Employee Spotlight: Eric Savage
We had so much fun bragging about one of our amazing employees in our last post that we couldn’t wait to do it again. Quincy Recycle has always put a great deal of focus on safety. Without it, we can’t operate at the high levels needed to provide industry-leading customer service to our partners. So, today we are going to spend some time getting to know an employee who puts safety first. Meet Eric Savage!
Eric works in our New Haven, IN facility, and has been with Quincy Recycle for 6 years. He currently serves as the Operations Manager and is always looking for new and innovative ways to help his team stay safe at work.
Quincy Recycle’s Core Values
If you’ve read our blog in the past, then you may have heard us talk about our core values. Our core values are at the heart of what we do each and every day. The entire team at Quincy Recycle is extremely committed to our core values and Eric is certainly no exception.
Focused on Safety
Eric is extremely dedicated to maintaining a safe working environment for his team, which aligns well with our first core value, Alive and Well. Safety in the workplace is ever-changing, especially in recent months and Eric’s tireless commitment to this core value is why we are excited to feature him today.
“Eric’s number one priority is making sure his teammates make it home to their partners every day. He is always innovating production plans focused around the foundation of safety and our number one core value, Alive and Well.” — Michael Malloy (General Manager, Quincy Recycle)
Let’s learn more about Eric!
1. What does a typical day at work look like for you?
My typical day consists of checking in on all my employees seeing how their day is going and if there is anything I can do to help. I also spend a lot of my time tracking production, managing inventory, and resolving any issues that come up throughout the course of the day.
2. How would you describe the culture at Quincy Recycle?
Supportive. We are only as strong as our weakest link. At Quincy Recycle, we want everyone to be successful and enjoy coming to work each day.
3. Are there any big projects you are currently working on?
My maintenance team and I have been working on developing new and updating existing training procedures and preventive maintenance forms for all of our stationary and mobile equipment. The new and updated forms will help with training our staff on how to safely operate and maintain their equipment, reducing the risk of injury as well as potential downtime and repair costs should the equipment become damaged.
4. What’s one thing you’d like prospective employees to know about the company?
Your career is what you make it and opportunities at Quincy Recycle are endless. Quincy Recycle does a great job identifying strengths of employees and putting them in positions where they can utilize those strengths.
5. When you’re not at work, how would we find you spending your free time?
I spend my free time with my wife and kids. We enjoy being outside hiking and camping. My wife and I are very competitive and play in various sporting leagues such as Softball, Volleyball, Golf, and Bowling.
Alive and Well
We are all proud of Eric and grateful to have him as part of our team. His commitment to our first core value, Alive and Well helps make us a better company. We’re in the recycling business, but without our people, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.
Our culture and core values define who we are at Quincy Recycle. Recently, we put together a video showcasing the Alive and Well core value and what it means to the team. Check it out!
Are you interested in learning more about Quincy Recycle?
Check out our About Us page for company background and our Careers page for information on how to join our team.
Quincy Recycle is in the business of solving waste stream problems for manufacturers. With in-house logistics, equipment distribution, and food waste processing, we are a one-stop-shop in helping our partners maximize their financial and sustainability goals from coast-to-coast.
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Gaylord Boxes
What’s in a name? Boxes used in manufacturing sure do have a lot of them. You may hear them referred to as “pallet containers”, “bulk boxes”, “pallet boxes”, “skid boxes”, or “bulk bins”. One of the most common and strangest names for a box used in manufacturing is “Gaylord box”. An industry staple in the world of manufacturing, you may use this name everyday without knowing where it actually comes from.
The first Gaylord boxes were produced nearly 60 years ago, by The Gaylord Container Company which was originally based in St Louis; hence the name. Originally just one specific type of packing box, the term has evolved over time to encompass many different sizes of box products. There have been some buyouts and headquarter changes, but the company that founded the Gaylord box still exists today.
Gaylord boxes are a vital component to any manufacturing operation. So how would you feel if we told you that you were paying too much for yours? Or that you were costing your company a lot of money by throwing them out?
Well, you probably are.
These boxes can hold hundreds, even thousands of pounds of product. Corrugated cardboard is the star of the show, and makes them physically capable of withstanding intense weights and pressures. Corrugated cardboard is a fancy way of saying reinforced and strong paper products made to resist tears and take a few transit punches along the way. Suffice it to say these boxes are basically indestructible. So why would anyone only use a box once?
In our one and done society, still usable and functional items are often put to pasture well before their true expiration date, and these boxes are no exception. Sure, you could keep paying $20-$30 for a new box every time you are ready to ship. But we recommend seeing the light at the end of the savings tunnel and paying a fraction of new box cost for a perfectly re-usable used box instead. If you have empties up for grabs we will happily take those as well, saving you invaluable waste removal costs and creating a revenue stream where you once had only costs.
Contact us with questions or to check availability, and let’s see how much we can start saving you today!
Quincy’s Safety Milestones
At our core, we strive to create a work environment with a foundation that is built on mutual respect. No one is more important than the other, and we only achieve optimal performance when we work together. We also recognize that our team members have people counting on them coming home at the end of a long day.
That’s why, out of our many Core Values, the most important one is Alive & Well. This job can be a dangerous one. It can mean observing or operating in a plant you just walked into for the first time. It can mean operating a baler or driving a forklift in the plant you come into everyday while remembering there is a fine line between familiar confidence and foolhardy risk.
To err is human, to emphasize safety is Quincy Recycle. We start every manager meeting with acknowledgement of safety examples or changes made to improve safety. We ask our associates to hold each other accountable to our published safety standards on a daily basis. Responsibility for self and others is at the forefront, as well as a focus on learning from past mistakes and near misses. Safety results are always more important than production results, and we would argue that safe manufacturing and processing practices actually herald efficiency. We conduct monthly company wide safety meetings, where we share and train on topics that are critically important to keeping our team members and our facilities safe and we learn from mistakes and near misses.
But physical safety is more than just showing up to work and staying safe and whole. We also provide free annual physicals and discounted health insurance premiums to our associates who participate in our wellness program. We believe that if you feel good, and you have the tools to be proactive and preemptive with your own personal health, you’ll not only be healthier overall, but you’ll be a more attentive and active employee. Taking care of people is the right thing to do, and it’s just good business. Investing in our people and respecting the roles they play and jobs they do enables us to also empower them to thrive.
We do all of this because our bottom line is dependent on our people. Our colleagues are an extension of our families. Our jobs entwine together in a web of success, each strand just as important as the next; we need every employee healthy and energized, in order to be the company we want to be.
Your Waste Audit
The first step to fixing a problem is admitting that you have one. Sorry to hit you with philosophy right out of the starting gate, but we figured time is money, and you’re probably losing some as you read this. How do we know? We know because you’re a manufacturing company and studies show that on average, more than 70% of what you throw out isn’t actually trash at all.
So what does that mean? It means you’re paying too much for waste removal and replacement products, some of which you could reuse. It means you’re missing out on great free PR; sustainability is on everyone’s minds these days. But most importantly, it means we can help you save more (materials, money, time) while you waste less.
We are a national recycling company that specializes in helping manufacturers like you recognize opportunities to improve and start performing at optimum utilization of your resources and inputs (raw materials, packaging, capital, and human resources). We believe profits and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s why we do what we do.
Once our team is able to observe your current sources of waste generation and means of collection and disposal we will develop a plan of action tailored to your various waste byproducts. We will determine what can be reused and give you options when it comes to what can be recycled. Options that will absolutely save overall waste stream costs and quite possibly create revenue streams. Innovation is the name of our game, both internally and in our waste audit plans. If we can find ways for your process to operate more efficiently and generate less waste, we will help you implement those solutions. What an easy way to engage your team in sustainability goals that improve the thumbprint your facility leaves on our planet and boosts your bottom line.
We don’t stop there, though. Account management teams will continually analyze your waste stream, helping you offset production and waste removal costs even when your process and products change. This is an ongoing process, and we believe there is always room for improvement. It is a collaborative and team effort.
To us, sustainability is achievable and made possible with Quincy Recycle’s involvement. It requires implementing realistic waste reduction goals that help your overall operational efficiency and showcase your ownership and responsibility in waste stream management.
Let us help you start to take those small steps today. We’re game if you are.