To take good care of the people and places we love
From the beginning, our determination to care has guided us – and has benefited our clients.
From the beginning nearly 50 years ago, we’ve been determined to take good care of the people and places we love. It’s part of the reason why our founder, Abraham Friedman, chose to start a recycling company when he moved his family west to Arizona from Ohio in 1977. He considered other business opportunities, but felt most committed to recycling – an industry he’d been very successful with in his home state.
With a second generation now at the helm, owners David and Morris Friedman have carried on that legacy of devotion for the last two decades since they’ve been leading the business.
“We’re not here for short-term gain. We’re here for long-term growth,” says David. “This is how our mission to care shows up. We’re big investors in people, relationships, and in equipment.”
Morris agrees.
“Our mission to care stems from the fact that we’re a family business and that we care for our families. We care for our community, and the business is an extension of who we are.”
We notice and nurture the best people in the business.
Sophisticated professionals who know their craft
Our team is made up of experts who are awesome at designing effective recycling programs. Instead of learning on the job, we provide personalized and reliable service because we have grown, trained and developed a team of dedicated experts.
“The tenure of our employees is astronomical! The average tenure is in the 15 year range,” Morris says. “Our team members stay because they like David [laughs] and because we treat them like family. We notice people and care for them without letting much get in the way of that.”
David explains, “everyone says employees are their backbone, but for us we step up and prove it.”
Carrying our commitment through
We play a different game.
Our core values guide everything for us. Over nearly five decades, we know that without a foundation of ironclad values, not much else matters.
Creativity
What if we?
We don’t settle for the obvious, the easiest, the industry nom. We relish every challenge and opportunity to put our experience, skills and ingenuity to work to do better, achieve more and use less.
Quality
Yes, it matters.
While we pick up trash, we deliver excellence. From the raw materials we produce to the services we render, quality drives us. We focus on the little things. We make sure our results exceed expectations – consistently.
Care
Tune in, then step up.
We’re attentive to the needs of others. We show up, listen carefully and observe actively. Our empathy is understanding and action. We work to make difference.
Integrity
“Keep on shipping,” Abe
When the markets rise, there’s always temptation to slow shipments and take advantage of short term gains. But Abraham Friedman, our founder, always instructed us to “keep on shipping.” We fulfill orders and hold to promised pricing. We take care of those who have taken care of us. We do the right thing, always, for everyone.
Resilience
Pick it up.
We embrace strength through adversity. We’re not easily rattled or deterred. We reject victim mentality. We persevere and overcome. We appreciate the mountaintop because of the difficulty of the journey, not despite it.
Built on resiliency
Not a Faceless Conglomerate
Like any business, we’ve had our challenges. Through the expected and unexpected turns, we continue to focus on our people, our systems, and on effectively managing the ebbs and flows of the market and business cycles.
We’ve emerged from difficult times because of this approach and because of the dedication of our team – and the generosity of our community, which stood up and stepped in to help us heal and rebuild.
That’s why we’re very intentional about who we work with. We’re careful to cultivate relationships. We’re careful not to violate trust or integrity because we’re here for the long term – and to repay the organizations and people who have done so much for us.
And we truly want to help our clients attain Achievable Sustainability.