a family business. Having family members in leadership positions lets employees know that the alignment and connection between our leadership is strong. Since our e-recycling and data destruction division is run by one of the family, we know our ideas are reported directly to a decision maker for the company. Beyond listening and guiding the ship, they empower us to make decisions that will help the company grow.

For our customers, that means we’re always thinking about how to improve things for their data, recyclables, and our environment. If you’re interested in visiting our facility to learn more about what we do and see our work in action, contact us to arrange an appointment.