Businesses turn to ReStore to recycle

Since opening in 1999, Habitat for Humanity of Springfield’s ReStore has helped the local Habitat affiliate raise money to build local homes for families that might not otherwise be able to achieve homeownership.

The store at 2410 S. Scenic Ave. is a building materials recycling center, selling new and donated items at discount rates.

For businesses, it doubles as an alternative to sending unused or unwanted items to the landfill.

The inventory at the 40,000-square-foot ReStore changes often, depending on donations, and Operations Director Chris Houghton said the store works with many donor companies, including Bass Pro Shops, Starbucks, La-Z-Boy Boy Furniture and Watts Radiant to collect goods to sell at the store.

Intriguing inventory
Some of the most unique donations include 30,000 linear feet of metal shelving that was scheduled to be scrapped, and a commercial walk-in freezer valued at more than $6,000 that Starbucks donated and the ReStore sold to another business for $2,300.

Houghton said the store currently has a semitrailer truck, which employees are currently valuing for sale. Other goods beyond building supplies include furniture, appliances and even medical equipment.

“If there is a market for it, we will usually take it,” said Eric Allen, ReStore director. “We don’t take clothing or Tupperware or hazardous materials.” 

CoxHealth has been a ReStore donor for four years, and in 2010, the health system received Habitat’s Golden Hammer Award, in recognition of being a top donor, contributing goods worth an estimated $13,200.

Last year, CoxHealth’s total donation value was $8,300. Donations have included hospital beds that cannot be sold or given to smaller, rural hospitals, X-ray machines and other medical equipment.

“Some people might wonder why we donate hospital beds, but many people require these types of beds at home,” said Jerry Schwind, director of engineering at CoxHealth. He noted that new hospital beds can cost as much as $23,000.

Now, CoxHealth is preparing to donate several of the 540 televisions the system has replaced.

“Instead of paying $10 to dispose of each one, we will donate most of them to the ReStore,” Schwind said.

Help for housing
Since 2006, when officials began tracking the store’s performance, sales at the Springfield ReStore have raised gross revenues of $3.5 million, and $821,840 of that was raised in 2011. Houghton said the store is working to surpass $1 million in revenue this year.

Allen said 60 cents of every dollar raised through the store goes into Habitat projects and programs, and 40 cents goes toward operations.

“We have a limited staff and overhead costs, giving us a good profit margin,” Allen said. The store operates with five full-time and two-part-time employees, and officials estimate that funds from the store have helped build 52 Springfield-area homes since it opened.

“Our program funds that are raised also stay right here in the Springfield area,” Houghton added.

Business benefits
As a nonprofit, CoxHealth can’t take advantage of tax deductions for its donations, but that is a benefit available to for-profit companies.

“We cannot estimate the value of a donation, and we always tell business owners to talk to their accountant, but it certainly is a benefit,” Houghton said.

Roy Edge, president of Edge Supply Co. in Springfield, said he’s been donating to the ReStore for the past eight years. His company values the products at fair market value and as a result, donated $27,000 worth of plumbing fixtures and supplies in 2010 and $10,000 in 2011. In 2010, donations came from a product line he was discontinuing, he said.

“It’s not so much the tax write-off, but we’re in the housing business, so it’s helping the community and people who need housing,” Edge said.

Edge said another key reason he donates to the ReStore is so that products that are in good condition can be used instead of thrown away.

“Our suppliers require us to use new floor samples, and there’s no reason to throw floor samples in the trash. It’s good stock, just not sellable,” he said.

Edge also allowed volunteers from the ReStore to come and salvage what they could when he sold his former building at 1605 Boonville to City Utilities in 2008.

“The building was scheduled for demolition, so I decided to salvage what we could for Habitat,” he said, noting that items salvage included cabinets.

“When we moved, we realized we had left our coffee supplies in some cabinets the Habitat ReStore took,” Edge said with a laugh. “They saved them for us; we can’t have our employees to go without their coffee.”

Sometimes, the businesses don’t play a direct donor role, Houghton said, noting that furniture stores such as La-Z-Boy don’t typically donate a lot of new furniture, but they will refer customers to the ReStore if they have used furniture in good condition they want to give.

The ReStore’s staff includes drivers who can come pick up goods, simplifying the donation process.

“(Donors) don’t have to haul it off, and we respond in a timely fashion to get it out of their way,” Allen said.[[In-content Ad]]