Today we’d like to introduce you to Dellinda Rabinowitz.
Dellinda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We started in Tampa, Florida. In 2008, when the economy moved into a recession, I knew I was going to be out of a job soon. The company I was working for was laying people off weekly. I knew my job was on the line. My fiancé, Greg, was newly unemployed also. He was talking about metal scrapping to make ends meet.
I knew I didn’t want to go into the business of picking up metal scrap in an old pickup, but I thought we could do something instead of working for someone else. I was through with working for someone else and putting my financial future in someone else’s hands. With Greg’s knowledge of metals and my skill of marketing, we took $1,000 out of our saving and made it happen.
We researched some opportunities and found out most electronics were being dumped in the landfill. Gold, silver and copper were being disposed of and polluting the earth. We saw a win-win opportunity. We took it.
After nine years of success and reaching further and further into all of Florida, it only made sense to move an e-waste location into central Florida. We were just waiting for the perfect person to run it. We found that person, French Lanham, my brother. Urban E Recycling of Orlando runs exactly the same in Tampa and Sarasota. We pick up electronics from small to large businesses and residential for no charge. Our services include data destruction by shredding, certification of data destruction and responsible recycling.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a smooth road when you consider finances. We have never lost a bit of sleep over payroll or other business expenses. We have always been debt-free.
We have had some learning opportunities that caught us off balance. One incident was with the omnipresent Badcock Furniture company. We were so proud when we demonstrated our hard drive crusher to their I.T. department.
The CIO said there was no way we would his material unless the hard drives were shredded. We went out and bought our first hard drive shredder that day. We now have eight hard drive shredders. Now our policy is that ALL hard drives are shredded. Shredding all hard drives has set our company apart from other e-waste companies.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We have a very distinct family culture. For one thing, I am president and my husband is my V.P. and, my brother manages Orlando, That’s not where family ends. Our office manager is married to the manager in Bradenton. The night manager is cousins with another employee and also cousins with the operations manager from the other side of the family. My uncle works for us six months out of the year. There are more family connections, but that gets too complicated.
This kind of sets the ‘family’ culture. We invite all the spouses and children to all company celebrations. We feel honored to have mothers and dads working for us that want to take off for their kid’s ballgames and dance recitals. That is never a problem.
Maybe that is why no employees left us during the 2020 Covid -19 epidemic.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
There are always changes and trends in the technology business. The company will still be around and needed in 5 years. I don’t know about ten years. That is too far for me to think about. My executive team keeps up on the technology to see what is coming down the pipeline, metal value changes, and other economic outlooks.
Things could change overnight and we realize it. We will be prepared because of our debt-free status.
Pricing:
- Free
Contact Info:
- Email: dell@urbanerecycling.com
- Website: https://urbanerecycling.com/
- Instagram: @urbanerecycling
- Facebook: facebook.com/urbanerecycling
- Twitter: @urbanerecycling
- Yelp: Urban E Recycling
