U-R-G On the Go
An informative podcast for the United Recyclers Group. Each week we will feature an entertaining guest that will share their knowledge and information with you, providing you with tips and tools to help you become a more profitable business.
U-R-G On the Go
Transforming Automotive Recycling: Doug Williams on Leadership, Innovation, and Employee Ownership
Get ready to uncover the secrets behind successful automotive recycling as Doug Williams, General Manager of Eagle Auto Parts, joins us to share his remarkable journey. From an 18-wheeler driver to the owner of an established yard, Doug recounts the rich history of Eagle Auto Parts, founded by Tom and Marie Beam in 1978. Discover how Doug transformed the business from a two-person operation to an 18-member team, even navigating the hurdles of COVID-19 with innovative hiring strategies and employee referrals.
Learn how leveraging industry expertise can propel your business to new heights. Doug dives into the invaluable insights provided by consultants like DJ, Rob Rainwater, and Larry Leger, which helped train his sales team and optimize operations. He emphasizes the importance of strategic hiring and surrounding yourself with the right people to build a thriving enterprise. This episode is packed with practical advice for entrepreneurs, highlighting the dedication and passion needed to succeed in the automotive recycling industry.
Finally, explore the transformative impact of Eagle Auto Parts’ Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and the URG Scholarship Foundation. Doug explains how the ESOP has fostered employee loyalty by making long-term staff part-owners, while the URG Scholarship Foundation supports the educational goals of employees and their families. With insights from recent industry conferences and conventions, Doug shares the benefits of networking, continuous learning, and staying updated on industry advancements. Tune in for a wealth of knowledge and inspiring stories from a leader committed to growth and innovation.
Welcome one and all. You are there and we are here. This is DJ Harrington, better known as the co-doctor or the cardiologist in recycling. I'm on the URG On the Go podcast. This is a special edition where we have Amanda Morrison, who is the Director of Membership and Vendor Relations for URG. Is our main really host today? So, Amanda, how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great. Dj, Thanks for having me on. I always love coming on and talking with you and interviewing these yards. It's an awesome way to get the history of automotive recycling out. So thank you so much.
Speaker 1:You got it Well. This has been a great series that you started with URG. You know we've had you think about some of the real winners Matt Carman from Lantini's was on from New Jersey. We had Dan Snyder, the famous guy from Texas. He was excellent. Pat from Pam's you can't beat and of course, the guest you have today, doug Williams from Eagle, is going to be fantastic. So I will turn it over to you and I guess the best thing we should do is introduce our dear friend Doug Williams, the general manager, out at.
Speaker 1:Eagle Auto Parts.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you. Yes, DJ Doug, thank you so much for coming on today. We love having you on and love just going through all the different information that you might have for automotive recyclers out there in the world trying to make it, and so we welcome you here on the URG podcast.
Speaker 4:Well, amanda, it's good to hear your voice, as always, and thank you for having me. It would be a real blessing for us to be a part of this.
Speaker 2:Awesome. We just kind of want to get started and discuss a little bit about the history of your yard and how you got into the automotive recycling industry as a whole.
Speaker 4:Well, eagle was started, actually in 1978 by tom and marie beam, a couple that started this yard. They had moved up from rockville, maryland, to west virginia, martinsburg area and uh, I at the time was driving an 18 wheeler and uh knew that I I really wanted to work for myself. I was just newly married and really right out of high school but had the urge to be self-employed and a friend had told me about this business in Martinsburg that was going to be for sale, a salvage business and I went over and visited with the Beams and decided to buy their yard.
Speaker 4:So we went out and borrowed $25,000, my wife and I did at the time, which, back that day, which was a long time ago this would be 1983, was a lot of money for us, but we borrowed the money and they financed the rest and we bought it from them in 1983 and we've been here ever since.
Speaker 4:That's awesome. So how many employees started out there whenever you purchased the yard and where is that looking for today, employee-wise? But she did do all of our bookkeeping and payroll and stuff for about 10 years when we first started, just to get going in this business. And I really didn't know anything about the salvage business. I knew quite a bit about cars, but nothing about the salvage business. So it was just a learning experience. So that's all we had. And now today there's 18 presently on staff, so it's grown quite a bit.
Speaker 2:Yep, interesting. Okay, and how do you kind of go about hiring your employees? Do you do more of a reach-out or do you do more inside hires from employee references? What does that look like for you at the yard?
Speaker 4:Well, of course, probably with everybody, amanda that's really changed, you know, over the years, especially since COVID. You know I'm sure all the recyclers that are going to be listening and people today will vouch the same thing Employees and hiring has been quite difficult. One thing that has really helped us in the past is in 2016,. One thing that has really helped us in the past is in 2016,. We sold the yard. My wife and I sold the yard. We have a daughter that worked in the business all through. Basically, I had her working in grade school, through high school and summers and, man, I guess she got enough of it at that point and decided to move on.
Speaker 4:So she's a microbiologist now, so she doesn't work in our facility anymore.
Speaker 4:And she gets her brains from her mother Believe me, she didn't get that from dad. But we decided we need to do something and we've been approached by several different people about buying our facility. But I was really concerned because we had some long-termers. We had some people that have been with us for, you know, 30 years 2020, and some close to 30 years at the time of the sale, and I was really concerned about that process because I know a lot of times when somebody else buys a yard, they come in and change everything and I was just really concerned about those long-term people have supported our business so long. So we rejected some of those people and fortunately, we had a good relationship with a company out of Hagerstown, maryland, which is only about 20 miles away, which is a conservate, which is a big scrap processor I'm sorry way which is a conservate, which is a big scrap processor, I'm sorry. And we have been selling them our scrap cars for years and we ended up striking up a conversation and being able to sell to them.
Speaker 4:And the big thing there is, amanda, they are an ESOP, so we are an employee-owned company, so ESOP stands for Employee Stock Ownership Program, so you have to work here to own stock. It's not publicly traded. You can't buy it unless you work here, but that, basically, is how it is today. So it's an employee stock ownership program. So every worker here has a part of the business. We're all owners. So that really for us solidified the deal, because I felt like all those people then had ownership in the company that had spent so many years working for Lori and I as we owned it. So anyway, back to your original question, not to get off on that, but our hiring now is done through our HR department in Hagerstown, so we have three locations throughout our scrap business and auto recycling business with about a hundred and I think there's 112 employees now.
Speaker 4:Total Our location is, it just has the 18, but having the employeeowned benefits really does make it a little better for us to be able to hire A lot of people like that. Our benefits are awesome. So hiring although it's been a struggle, I think we have maybe a step up over some other people because of that benefit.
Speaker 2:Definitely that makes a whole lot of sense and the fact that you did your research on that end really kind of creates loyalty. The existing loyalty that you already have was already very clear, but being able to really take care of your employees that have been there for a long time, that sounds like a good owner of a business to me.
Speaker 4:Well, you know, your employees are really your business. That's who makes who we are today, and I just think it's so important that we take care of the people who really are our Eagle Auto parts. I mean, that's really what makes us, and our concern was making sure those people were taken care of long after we're gone. So I had a five-year contract to stay on and be a general manager.
Speaker 4:And then, honestly, I thought at that time well, I'll probably leave, because that's usually what happens, even in these types of transactions. But that's been eight years ago. This October I'm still here and I'm still loving going to work and I still love the people we work with and I love this industry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, isn't it crazy. I never would have seen myself. I graduated with my marketing and management degree from Montana State and I have a minor in small business and I've always had a passion for small business. But I never in my furthest dreams would have imagined I'd be in the automotive recycling industry. But I'm stuck here now, that's for sure.
Speaker 4:Well, we're glad you're stuck here because you've done such a blessing to us and VRG so we're glad you're stuck here.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you. Yeah, it's a very interesting industry to be in and you know the day-to-day it's always something different, and I think that's what makes it exciting and makes it something that you want to stick with for a long time. Whenever you originally were prompted to start in the automotive recycling industry, what did that look like for you? Did you do some research on that end? How did you decide that you were going to start in that industry?
Speaker 4:You know, really there was no research. I mean, I'll tell you Again, I just knew I really wanted to be self-employed and at the time I was doing some side work as an excavator. But that was in the early 80s and I know you have no idea what time frame that was like.
Speaker 4:But that was a very bad time to be in the early 80s, and I know you have no idea what timeframe that was like. But that was a very bad time to be in the excavating business because of, obviously, our interest rates were 14, 15, 16% and nobody was building and I just knew I wanted to do something, to be self-employed. That was always my dream as a young kid. Growing up I wanted to be self-employed and when this opportunity came along again, I knew automobiles. I'd worked on cars all my life, but I had no idea how to run a business. I only had a high school graduation, Could not wait to get out of high school, Never wanted to see another textbook in my life. I just had the drive to work hard.
Speaker 4:And one thing we've done here at Eagle, or I've done, is I've always reached out to the experts in the business. So early on I reached out to consultants and that's how we really came to know DJ was through some consultants and we've used DJ a lot throughout the years of our business for training for our salespeople. Rob Rainwater is another gentleman that has really helped us out with training and so forth. Larry Leger that goes way back. Dj will know about that and I'm sure some other people will.
Speaker 4:He did some day-to-day operations consulting, and we also hired some outside firms for accounting equity management out of Janesville, Wisconsin, Don Jensen, and so I really just leaned heavily on the experts in our industry for knowledge and what to do, and it's been very successful and fortunate that we have those people who are willing to help the people like me who really had no idea Because, again, it wasn't a generational thing. I didn't grow up seeing my dad do it or my uncle do it. Nobody in our history ever had anything to do with recycled yards, so I just reached out to the experts and counted on them and and trusted them and um and so here we are today.
Speaker 2:Right. Yeah, it goes to show what, what a little bit of work can do, and I think that's one of the biggest thing about, you know, being an entrepreneur and starting your own business. You know, like I said, I graduated with my minor in entrepreneurship and I thought potentially at one point I wanted to open my own business, but I saw the amount of work and it becomes your life, right, I mean your business kind of becomes your life. And being able to access those different people that have that education, have that background of being able to implement them into your business, I think is the biggest key of being an entrepreneur. Is hiring the right people to make sure you're going to get there at the end of the day, Because you know your passion is going to be a whole lot different than what the passion of someone that actually enjoys running business is correct.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that is correct, and I always just tried to hire a lot smarter people than I was, and those people definitely made us successful here at Eagle, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Awesome, I love it. Well, and DJ, I think it might be time to take a break.
Speaker 1:Yep, let's take a break. I'm with you, amanda, so listen up folks. We'll take a fast break and we'll be right back with Doug Williams and Eagle.
Speaker 3:URG can help you streamline your business for maximum efficiency and increased profits. Access powerful software and unique tools. Receive top-level training with industry experts. Network with hundreds of recyclers. Employ e-commerce solutions to boost business. Receive support, resources and discounts Starting at just $150 a month. It's the smartest investment you will make for your business this year. Go to u-r-gcom and click on Become a Member. Your path to a profitable future is just a click away. That's u-r-gcom.
Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Of course you are listening to URG On the Go podcast Each and every week. We do our best to bring you informative programs like this one with Doug Williams. Make sure you download and listen. We're available on Spotify, itunes, pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia, amazon or wherever you get your podcasts. And just before the break Doug was talking about the ESOP program, amanda, so I'll pass and I'm back over to you.
Speaker 2:Perfect, Thank you. Yeah, Doug. I was just wondering a little bit more about the ESOP and how that works with the yard and how that works for your employees. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
Speaker 4:Yeah, it really is a retirement program, amanda is what it amounts to. And you have to work six years for the company to be 100% vested. So your first year you're not vested at all, and then your second year is 20%, so on up to your sixth year, then you're 100% vested. So what it is it's a percentage of your pay and they don't take anything out of your pay. You have your pay, but they take a percentage times your pay and they put that in the ESOP account and at the end of the year when our stock evaluation comes out from the board of our company, then our evaluation you can purchase stock based on the amount of cash you have in your account. So you put absolutely nothing in of your own. You can't add to it.
Speaker 4:It's not a 401k, it's nothing like that. It's strictly all in by our company and we've had a couple of people since Conservate actually has bought um eagle out, which is like, say, almost eight years ago, we've had several people retire uh, not from our organization but from the main yard in hagerstown with, you know, 25 or 30 year service with uh anywhere between 800 000 to a million dollars, and that's again no money of their own that they've put in. So it's a real great benefit to work for a company that's an ESOP, because you're an owner and again you have this great benefit of your retirement that you don't have to fund. It's not matched, it's nothing like that, it's just a great program.
Speaker 2:Well, and that would just create great loyalty too to the company in general, having them work a little bit longer and get that nice little retirement check too right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and that's really what it was started for Our original founder when we're talking about retirements and his big thing was and I've heard this many times from Jack, I'm not sure if it was his dad that actually started it, but he wanted his employees to get more than a gold watch at the end of their retirement. You know they give 25 or 30 years in this industry.
Speaker 4:He wanted them to get more than a gold watch. So that's when he decided to set this ESOP up for his people. So it's a great draw. Esop up for his people, so it's a great draw. And the thought was, if you work till your sixth year and then you're totally vested and then you look at your retirement account and think, wow, man, do I really want to leave now? Another 14 years I could possibly retire. So by working that six years and then being totally vested is a real retainer. So it is a great program. We're blessed to be a part of that now and I'm really thankful for Conservate and what they've done for the Eagle team and allowing us to be a part of them now as well.
Speaker 2:Definitely, and that's including all employees, correct?
Speaker 4:Correct Everybody is an ESOP owner. So you know, we have a president, vice president, we have a board, but we're all owners. So you know anything major. If the company were ever to be sold or whatever, everybody has an equal vote. Doesn't matter who you are, you have an equal vote.
Speaker 2:Interesting. That's a very interesting business model. It sounds like it really drives some employee loyalty for sure.
Speaker 4:It does, it definitely does.
Speaker 2:And, I think, finding those different avenues to create customer loyalty. I know DJ had mentioned that you mentioned the Scholarship Foundation as a benefit for your employees as well. What does that look like whenever you are listing those type of benefits out for your employees?
Speaker 4:Well, it's a definite goal, there's no question about it, and URG has been a big part of our growth here in the recent years, because URG has just been an awesome affiliate of ours affiliate of ours and the resources that we get through you know, you, amanda, and you know even down to our website, where you guys have created our website at just an incredibly affordable price and done such a great job managing it. But the resources that come through URG, you know, like the Scholarship Foundation and the resources that just help our business, has really been beneficial and it certainly helps us for our employees as well. That scholarship program is just a great, great program.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, and you know, all employees are able to apply. So that's, I think, one of the coolest benefits of, you know, being a URG member. The yard can, you know, then tout those benefits to their employees and potentially create some loyalty there. So, yeah, I agree, and that's, you know, part of URG is just finding different avenues for recyclers as a whole to benefit off of, including the employees, the dismantlers, everyone at the yard, making sure that everyone has good opportunities and something there for them.
Speaker 4:Correct. It doesn't matter what you do at our location, we're all the same. We're all in this together and from just mailers to drivers, to inventory people, it really doesn't matter, we're all owners and we all reap the same benefits.
Speaker 2:So I want to kind of go a little bit back to hiring. Whenever you guys do your hiring process, who does the interviews and who does that process, and what does the training look like for that?
Speaker 4:Okay, so, depending on what position it is, here, I do some of the interviews not very many. Our sales manager, of course, mike Harvey would do our sales people and Sean Harvey, which is actually his son, does all of our production. He's our production manager. So our main office will do our recruiting, they will get us the leads and then they will send those people to our location for a first interview and then, if it's something we feel that's a match for us, then they would go back for a following interview with our HR department in Hagerstown, maryland, and then, if they do decide we decide to make an offer we get hired on. Then they do some training safety training at our main location, because that's where our safety coordinator is. So they'll spend some time up there getting some training safety training at our main location, because that's where our safety coordinator is. So they'll spend some time up there getting some training for just overall safety and then they're sent down to our location for their specific job training that they're going to be doing for us.
Speaker 2:Interesting, okay, awesome. So, dj, I think do we need to take another break?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we could take a break and we'll come back, and I know this is a guy that our listeners I hope you're taking notes because he's dropped some good tips of getting the right consultants, getting the people that are involved. So I'm with you, amanda. So, listeners, grab your paper, come back and we've got a couple more tips from Doug Williams from Eagle Auto Parts. Take a break, we'll be right back.
Speaker 3:The URG Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2014 in honor of individuals who give their talent, time and, very often, their own finances, to ensure the growth and success of the automotive recycling industry. We understand college is not for everyone, so each year the foundation offers substantial financial scholarships to auto recycling employees and the children of employees that are attending four-year and technical or trade schools, to assist with their education. Don't leave money on the table. If you have a child or if you're interested in attending continuing education, this money is available to you. Go to u-r-gcom and click on the Scholarship Foundation tab. Urg keeping our industry strong through education.
Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Of course you know you're listening to URG On the Go podcast. This has been a great one, with Doug Williams from Eagle Auto Parts, amanda Martins doing a great interview with them. I want to remind all of you please like, review and share everywhere. We have a hotline number. If you'd like to hear another industry expert like a Doug Williams, just dial our hotline number here at the Podcast Center 706-409-5603.
Speaker 1:I want to remind everyone Amanda Morrison is Director of Member and Vendor Relationships. She can be reached at. Her email address is amorison M-O-R-R-I-S-O-N. Dash r, dash g dot com. Or her direct phone number, 512-887-3951. And if you want to be interviewed by amanda on one of these podcasts, by all means call her now without further. Yeah, because I'm even thinking about you know, john castellano jr. He would be a great interview. Shannon Nordstrom already said he's on a trip with ARA right now, but he said he'd love to be interviewed. Because Dan Snyder and to you know the other people that you've had on. All of a sudden you know the Matt Carmans and the Pats and all of a sudden now these other people want to be interviewed, like you're doing with Doug Williams. So this has been a good one, so I'll turn it back over to you Amanda.
Speaker 2:Thank you, dj. Yes, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about URG at all, with membership benefits or what we do here. That number is direct to me. So if you have any questions at all regarding member benefits, the conference, anything or even the podcast, please feel free to reach out, and thank you again, doug, for being on today. I just wanted to touch a little bit more about we were talking a little bit about the employee loyalty and creating that and what you do for your employees when it comes to conferences and training. What does that look like? Whenever you bring I know you do bring some of your team to URG? How do you maneuver the conferences and make sure you're getting the most out of those days?
Speaker 4:Well, first of all, let me say, dj, you're throwing out some heavy hitters there with Mr Norsom. I don't know that I fit in that category. I think that's definitely a step up, but I'm honored to be in a group of those kind of people. But yeah, amanda, we always like to take our employees to these conferences. These conferences are so important and I've been attending them way back again, long before you were even born, I'm sure. So you just you get so much out of these conferences and I'm just amazed at people that you know I talked to in our industry that I've never been, because there is so much information and we just really enjoy the URG conference. We just got back from St Louis, of course, and the URG team just does an amazing job of putting this conference together. The speakers are all excellent and even down to the timing, I mean, everything is right on time. They start on time, they end on time. Urg does a fantastic job of keeping these conferences moving. And again, the bus trip we took this year I know you were on the bus, I think URG does a fantastic job of keeping these conferences moving. And again, the bus trip we took this year I know you were on the bus, I think early on. It was a fantastic day. We learned so much in those two days of travel.
Speaker 4:But I think that's important for your employees. For one, it gets them away from work, which is always kind of cool, and they get to travel and they get to go different places. So that's always a great little a benefit for them. But you know it is some work there because they they do have to go to to different um, different venues. There are different uh speakers. Um is what I'm looking for, because you know we try to. We try to take several people and send them to different, different speakers throughout the day, because there is so much, it's so action-packed, there's so many topics that you want to hear and you just can't attend all of them because a lot of them overlap. So we like to take our people, send them there, let them take notes, then we regroup in the evening.
Speaker 4:We have a round table of what we learned, what we think we can implement at our location. You know what we learned, what we think we can implement at our location, what works, what doesn't work. So, yeah, I think it's very important that you attend these conferences and. I think it's very important that you bring your people, let them know that you care enough to bring them to be a part of what's going on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know, I think, just like you were saying, it creates a loyalty because you're invested in their future, right, you're invested in their education and what they're doing day to day and making sure that they're doing the job right and as efficiently as possible.
Speaker 2:So I agree, and even you know ARA and all the state shows. They're great to be able to kind of touch base and do a little bit of a review of those sessions as well and making sure you're keeping up to date with all the vendors that are going to those. It's always, you know, it's a lot for all the vendors to go to all these shows, but you know we're there and we're supporting and trying to make sure that all these recyclers are aware of what's out there. And so I think you know, like you were saying, being able to go to those sessions, but also the networking, the networking piece, I think is one of the biggest things and the coolest part about these conferences is being able to go, you know, even after hours. Go to the bar and you get some tips that you would have never even gotten during the day necessarily. Have you experienced that, doug?
Speaker 4:There's no question. I think that you almost learn more away from the speaker events. But again, they are great. Don't get me wrong. But you're right. It's just the connection sitting around in the evening chatting about what yards even some that we picked up at this latest conference at St Louis that we're buying and selling from Yancey's being one of them. Fantastic place, just fantastic people. Really enjoyed their place, really enjoyed getting to know them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we got to go to their place during that yard tour. It was a phenomenal yard. Yeah, it is. Go to their place during that yard tour.
Speaker 4:It was a phenomenal, phenomenal yard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is.
Speaker 4:All of them were phenomenal. They really were. But you know, now we're doing business with them, Whereas if we hadn't gone to that conference, that probably would have never happened. You know, you're thinking wow it's Missouri or it's a long ways away or whatever. So definitely the relationships you build, the connections you make, the people you get to meet face-to-face definitely makes a big difference in your business, I believe.
Speaker 2:Completely agree, yep. And then you get to donate to that scholarship foundation too and help out your employees, right?
Speaker 1:That's exactly right, very important that everybody does that. Member of the Ambassador Club. Very important, yeah, he is.
Speaker 2:We got him as a member of the Ambassador Club. I love it. Do you want to give us a little?
Speaker 1:snippet on the Ambassador Club there, dj. Well, you can go $11 a month or $132 a year. Doug is $132 a year and he also got his people to get involved a year. And he also got his people to get involved when paul diadamo sat down with him. And paul diadamo is a member of the ambassador club.
Speaker 1:Uh, doug Williams eats a meal at URG conference with a different person every time. He sends Sean in one direction, he goes in another direction and they sit down at a table where they know no one and they start talking with each other. And that's how he met Paul D'Adamo and all of a sudden struck up the relationship about being a member of the Ambassador Club. So he became a member of the Ambassador Club, which is only $11 a month and it's all. On the u-r-gcom website you can learn all about the Scholarship Foundation. It's only $11 a month. So if you want to contribute, join in there, and there's a lot of parents whose children already got scholarships that are paying back, so they have found that the Ambassador Club is perfect for them.
Speaker 1:For $11 a month and they feel like they're passing it forward because their child has received $4,000 or, like last year, $4,500 scholarships yeah, Substantial scholarships being given away by URG. And you know, Amanda, before I forget, I got to remind everybody. Just save the dates for the URG Team PRP 2025 Training Conference is April 10th through the 12th in Orlando, Florida. We had some guy buzz us at the hotline to say you don't remind us that next year's conference is in Orlando, and I said well, now on, we will.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, we're already getting our planning phases started for that and it's going to be a great show. We're excited about it. St Louis was a phenomenal turnout. We had over 1,000 attendees and it was great and all the events went swimmingly and it was just a great turnout.
Speaker 1:Now they're saying, because it's Orlando, florida, and it's a beautiful place to play golf and to help out with the URG Scholarship Foundation, there might be 11 to 1,200 recyclers at the next conference.
Speaker 2:I'm going to shoot over that. I'm going for 1,500. I'm putting it out there, put it out there in the universe and maybe it'll come back.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it will. It will. When we started telling people there was over a thousand in St Louis, people say, oh, come on, you can't have a thousand people at a recycling convention. And sure enough, urg and Team PRP is doing it.
Speaker 2:Well, and I want to shout you out too, jj, you have been such a phenomenal add to this industry and, like Doug was saying, you know you've always been there for the automotive recyclers and have been such a pillar in this industry and such a good reference for all of our yards. To even just reach out. I know you're always willing to talk to anyone and give any kind of contacts out, and I just want to give you kudos for that as well.
Speaker 1:Well, we've had some great exhibitors, I have to tell you. You know that we only had one out of all the exhibitors. We had one person who complained that they didn't have enough people. So Doug Williams, the guy we interviewed now and Doug will tell you we made a point to go by their booth. Oh yeah, now Doug Williams and I go by their booth. They are behind the table. They had sunglasses on and they were reading the local paper. And I told Jennifer I said Jennifer, doug and I made it a point to go by and visit them and they were the only people that were sitting behind their table. And I said to him why don't you go over and visit, like car park, or why don't you go over here and visit? You know amanda from copart and see their booth, how amanda stands out in front of it, greets everybody, talks to everybody. She doesn't have sunglasses on she's not looking at her local paper.
Speaker 1:She's trying to be engaging with the thousand some people that were there. Everybody said it was massive amount of people, but not have enough change with somebody, it didn't make sense. So Doug and I purposely went by the booth and Doug will tell you I won't even look up.
Speaker 1:We left our lesson, I nicely said to the guy hey, why don't you go by and visit some of these booths? Go by Carport and watch how they do it, how Teresa engages everybody. Or go by Commercial Forums and Brian Collins Engages with you Right there like, hey, how's it going? How's the show? Have you seen our new product? Yeah, you're not going to get your money's worth If you're not working.
Speaker 2:Working the networking opportunities right there like, hey, how's it going? How's the show? Have you seen our new products? Yeah, yeah, you're not going to get your money's worth if you're not working, working the networking opportunities. You have a thousand people walking by. You have an opportunity to talk to them at any point and tout your products and make sure you're getting your voice heard. So you know, I think that's the biggest thing is, if you're coming to these conferences, you got to make sure you're taking advantage of the events as well as the vendor hours. You know, as a recycler, you want to make sure you're going to all the booths and seeing what all the new technology is. I think, doug, maybe you can vouch for this I'm sure you've found some new products just kind of walking around the floor just talking to vendors, right?
Speaker 4:Oh for sure, Amanda. I mean again, I can't believe there's recyclers that don't attend these things. Because how do you stay up on, first of all, the latest and greatest things that are out there, the tools or whatever, whether it be from a hand tool to computer software, that makes our industry that much easier and faster, because everything is based on how fast can you get this done and get it done right. So all those tools and stuff that those vendors have is just amazing. I really enjoy that part of it as well. I love walking through the vendor booths and talking and learning and seeing what's out there, what's the newest thing that can help us progress forward.
Speaker 2:Definitely Yep. I think that's one of the key parts of these conferences and I agree with DJ, you know, making sure you're taking advantage of that time and making sure your employees are out there again, creating that employee loyalty. They come to a vendor table, they find something that can maybe make their job a little bit easier and, hey, you've just retained that employee for another year potentially by implementing that. So I think it can really be beneficial in the long run, for sure.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's like you know, actually the year before is when we had met up with some PRP people and of course now we're a PRP member and very grateful for that organization and it's another fantastic organization out there that has really really boosted our sales and business and stuff. So without this conference and the URG and that kind of stuff, you don't even hear about this a lot of the time. So it's so important.
Speaker 2:Agreed, awesome. Well, do you have any other questions you'd like to ask, doug?
Speaker 1:Well, all I'd like to ask Doug is I know that Doug has a real gift. This is a guy, folks. He kneels at the cross and stands for the flag. He is a great American and I have learned so much from him and so much on how he deals with people Everyday life. God's a big part of his life and he has passed it on to employees. So his employees are very gifted. They're very conscious of how to deal with customers. It's because the relationship that Doug has with them. So I'm very proud of Doug Williams. He's a real gift for our industry. And, amanda, I could not thank you enough for suggesting Doug be a guest as part of your podcast of introducing dealers to our network.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I always had a great time working with Doug and getting his website up and running. I knew he would be a good ad.
Speaker 4:Well, I appreciate those kind words, dj, and it goes both ways. You've been such a mentor to me, but I'll just leave you with. You know, I think one of the most important things we can do as owners or general managers is invest in your people. You know, that is what's so important. Your people are really who makes up whatever business, and whether it's Yancey's or Wyart or Eagle, it's the people. It's not the top management. It's the people that do it.
Speaker 4:And I've always felt that you really have to invest in the people and you have to invest them on a personal level. It can't just be just at work and they come in and do the job Hi, how are you? Good morning and move on. I really tried over the years to get to know every employee and know their family and know what their likes are, what are their hobbies, what do they do on the weekends, learn about their family, their wives, their spouses, their kids, so that you can really invest and they know you're interested and care about their family. And you know, as DJ can tell you man, he's been to our place several times I have a couch in my office and that's for those employees that want to come in, and it may have nothing to do with work, it may just be a problem they're going through and you know.
Speaker 4:You can usually tell if you really invest in your employees and you get to know them. You can tell days that something's not right and if it's just a day, okay, well, everybody has a day now. But if you see that pattern over two or three days or it's starting to stretch out, there's a problem. You need to find out what's going on and that's when I'll call them in and say let's just have a chat, is everything okay? You know, what can we do to help?
Speaker 4:You know from you know personal problems, maybe financial problems. Maybe we can figure out, get them on a plan to get ahead, to help them with some budgeting. Maybe they've never had that training. All these things, I think are so important that if we take the time to really invest and know your people inside and out and know that they know that your door is always open, I spend probably at least two to three days a week after hours in my office chatting with someone who's got a concern or a problem, maybe work-related, maybe not, doesn't matter. They just need to know that you're there and you care and you're genuinely interested in their well-being and their family, and I think that just makes a huge difference in your entire organization.
Speaker 2:I completely agree. That's a great note to leave off on. Thank you so much, Doug.
Speaker 1:Amanda, I agree with Doug. That is the perfect nugget to end this podcast on. You've been listening to the URG On the Go podcast. We'll see you next week, amanda, great job.