U.S. Micro to recycle computers at new Las Vegas HQ

BY CAITLIN MCGARRY
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The Apple Lisa. A Pulsar satellite phone. Old IBM word processors and Atari game systems.

Bulky gray pieces of outdated equipment line the wall of a conference room at tech recycler U.S. Micro Corp.'s new Las Vegas headquarters which opened Thursday at 7608 W. Teco Ave.

The first-generation electronics will be encased in glass displays in time for the 130,000-square-foot facility's grand opening during the International Consumer Electronics Show in January. Thousands of other pieces of yesterday's tech won't be so lucky. The Atlanta-based company recycles old desktop computers, laptops, printers and other electronic castoffs from upgrades.

Jim Kegley, founder and chief executive officer of U.S. Micro Corp. expects to hire 100 new employees in Las Vegas in its first year of operation.

Nevada Development Authority President and CEO Somer Hollingsworth, who helped the company navigate its move to Nevada, said U.S. Micro will have an estimated $56 million economic impact on Las Vegas over the next five years.

Hollingsworth counts the tech company as a Nevada economic diversification success story.

After buying old hardware, U.S. Micro Corp. technicians wipe all data and ship the equipment to facilities in either Las Vegas or Atlanta, where it is stripped for parts, resold or recycled.

U.S. Micro Corp. counts Fortune 500 companies among its clients. Kegley said his business is one of the few that clears data before shipment to ensure customers that no private information will be leaked.

The new facility is closed to the public, but the company plans to let consumers drop off old electronics once or twice a year.

U.S. Micro chose Las Vegas for its West Coast headquarters after meeting with the Nevada Development Authority last year and deciding Nevada was a more attractive option than California or Washington state.

As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, U.S. Micro in June received a sales tax abatement that will save the company $85,000, deferred sales tax collection of $28,000, a $14,000 modified business tax reduction and a $55,000 training grant from the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.

"We kept coming back to Las Vegas and Southern Nevada because we knew it would be very easy to get our customers here as far as interest level," Kegley said. "A lot of our customers are in Las Vegas at least once or twice a year for trade shows and conferences."

U.S. Micro boosted operations this week for the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers conference at Aria, which the company co-sponsored. Conference attendees were bused from Aria to tour the new facility.

Hollingsworth said he expects a multiplier effect from U.S. Micro's relocation to Las Vegas.

"They will draw other companies ... It's not just about them being here, it's about them opening doors for us," he said.

Computers, fax machines and printers aren't the only things being recycled at U.S. Micro, however. The company purchased Clyde the Camel, a Las Vegas relic, from the Sahara liquidation sale.

U.S. Micro Corporation
Since 1995, U.S. Micro Corporation has been a major innovator and leader in enterprise IT data security. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., U.S. Micro serves Fortune 500 companies that demand the highest levels of data security and environmental stewardship. Committed to a 100 percent no landfill policy, the company refurbishes and sells approximately 90 percent of the equipment it processes; the remaining 10 percent is EPA-compliantly recycled at its Next-Generation IT Demanufacturing and Distribution Center in Las Vegas. U.S. Micro is R2, G.R.A.D.E. (Green Recycling Asset Disposal for the Enterprise), ISO 14001:2004 and Payment Card Industry (PCI) certified. It is also a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher and holds the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Service Organization Controls (SOC) 2, Type II designation.

U.S. Micro Corporation, a pioneer in IT asset disposition (ITAD), today announced the opening of its new $15 million, 130,000 square-foot next-generation IT Recycling and Distribution Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The world class facility offers a full range of recycling alternatives all under one roof – from refurbishing and reselling to demanufacturing and remanufacturing. This closed-loop recycling process eliminates the risk associated with downstream processing vendors and provides customers with an enhanced degree of control over IT asset lifecycle management.

Using proprietary technology, U.S. Micro will turn e-waste – including plastics, base metals and CRT glass – into non-volatile materials for construction and finished products. The move represents a significant expansion for the company, which anticipates rapid increase in demand for data destruction and electronics recycling across the $5 billion U.S. industry.

The expansion reflects U.S. Micro's belief that responsible disposal of IT assets will increasingly be a top environmental priority for Fortune 500 companies, government entities and organizations. According to the EPA, 20 million computers in the U.S. became obsolete in 1998. That number has since increased, with marked proliferation of portable and disposable devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc., that can retain large amounts of sensitive data. The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated an installed base of 338.3 million PCs in the U.S. in 2010, with a 20.5 percent annual retirement rate.

Jim Kegley, founder and president of U.S. Micro, emphasizes the importance of environmental stewardship and rigorous data destruction as the volume of e-waste and stored data continue to skyrocket.

"Without a single data breach during our fifteen years in business, we're proud to have a unique safety record that is unmatched in the industry. We are equally committed to safeguarding the environment. Our Las Vegas facility provides the infrastructure necessary to support a more sustainable IT asset lifecycle, guaranteeing that components of retired equipment will be recycled according to EPA guidelines – and never buried in a landfill", said Kegley.

Data Destruction a Crucial Security Concern

In addition to its environmental leadership in the IT asset disposition (ITAD) industry, U.S. Micro has pioneered an on-site, proprietary system of data destruction and inventory control that has enabled it to process millions of data bearing devices since 1995 without a single data breach. The company also offers a unique upfront purchase agreement, which provides customers with a guaranteed price for retired equipment, avoiding costly consignment arrangements that erode the value of assets. This model eliminates additional risk for customers as ownership is transferred to U.S. Micro when IT assets leave a customer location.

U.S. Micro Corporation
Since 1995, U.S. Micro Corporation has been a major innovator and leader in enterprise IT data security. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., U.S. Micro serves Fortune 500 companies that demand the highest levels of data security and environmental stewardship. Committed to a 100 percent no landfill policy, the company refurbishes and sells approximately 90 percent of the equipment it processes; the remaining 10 percent is EPA-compliantly recycled at its Next-Generation IT Demanufacturing and Distribution Center in Las Vegas. U.S. Micro is R2, G.R.A.D.E. (Green Recycling Asset Disposal for the Enterprise), ISO 14001:2004 and Payment Card Industry (PCI) certified. It is also a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher and holds the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Service Organization Controls (SOC) 2, Type II designation.