West Bend Tops a Year of Safe Operations
“Safe performance is ingrained in the culture here at Quincy Recycle, from the moment an employee is hired on,” says Craig Zimmerman, General Manager of our West Bend, WI facility.“As an example, the first time I stepped on the floor, I was approached by a worker who asked if I was wearing steel toe shoes.”
Line workers challenging their managers is one example – if a striking one – of the seriousness that Quincy Recycle places on safe work practices.
“Safety is essential for us to have a successful day,” Colleen Myrick, Operations Manager of the West Bend plant said. “Therefore we encourage our team to address any safety concerns they notice to all levels of employees.”
Colleen raises an important point – safe operations are more likely to be profitable ones. Not only for Quincy Recycle, but for our suppliers and customers as well.
We’re proud to announce that last month our West Bend facility crossed the one year mark without an OSHA-reportable safety incident.
Given the potentially dangerous nature of our work, this is a notable feat. At any one time there can be half a dozen tractor trailers loading or unloading, tow motors doing heavy lifting and shifting, conveyors carrying material from one place to another, and huge industrial shredders destroying tons of paper or plastic material.
West Bend joins our St. Louis, Alsip (Chicago), and New Haven, IN plants in going a year without an accident.
Creating a culture of safety has been a priority at Quincy Recycle since day one. And forty years later, that culture continues to thrive.
“Every employee is responsible not only for their own safety, but is challenged to keep a mindful eye on everything going on around them to catch any potentially unsafe working conditions,” GM Craig Zimmerman states.
“Not only is working safely critical to employees going home without injury each night, but it is also a condition of employment,” Craig points out.
All of which means that our employees go home safe to their families, and Quincy Recycle and our customers are able to reap the cost benefits in safe, efficient, and well-managed operations.
Employee Spotlight: Kam Bailey
Like many, Kam Bailey loves sports. He channels that competitive spirit into his role with Quincy Recycle and is consistently pushing himself to do more and find new solutions to help our vendors.
When did you start with Quincy recycle? Was your job title the same as it is now?
I started with Quincy Recycle in April of 2017 in Sales/Procurement and that is still my current role.
If you had to pick one, which Core Value is your favorite?
Commit, Be Tenacious and Compete to Win is my favorite Core Value because it represents what my life has been about growing up and also throughout my career. I’ve always been involved in sports from the time that I was a kid and I was always driven to be the best at everything I’ve done. I always wanted to be one of the hardest workers whether it be in track, football, basketball. So it was no surprise that when I was looking at Quincy I was drawn to this company because they had a healthy competition between the sales team. Each plant and sales team member wanted what was best for the company but they all had personal goals of growing their own book of business. I loved the idea that I could carry over a lot of the same ideas and hard work that made me successful throughout my sports career and bring that over to my professional working career too.
What was the most challenging thing to learn in your roles?
The most challenging thing that I had to learn in this role was that it takes time. Recycling is a business that is built on relationships and trust. I was new to the industry and I had to learn that I had to prove myself to our suppliers and they needed to trust that I would provide the service that I was promising to them.
What was the most surprising/ fun thing to learn?
I enjoyed learning the commodities that we work with. There is so much more to recycling than what I ever knew and learning the different types of fiber and plastics was a challenge but was fun to learn. We have a great sales team here and if I ever had questions there was always someone that I could call for help.
What’s your favorite part about working at Quincy Recycle?
My favorite part of working with Quincy Recycle is that I’ve been given the opportunity for unlimited growth. In the sales role, we have the opportunity to create a book of business without any restrictions or limits to how much we can grow. That unlimited growth potential inspires me to get up every day and find something new to work on. I also love that I work for a company that rewards hard work and persistence.
What would you like curious prospective employees to know about Quincy Recycle?
Quincy Recycle has changed my life because they always believed in me and the work that I could do. When I started at Quincy, I had only been in sales for about two years and Quincy saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. From the first day, I was given all of the tools that I needed to be successful. I’d highly recommend working for a company that gives you the autonomy to create something for yourself and your family. This is the first company that I’ve worked for that I could see myself with until the end of my career. It’s been an amazing place to work!
What are some of your hobbies you like to do outside of work?
I love to spend time with my family when I’m not at work. I have a 7-year old daughter (Addison) and a 8-year old son (Cooper) and I get to coach in football and basketball. We also love to spend any extra free time that we have on the golf course.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever read or received?
The best advice that I’ve been given, that also applies to my sales career, was from my Mom. When I was a Freshman in high school I joined the high school track team. During the first practice, we trained harder and ran more than I ever had before. I actually ended up getting sick in front of the whole team. I went home and told my Mom that I won’t ever go back and that I was going to quit. I remember her telling me that she won’t allow me to quit and that if you quit once then you will find ways to quit the rest of your life. Because I didn’t quit, I ended up getting a Track & Field scholarship to Huntington University which is where I met my wife. That message still sticks with me because sales can be a roller-coaster. There are plenty of times when it would be easier to quit than to actually come up with a solution to the problems that we face every day. There’s always a solution but we have to be willing to put in the work to find it!
If you had to pick a song to portray the essence/ culture of Quincy Recycle, what would it be?
The song that most accurately portrays the culture at Quincy Recycle is I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty. We have an entire team of driven individuals that are constantly finding ways to help our vendors no matter what. I believe that not backing down is what has allowed Quincy Recycle to continue to grow into one of the largest recyclers in the Midwest.
Case Study: Food Manufacturer
This was an exciting project for us and one we wanted to share with you because it highlights how we can work with companies to find solutions to unique issues. While we cannot share the name of the organization, we did want to share the details.
Customer Challenge
Handling waste streams should not be a thorn in the side for food manufacturing companies. Rather, they should be focused on growing their business and providing shareholder value. So when we learn about a food manufacturing company struggling with their recycling program, we are eager to help!
A major international food manufacturer had a recycling program, but it was proving to be very cumbersome. They were using three different providers for three different kinds of material, each with their own trailer spotted. One of their challenges was limited dock space. Another challenge was managing the different relationships with the three different waste stream solution providers. Communication and coordination always seemed to take more time and effort than it should. They were ready to do something different.
This company wasn’t only dealing with logistics issues. They were also landfilling material and were ready to do something different. Quincy Recycle’s fresh approach to their recycling program turned out to be the answer.
Quincy Recycle Solution
Quincy Recycle immediately freed up dock space by eliminating the need for two spotted trailers. Because we specialize in handling mixed commodity trailer loads, we were able to take all their material on one trailer.
We also worked with the manufacturer to understand what they wanted in terms of logistics. It was important to them to have a spare trailer on site so if one quickly became full due to increased production, they could easily swap the trailer and keep production moving.
“Our creative sales team and attention to detail customer service team asks lots of questions of our clients so we truly understand their goals, needs, and challenges…..this is a great example of our team doing that in a complete and thorough manner, ” said Kurt McLaughlin, VP of Sales for Quincy Recycle.
A consistent schedule was also important to our customer. They are serviced on the same days at the same times. This way, they know exactly what to expect and can plan accordingly. But as anyone in business knows, things can always change quickly. That is no problem for us! We work with our partners teams when special needs and requests arise. The best part is that they only have to make one phone call! We even provide weekend service if they need it. We have a network of local and over the road freight carriers that are always ready to pick up the next load.
For us, the icing on the cake is that we were also able to divert their ingredient bags and fiber drums out of the landfill. We not only made an environmental impact on their waste stream, but we also made their waste stream process more efficient.
Major Takeaways:
- Maximized dock space by spotting one mixed commodity trailer for all of their material
- Streamlined their recycling program and offered one point of contact for all their recycling streams
- Worked with our customer’s production team to come up with a schedule that works for them
- Diverted their material out of the landfill
Contact us about your food byproducts problems – let’s work on them together!
Baling Wire For Your Business
Baling wire is one of the most essential parts of the recycling industry. Bale ties are what is used to secure bales of recyclable material safely before continuing the recycling process. As we like to say around here at Quincy Recycle, baling wire is like toilet paper, it’s never top-of-mind but it’s the end of the world if you run out! A few different types and styles of baling wires are used in the industry today, which is where we come into play, ready and prepared to be your quick, one-stop-shop solution.
What types of baling wire are there?
Single loop bale ties are used for securing bales of recycled material after it has gone through the baler. The wire is twisted at the ends with a loop to secure for transport. Used with vertical or horizontal balers that require hand-tying. Quincy Recycle offers galvanized wire or black annealed wire. We carry 11-14 gauges which has breaking loads starting at 325 lbs. to 750 lbs.
Box wire is packaged as one continuous length and feeds into your auto-tie balers. Box wire keeps wire compact and neatly stored. Used for bundling compacted recycle materials such as cardboard, paper, plastic or other refuse. We stock the most commonly used box wire to keep shipping times low. All our box wire is USA made.
Stump wire, also known as spool wire, coil wire, or stem wire, is used with horizontal balers to bundle recycled materials after they have been baled. We carry galvanized, black annealed or hi-tensile galvanized stump wire.
Why do you need baling wire from Quincy Recycle?
Manufacturers and distributors produce a lot of recyclable scrap material such as cardboard, plastics, paper, or metals, so using recycling equipment like balers helps businesses efficiently organize, store, and prepare that scrap for recycling. That is where the baling wire steps up to the plate.
The baling wire is fed through a baler to tie-off the bale of scrap. Baling your recyclable scrap makes loading the scrap onto a trailer for transit much easier, and it helps keep your facility cleaner and more organized.
Choosing the correct bale wire products for you depends on numerous factors. These include what you’re baling, how large the bales will be, and the type of equipment you’ll be using. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations or check with our experts before you buy.
We know there are a lot of choices out there of where to purchase baling wire for your recycling equipment, but keep in mind, many of those options are not necessarily recycling companies. They may be able to sell you the baling wire, but that is where the road ends. Quincy Recycle on the other hand is a recycling company, meaning that in addition to baling wire, we offer recycling equipment sales and service, along with a wide range of recycling services.
At Quincy Recycle, we strive to be a one-stop-shop solution for our partners. Recycling isn’t a one-size-fits-all business, so we take a personal approach in everything we do, including baling wire sales. There is a lot that goes into the recycling process, from choosing equipment to how to offload your valuable scrap material. Hence why it’s so valuable to choose a partner who can provide customized solutions based on your specific goals and needs.
How can Quincy Recycle help your business?
In addition to supplying equipment and service, Quincy Recycle supplies industrial bale wire for commercial use. We stock a wide variety of American-made bale wire for sale and can ship them to you fast. We’re a top bale wire supplier thanks to our nationwide network, which means we can fulfill your order quickly no matter where you are, all over the country. We know that lead times are getting longer due to supply-chain disruptions, so we urge you to buy now, and buy in advance to ensure your business is set up for long-term success.
Whether you’re interested in purchasing baling wire, recycling equipment, or learning more about our recycling services, we’d love to talk. Contact us today and let’s take the first step towards a more sustainable future for your business.