Sierra--Honoring Its Roots

Some of the most successful businesses in the scrap industry have started small—little red wagon small—and have grown into key players in the industry by earning the respect, support and loyalty of the communities where they operate.

Athens Auto Wrecking (AAW), the Alewine family business based in Hull, Ga., shares in this legacy and attributes its growth and success to its customers and the community around Hull.

The Alewine family understands the importance of honoring customer and community loyalty and does its part to give back to the community that has fostered AAW’s growth. As the company has grown, so has its commitment to the people of Georgia.

AAW’s success has not sullied the Alewine family’s ideals. Customer relations and strict adherence to environmental standards remain the cornerstones of AAW’s operations.

From the time William Alewine and his wife began collecting scrap in a little red wagon in the 1940s, the need for scrap metals has grown. Alewine recognized that need in the area around Athens, Ga., and expanded his business in 1949, purchasing Athens Auto Wrecking and one truck.

In 1968, Alewine relocated the company to Hull, where it has since flourished. AAW, which William’s grandson Joe and his wife Kristie purchased from him in 1999, has continued its growth and now employs 25 people at its 28-acre yard.

AAW is not limited by the scope of materials it processes. It handles vehicles and all metals, including steel, stainless steel, iron, lead, aluminum, copper and brass. Today, vehicles and ferrous materials represent the majority of AAW’s business.

The company employs portable balers in the removal and processing of vehicles and ferrous materials from scrap yards throughout Georgia. Each week, AAW processes an average of approximately 4 to 5 million pounds of scrap. Farrin Gibson, AAW’s yard manager, says just one of the company’s baling crews processes an average of almost 1.8 million pounds of scrap weekly.

Processing that much scrap is a big job and it requires AAW to invest in equipment that is up to the task. The company employs three Sierra portable balers, which it transports to yards throughout Georgia for automobile baling and removing purposes. Additionally, AAW uses a Newell shredder from Newell Recycling to handle most of its automobile processing.

In addition to the automobile and ferrous and nonferrous metal processing, AAW collects and hauls demolition waste through its roll-off container business, known as Alewine Waste.

When they purchased AAW, Joe and Kristie Alewine also began Alewine Waste to help support the scrap yard’s daily operations. Alewine Waste currently has more than 400 roll-off containers that it places at demolition sites throughout the area. The company removes the full containers, sorts out the metal and hauls it to AAW’s scrap yard for processing. The waste material is then landfilled.

AAW’s continued growth depends greatly on William Alewine’s reputation in the community. Through the years, William has made a name for himself and AAW in Hull and the surrounding community for his hard and honest work, a tradition Joe has upheld, and that has earned AAW its customers’ loyalty and respect.

Farrin says the company has managed to develop these strong ties to the community by establishing "one-on-one relationships" with its customers. He says, "We know 90 percent of our customers by name, and most of our customers are return customers."

AAW’s commitment to making its customers feel like valued individuals instead of numbers on invoices is key to the company’s staying power. But even more than this, William and Joe’s prominence in the community has fueled AAW’s success.

Farrin is convinced, saying, "For William and Joe to have been around for as long as they have, that’s got to be the driving factor."

AAW is founded on the drive to serve the community while protecting the environment, and these ideals are clearly behind the company’s everyday operations and policies. As the business has grown and changed, AAW has steadily become more successful while maintaining its focus on giving back. "AAW has built a great relationship within the community and strives to continue the relationship," Farrin says.

Even after William sold the business to his grandson Joe, AAW’s approach to its customers and the community hasn’t changed. Joe and Kristie remain dedicated to giving back to the community. AAW’s community commitments are varied and include donating vehicles to the local firehouses for automobile crash rescue drills. The company also works with the University of Georgia and sorts through waste at five Georgia landfills, harvesting the scrap metals.

While AAW and the Alewine family have focused on community relations, they’ve also managed to keep a watchful eye on the environment, ensuring that the company’s success has not been at its expense.

AAW adheres to local and national environmental guidelines and has established strict policies to contain all fluids.

Farrin says, "We feel that our cleanup process separates us from a lot of balers." This cleanup policy remains a primary focus for AAW as the need for more stringent environmental regulations and standards increases.