The Recycle1 “Meet the Team” is a series of articles that allow our clients and partners to get to know the team behind the brand.
Mark serves as Vice President of Operations for Arizona Document Destruction at Recycle 1. When it comes to the paper industry, he’s truly seen it all, having served in so many various roles throughout the years. Like many who come to this industry, Mark fell into it and then found he loved it. He’s a problem-solver at heart—he welcomes nothing more than helping customers of all types meet their needs. Meet Mark!
How long have you been in the recycling industry?
Overall, I have been in the paper industry for 29 years and the recycling industry for 16. I just kept going and I was always learning something new. But shredding is my favorite aspect of it, largely because of the customer service component. I deal with customer service challenges all day, every day. I’m a problem solver. My job is to listen to our customers and to figure out how to make it all work.
What kinds of challenges do you solve?
For some people, it may mean simply finding a service provider for them in their area. Or for others, it could be helping them figure out how to get one box shredded, or a large corporation who has thousands of boxes of paper that need destroyed. Every customer and every call comes with a unique scenario. There’s a lot of logistics and juggling included in managing it all.
Are you surprised to still be in this industry after all these years?
Yes. I thought I’d do it for a while, but not for this long. But after you’ve been in this industry for a while, the same names keep popping up. It’s a small world! For me, what keeps me here is the challenging environment. There’s a lot to do. I have emails and phone calls that never stop, but I love the challenge.
The logistics side of the job also keeps things interesting. We must constantly think about routing when dealing with customer’s paper pickups, to maintain efficiency. It’s always a give and take, but it’s the most fun part of the job.
What else do you want people to know about what you do?
Shredding and recycling isn’t just good for the environment, it’s also about identity protection. When all is said and done, we protect our customers’ identities. For example, the junk mail you receive every day may seem like it’s not important, but if it’s not handled properly, then you have a problem. We really help our customers think through the importance of protecting their information and we help them go about it in the best way possible.
What are you known for?
I pride myself on always answering the phone with a smile. That may mean answering a hundred calls a day, and even smiling when I don’t feel like it. But I believe that you can tell when someone on the other end of the line is smiling and is in a good mood, and it makes a big difference in how those phone calls unfold. When a customer tells me that I am the most professional person they’ve spoken to all day that lets me know I’m doing a great job!
