Corporate Responsibility

Have you ever heard the phrase, "it's just business."  Usually it is preceded by an off-handed, "nothing personal."  I believe this is where the corporate world has taken a misstep.  Business is personal.  Everything about it is personal because it is comprised of persons.  If I can justify an unkind act due to my company's need to make money, what else can I justify?  Where does the line get drawn?  Our current and past history is full of examples where the line ended up on the wrong side of morality, and people suffered.  History does not look kindly on the Enrons of our past.

It's easy to talk, or blog about, but not so easy to do.  I find myself challenged on a regular basis with the needs of our company, versus the morally responsible decision.  I've always tried to remind myself of the Proverb that says, "A good name is better than riches," yet I know full well that a good name doesn't pay the bills.

So the conflict continues, and will continue until May 21st, 2011... woops, maybe 2012, or maybe 3012... we don't know.  In the meantime, I am convinced it is the businesses that choose to look good in the history books first, and in their spreadsheets second, that will ultimately stand the test of time.

Oh, and while you are thinking about this, think twice about asking a hauler to throw your furniture away when their are hundreds of non-profits in our area that are desperate for it.

How much is this worth?

Back in the 60's my Dad's college had a prank contest.  And like in most colleges in that era, a VW Bug was the victim of one of the pranks.  A group disassembled the bug, and reassembled it on the 12th floor of one of the buildings.  Hilarious, right?

OK, now to the point.  If you were the owner of that bug and were trying to sell it, how much would you think it is worth now that it is on the 12th floor?  Well, Kelly Blue Book may list it as $4000 if it is in good shape, but the truth of the matter is that you may end up having to pay somebody to take it off your hands for you.

So it is with Liquidating an office.  Many of our customers get sticker shock when they are told how much their furniture is worth.  What they forget is, like our metaphorical Bug, there is a lot of labor in getting the furniture out.  On top of that, buildings typically require a pretty stiff Certificate of Insurance (COI) to move anything out (not cheap).  Then you add in the fact that they won't typically let you move things out during business hours, so you are probably going to have to pay somebody overtime to remove the furniture.

If a liquidator is purchasing your items, they will need to cover all the above labor costs, plus the expense of the vehicle they use to haul the furniture back to their facility, plus the warehousing costs (which in a city like DC is NOT cheap), plus the labor costs of removing the furniture from the truck, plus a salespersons salary to sell the item.

So, we get a lot of phone calls, "Hi, I'd like to donate our furniture to you."  Unfortunately, I grimace every time I get that call, because I know what they are asking is, "will you come pick up our furniture for free?"

So then, here is a guide.  If the items you are liquidating are a popular line from a popular company, AND are a common item that will fit anywhere, AND are in mint condition, AND you have a lot of matching items, you should HOPE to get 10% of what you originally paid for them.

Ouch!  I know.

Why I'm not adding another leaf to our logo on Earth Day

Earth Day is a strange day for us at Etreev.  I have been trying to figure out what it is, and I can only come up with an Elvis song, "Why can't every day be like Christmas?"  (Substitute 'Christmas' for 'Earth Day').

I love the outdoors, I love the 3 R's.  I geek out on new breakthroughs in sustainable design.  But I don't get excited about Earth Day.  I think, like Christmas, it is a tad too commercial.  Earth Day shouldn't be about reminding people how sustainable you are by turning your logo green.  Earth Day shouldn't be about trying to take advantage of everybody's inner angst for not recycling by selling new products.  Today, Starbucks is giving away free coffee to those of us who bring in their own mugs.  Heck Yeah I'll be there.  The problem is that I will probably have to drive out of my way to get there, and the TRULY green thing to do would be to be satisfied with the 6 cups of coffee I've already had.

I propose that Earth Day should be about taking a day encourage each other to make a sacrifice, whether small or large, to ensure a better tomorrow for our children.  If you see a can in the trash, pick it out and recycle it.  If you purchase bottled water every day, choose to bring a reusable bottle (by the way, if you've seen mine let me know, I lost it).

So, here is what I am going to do:  put my computer in "Power Saver Mode", and spend a little extra time with my kids today (and I'll make sure the Starbucks I go to is on my way).  Little things, I know, but that's what I think Earth Day should be about.

Our Slogan

Etreev is really about a lot more than just keeping used office furniture out of the landfill.  Sure, we get our kicks out of reuse, but we also get our kicks out of helping the community.  We know what it is like trying to get a non-profit off the ground, and keep it afloat.  It takes faith, perseverance, and a whole lot of hard work... much of which goes overlooked (and unpaid).

If we can keep reusable items, like used office furniture, out other items out of the landfill, and put them in the hands of small businesses and non-profits, we feel like we are doing our job.

"Serving the community, benefiting the environment."  We keep wanting to change the slogan, because it may infringe on my clients faith in our ability to be cost effective.  We just haven't been able to.  It's our heartbeat.

Hey, why is this stuff for sale?

OK, so one of the questions we get on a regular basis from Non-Profits, is why we are selling some of the nicer items.  Let me explain it simply, and then go into more detail:

We are a business, and in order for us to stay in business (and continue to offer the free stuff) we have to sell things.

OK, here is the more in depth version.  We are what is called a "Social Business" or a "Social Enterprise."  We are really a hybrid between a non-profit and a for-profit company.  Our mission is that of a non-profit, in that we are looking to solve a social problem (reusable items going to the dump), but our structure is that of a for-profit, in that we depend on profits to continue in our mission.  We've often debated that structure, and may change it one day.  There are similar companies to us that are non-profits.  Why have we chosen a "for-profit" status?  Because we have bigger things in mind (muwahahahahaha!), and we have staked our success on our efficiency.

So, with our system, we charge our client a management fee to remove their unneeded items responsibly.  If they need it out fast, we typically post it for free.  If they have time, we will try to sell it, as that money goes back to the client, and helps offset our costs.  This keeps us competitive against less sustainable options, and... keeps us in business.

What makes us tick

This morning I gave a few misc. items to, Esther, a lovely lady who works with people who have AIDS in Africa. She has dedicated her life to improving theirs. She was so grateful for the misc. items I gave her. They were things that one of my previous clients had left behind in the rush of the move.

I'm blessed enough to have lost track of how many times we've been able to do this for organizations like hers. But each time, the gratitude we receive for the work we do is overwhelming. It is so easy to forget about those who have dedicated their lives in the service of others, then you meet somebody like Esther, and the reality of their sacrifice comes rushing back.

It's the Esthers in the world that keep us going.

Thank you Esther.

Built to Last

One of the challenges we must face in the current green building trend, is to build and design buildings meant to last generations. Our forefathers were much better at this than we are, as can be seen by the lifespan of many of the buildings they erected. There seemed to be more of a "long-term" approach to things.

Now, in a day riddled with tight schedules and tight budgets, etc., it becomes more difficult to build something that will last beyond a decade. How green is that? Here's the big challenge: style! It seems as though what is hot and trendy today, is totally out of touch tomorrow. So, how do you build buildings that attract tenants, today, tomorrow, and a decade from now, without having to redo them 20 times.

Which brings me to what I really wanted to write about: used furniture. I walk through some new furniture stores, and I see a lot of really cool, trendy furniture. It has that "new car" feel to it. I see a new chair, and think, "wow, I'd like to take that for a spin (no pun intended)." The question I have to ask, however, is: how long will it last? Sure it may be made from recycled baby bottles, but what good is that if I have to get a new one in two years?

My mom, bless her, always decorated our home with garage sale furniture. You would never have guessed. It was beautiful. The reason she did this was simple: quality. She found that older furniture was built to last. She was on a first name basis with the local upholstery shop, and our furniture came out looking dynamite. Sorry Herman Miller, Knoll, Haworth... that is more green than your eco-chair (but please keep making them, cause I am really hoping to get a used one someday!)