Ronald Flowers is using his business to save the planet, as well as create a family legacy.
It all started in 2014, when Flowers’ truck broke down and he took it to his neighborhood junk car dealer in Kalamazoo. Flowers was familiar with scrapping, but not the end-to-end, recycling-everything method John Rouse introduced him to. Flowers was intrigued and Rouse became his mentor.
A year later, Flowers bought his first junk car for $300. He took it apart, sold the pieces, and made a $400 profit. A business was born.
Well, maybe not that fast; there was an issue with credit. “I didn’t know about credit until I was 32, 35 years old,” said Flowers, now 43 and three years into owning his own business. “I never paid attention. Northern Initiatives found things in my credit I didn’t even know about!”
Eric Cunningham, Program Officer at LISC Kalamazoo, referred Flowers to Northern Initiatives for financing.
“I was intrigued by the business model,” said Venard Roberson, Northern Initiatives Commercial Lender. “And, as Ronald says, there’s millions of junk cars in Michigan.”
The loans from Northern Initiatives, using funds from Wells Fargo Open for Business and the Opportunity Finance Network’s Financial Justice fund, helped Flowers consolidate other debt. He also was able to expand his business with the welcome working capital.
Flowers Automotive Recyclers and its team of 12 full-time workers, acquire junk cars, take them apart, sort the parts, and send the parts to people who pay money for them.
“The field is in its infancy,” Flowers said, “and we’re still finding things that can be recycled.” One recent day it was airflow covers with a specific code. A search ensued, covers were gathered, a shipment was made, and money was banked.
That last part was probably thanks to Anthony Flowers, Ronald’s 19-year-old son and office whiz. Anthony manages almost all of the financial transactions, taught himself Quickbooks, and eagerly soaks in advice and tips wherever he can.
“You’re not my shadow, you’re my partner,” his dad smiles at him.
The Flowers are proud that they’re keeping these car parts out of landfills, but it takes a lot of work and organization. The dream is an assembly line-type of operation, but for disassembly. “These are end-of-life vehicles and we’re recycling responsibly,” Ronald Flowers said.
The human parts of the business are just as vital, he stresses, and he’s been working on different methods of management and motivation to make sure everyone’s on the same team, doing a pretty tough job. “We’re outside. When the weather gets rough, it’s rough. I’ve been in mud up to my shins,” Flowers said.
And, as far as business goes, he’s not yet turning a profit but boy, those gross numbers are making Anthony’s job fun. Flowers Automotive Recycling has gone from a six-figure gross the first year to seven figures in just three years.
Ronald shakes his head. “This stuff is worth money and people are just scrapping it.”
