If RecycleForce is an engine, Rob Smith is the oil that keeps it running. He’s done every job in the warehouse and a few others as well. Rob serves on the RecycleForce board and is our Warehouse Manager where he overseeing all the departments. To say Rob’s “busy” on an average day is an understatement. Rob is one part supervisor, one part schoolteacher, and one part counselor. Rob possesses a unique talent for figuring out what each participant needs to hear to motivate them to do their job.
Rob was referred to us by his parole officer in 2015, after a 13-year incarceration. Even though Rob was physically free, he admits he was still mentally “locked behind bars.” He needed six months to get his mind free and begin to trust that RecycleForce wasn’t here just to send him back to prison. One of Rob’s game-changing moments occurred when Gregg Keesling, our Executive Director, came up to him on the floor and said, “Don’t look back! If you don’t look back, I’ll have your back.” Those words are the ones Rob shares today with new people in the program. When he realized the RecycleForce staff was here to HELP and not HINDER him, the sky was the limit. Rob had been dealing drugs his entire life. He never held a regular 9-5 job. But once he understood his role at RecycleForce, he didn’t look back.
Rob never missed a day of work, and his dedication paid off. He became a supervisor and eventually a full-time employee. “RecycleForce gave me hope and an opportunity,” Rob said. “All my life I had always been a part of the streets and never a part of something bigger. RecycleForce was the first time I was really a part of something.”
The clutter you encounter during spring cleaning can be what transforms people like Rob at RecycleForce. By sending us your e-waste you are not only making a difference in the environment, you are making a lasting difference in someone’s life. For many people who find their way here – work is therapy!