Fresh Perspective

Drew Mims

Owner of Mims Recycling

Drew Mims’ passion for scrap recycling began as a family affair. Growing up, he would travel with his parents as they performed demolition jobs, fostering an appreciation for the industry.

“I always used to say I wanted to be just like my dad,” he says.

His parents were his role models and, as a child, he took their examples seriously. So seriously that he once told his pre-K teacher he would be missing school the next day to go to work with his father.

“She said, ‘I’ve heard a lot of excuses for reasons not to come to school, but going to work has never been one of them,’” he recalls. “It’s always been in my blood—to work.”

Drew started working after school as a laborer at his family’s recycling business, Louisiana-based Mims Recycling of Ruston LLC, tasked with cleaning nonferrous metals. As he got older, he began operating equipment and joined the company in an official capacity upon graduating high school in 2018.

“My first official job was running a shear on a demolition project,” he says. “I probably had several roles.”

Within the last year, Drew took over Mims Recycling as owner and operator. Both his parents still are involved with the company, though Drew now handles daily operations.

“I really have a true passion for this industry,” he says. “I had good role models growing up [in my] parents [and] a lot of our employees; I look up to them. I’ve been surrounded by wonderful people, and that’s why I’m where I am today.”

In the following interview, Drew discusses career challenges and the recycling industry’s biggest hurdles.

"Let people know that there’s money to be made, there’s opportunities to grow.”

Recycling Today (RT): What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?

Drew Mims (DM): My age. Right now, I’m only 22, so when I first started ... I would go out and continue the relationships my dad had established. That was challenging, being 18 years old, talking to a well-established businessman who’s been doing business with my father for the past 10 years.

A lesson I’ve learned is [to] under promise, over deliver. If I can’t do something, I tell them I can’t do it. We have a roll-off service where we service about 100 to 120 industrial accounts. ... If they need their box swapped out at 5 a.m., and your guys aren’t going to get in until 7:30 or 8, don’t tell them, “I’ll be there at 5.” ... If you get a reputation of being unreliable, you lose business that way.

I’ve always ... been totally transparent with our clients. This is a for-profit industry. You have to make money and be profitable to sustain [your business] and compete with some of the larger companies. Be upfront about that. There’s no reason to hide.

RT: What do you see as some of the biggest challenges impacting the recycling industry today?

DM: There’s a lack of education. Folks not in the industry aren’t really aware of where this material goes once they drop it off at a facility. … I think we should implement that in schooling somewhere. In grade school, children should know about this.

RT: How can the industry recruit young professionals given this lack of public knowledge about it?

DM: I would put money on it. We’re a billion-dollar industry. … So, you have to let people know there’s opportunity to grow, especially if you get within a company that cares about the people working for them.

Talk to some of the high schools. Educate people. … Let people know that there’s money to be made, there’s opportunities to grow.