From Farming To Recycling
Photo/Edd Cote
E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc., 68 Hopkinton Road, Westborough, MA 01581
Pictured, from left, back row: Lynda, Steve, Doug, Jim (founder), Josh and Ellen Harvey. Front row: BJ and Ben Harvey.
It all began with Mr. Smith’s horse.
In the late 1940s, E. L. Harvey and Sons was a dairy farm. Jim Harvey, CEO of the firm today, was working for his dad E.L. at the time; he tells the story of Mr. Smith from memory.
“Mr. Smith had the job of cleaning out the trash from the First National Bank and the A&P supermarket. He would bring the loads down to us, and dump them in a low area that we had, and we would pick the cardboard out and bundle it up, save until we had enough, and then take it to Worcester, where we could sell it,” said Jim. “Mr. Smith came into our barn one night when we were milking our cows and he was crying. We said, ‘What’s the matter, Mr. Smith?’ And he said, ‘You boys have got to help me, I’ve got a real problem. My horse died, and I have a contract with the First National and the A&P. I can’t fulfill my contract. You’ve got to take it over for me.’ ”
So they did. Using their cattle truck, the Harveys began hauling the trash for those two customers. “From that, we got the electric light company and started doing their rubbish,” said Jim. “And at the same time we started running a burning dump for the town. They said they needed some place to do it for a week. That was over 60 years ago, and it’s still here!”
Business Transition
The Harveys found that there were quite a few materials in the dump that could be recycled to supplement their income. In addition to cardboard, they reclaimed iron and cotton rags that were recycled to make paper. “In farming you don’t make a lot of money,” explains Jim, “you just have a lot of hard work, so this helped us keep things going.”
In 1971, with their farming income waning and their rubbish business increasing, the Harveys made the decision to get out of the farming business. They sold their cows and bought a big truck called a “roll-off” that’s designed to carry large containers like dumpsters. The Harveys mortgaged everything to buy that one truck.
“Our fathers weren’t afraid,” said Ben Harvey. His dad, Bob Harvey, ran the business with Jim in those days. “They were willing to take the risk, to anticipate what might be out there.”
Their timing was excellent. Just at this time, the state outlawed incinerators, which most industrial firms had been using to dispose of their trash, increasing the opportunities in the rubbish business.
That one truck turned into today’s 100 trucks, and from three employees the firm has grown to nearly 250. Today E.L. Harvey is a leader in its field, spearheading innovations in trash disposal and recycling.
Running the firm was not Jim Harvey’s first choice of career. His dream was to join the Navy. But his father had asked him to spend a year in college first, then if he didn’t like it he could join the Navy. During that first year in college, E.L. had a heart attack, so Jim quit college, came home and joined his brother in running the business. “That’s what they did back then,” said Jim. “You came home to run the business if you were needed.” Jim never got the chance to join the Navy. “But it’s been good,” he said. “Tough, but good.”
Ben Harvey’s story is not so different. Right after he graduated from college, in 1971, he was asked to join the firm. Said Ben, “Jim came to me and he said ‘I’ve got this idea about getting into industrial waste removal. Your father and I need somebody to help us. Would you come back and go to work?’ ” He didn’t have any other immediate prospects, so he said he would come back and try it for a year. Thirty-eight years later, he’s still there, now an owner of the firm, an executive vice president, and very glad he joined.
Generation Next
Jim’s son Doug never had any doubts. He has worked for his dad for as long as he can remember, and never wanted to do anything else. “It’s so exciting working as a family,” said Doug. “We may have different philosophies, we may not all agree, but at the end of the day as a family we are united.”
Recently, for the first time, E.L. Harvey and Sons has had to make some tough decisions to cope with the tough economy. They laid off 21 people—10 percent of the workforce—and put in place strict cost management protocols. And they worked with all of their vendors to reduce costs.
Finally, just in the past few months they have seen an upward trend. “We’re among the first to see it,” said Ben. “When businesses start working and filling up offices, there’s trash and recyclables coming out the back door.”
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments