Junk my Car Blog

The New Groove

2010-03-11T10:57:00.003-05:00

Every generation has it's dance culture. From early swing to 70s disco, people just had to get their dance on. My generation is no different. Out of the 80s from disco and the hippy movement came the rave scene. Sometimes called Techno Hippies, Ravers have created a scene that is more than a DJ and some kids looking for a good time. Ravers have a sense of style, culture, lingo, and sociology all their own.

There is a huge perception that raves are just drug filled rooms w/ a bunch of sketchy kids. Anyone that has gone to one of these all night electronic music fests will tell you it more than that. People go for the community. No where else can you meet a person and not see them for months, only to see them on some random dance floor to be friends all over again. There is a tradition among the "candy kids" that entails swapping bracelets to new friends. These new type of friendship bracelets are called Candy, (hence that's what gives these kids, who wear them up to their elbow with pride, their name). I myself have hundreds of candy and can tell you the name, face, or place where I got it.

Most people who hear techno think of car commercials with their heavy bass background sound or what is heard in the background of any bar. On the contrary, there are as many types of techno as there is rock and roll. Not all hip hop is the same and techno is no different. With the speed of the bass also comes a style all of its own. If your into deeper psychedelic flow there is trance. For your hiphop orinated, there is jungle and drum and bass. Even for those that thrive for a hard hitting jump out of your skull speed to your music, we have happy hardcore. There is a flavor for all of your potential tastes and it all can converge under one roof. Walking from one room to another will send certainly send you from one sensory experience to an other. One thing is for sure, you will leave liking something new and different.

There is no typical raver but you can certainly pick one out if you know what to look for. There are the blatant candy kids with their pikachu backpacks w/ colorful bracelets up to their arm pits to the the more dressed up wearing a buttoned up dress shirt untucked w/ khaki wind pants. The scene is also responsible for creating signature clothing such as UFO and Caffeine clothing lines which are a staple to any raver closet. Graphitte artists have even been able to find a voice by promoting the scene and the scene doing the same by creating shirt lines such as MethodNYC.

This brings me to one of the most important concepts that is the rave scene. P.L.U.R.: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. This is more than the mantra but the essence of the lifestyle. There are several urban legands on where the motto originated. One thing that all agree on is it's simple meaning. These four things are more than the root of our community. It's something we carry with us in our everyday live. The party can be as small as a one room weekly to a outdoor 5 tent massive, this motto reverberates clearly no matter the size of the crowd. Raving is more that something you do on your weekends but a full on life style. I've been a part of this scene since the mid 1990s and have seen the evolution of the styles of music and dance. But P.L.U.R is fundementally the same regardless if your new or old skool. If you love to dance, meet new people, and a get sense of community rarely seen in a club or concert, I recommend giving one a shot. Who knows how many bracelets you you will walk out with.

The day the music tried...

2010-02-18T15:59:00.007-05:00

What has technology done to the music industry?

Long before my time as a Claim Processing director here at Junk my Car, I managed a record store (that long forgotten place where you could actually go to buy music on cassette and compact disc).

People would walk in every Tuesday just to get their hands on that newest releases, leaving the store with that coveted tangibility.

The tech age has changed all of that. Record stores are a dying breed. In July 2009, the Virgin Mega-store in New York City closed it's doors forever!

Similar stores like the media powerhouse Trans World Entertainment, which operates the FYE chain, has closed at least 280 of its locations over the last two years.

Why is this happening?
In the face of widespread piracy, consumers' growing preference digital singles over albums, the record business has plunged into a historic decline.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, total music album sales in the U.S. reached only 428 million in 2008, which was a 14% reduction from 2007.

Compare this to it's Digital counterpart which had a billion songs downloaded in 2008, (a 27% increase).

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013585191#ixzz0f4wo32tw

The major labels are struggling to reinvent their business models, even as some wonder whether it's too late.

According to music attorney Peter Paterno, who represents Metallica and Dr. Dre, "The record business is over."

How can you beat free?
With major bands like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead issuing full length albums for free, it seems like Mr. Paterno isn't too far off. Bands have begun to realize that they are making little to no money from album sales.

According to the Almighty Institute of Music Retail a new album with a list price of $15.99 has the following breakdown:

$0.17 Musicians' unions
$0.80 Packaging/manufacturing
$0.82 Publishing royalties
$0.80 Retail profit
$0.90 Distribution
$1.60 Artists' royalties
$1.70 Label profit
$2.40 Marketing/promotion
$2.91 Label overhead
$3.89 Retail overhead

This means that the Label gets $7.01 per CD and retailers get $4.69 for a combined percentage of 73% of the price of each CD.

Royalties, artists, and manufacturing costs combined total only $4.29.

The good news
This radical change is not all bleak. In fact, this shift from tangible to digital has leveled the playing field for independent artists.

On Average it costs an independent musician somewhere between $12 and $18 to publish just one CD.

Now with the digital age, an independent band still needs to record, produce and master their music, but they can enjoy the same worldwide distribution that the Major Labels enjoy at a much lower cost.

Itunes
To get a song on Itunes it depends which company you use.
Example, Zimbalam charges $19.99 for a single and $29.99 for an album.
See also: cdbaby.com, dittomusic.com, & tunecore.com

Less storage space needed
An external hard-drive on average weighs under 5 lbs and has a footprint of 2.5", and with storage prices coming down you can get a Terabyte drive for around $100.

1 TB = 250,000 Audio tracks (more or less)

Greener option

Digital mediums are not only more portable, more accessible, and cheaper, but they are also greener. just think of all the plastic, and paper saved for each downloaded song/album.

Instead of burning compilation disc after compilation disc only to discard them after several listens you can now put all of your music on digital devices(Hard Drive, Mp3 player, Phone, Computer, etc.) and swap as needed.

The Drawbacks
Tangibility - As an avid collector of music (with over 700 compact discs in my personal collection) I can honestly say that there really is nothing quite like purchasing a brand new disc or better still a vinyl album, cracking it open and reading the lyrics, or checking out the amazing artwork found inside.

Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, digital mediums are here to stay and will continue to thrive in this need it now society that we live in.

Now we have to wait and see what the music industry does to re-invent itself and change with the times instead of fighting the tide.

Dance In The Rain

2010-02-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

When I was about 6 years old, my mom, stepdad, brother and I were on our way home from some outing. We got caught up in traffic, during a huge storm, and my stepdad ended up getting off the highway to find a "better" way home. I don't even know where we were, all I know is it was pitch black on some old back country road in Eastern CT, when all of a sudden some old song came on the radio, and My Step Dad pulled over and got us all out of the car. He put the radio way up, and there, with the only light being the headlights beaming from the car, in the pouring rain, we all danced in front of the car for what seemed like hours (I'm sure it wasn't really that long, but things seem so much longer when you're a kid).

Soaking wet, the four of us then piled back into the car, and headed home. To this day, I can't even remember where we went that day; All I can recall is how much fun it was to dance in that rain storm.

Years later, when I was about 14 years old, a whole bunch of family friends, my aunt, younger cousin, and I were driving alongside the Brooklyn Bridge one night, and it began to rain.

I remember everyone in the caravan of cars that were with us pulled off onto the side of the road and we all went out and spent some time singing and reflecting on all the things we had to be grateful for, again, in the pouring rain. It was something that sounded so crazy, yet it was so refreshing.

Years later, here I am at the age of 25, and I realize that those two nights may have been when I learned the most valuable lesson I have ever learned. See in the physical act of playing and rejoicing in the rain, it showed me something so important--I learned how to appreciate the rain; How to dance in it. Instead of bickering and complaining, that we had to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in the rain, my stepdad taught my brother and I, that night, how to dance in the rain, how to look at something that the world would see as negative, and find a reason to rejoice about it, and years later alongside the Brooklyn Bridge, I was reminded again, not only to play in the rain, but to be thankful for those seasons of life.

See, I've come to realize that it's not whether you go through a storm or not that makes you who you are, It's how you choose to go through it. You can either be miserable, and focus completely on the circumstances that surround you, or you can dance in the rain; rejoice through the storm, and see it as an opportunity expand your knowledge, experience, and ultimately make you a better YOU.

So, the next time you’re faced with a storm in life, take a moment to reflect, and decide to dance in the rain.

Haiti Disaster Relief Fund

2010-01-14T16:37:00.011-05:00

UPDATE:
With your help we were able to raise $1000 to donate to the American Red Cross:

$1000 Raised for Haiti!

Help Junk my Car raise money for the American Red Cross to assist in Haiti disaster relief efforts after the devastating earthquake that hit the country on January 12th.

For the latest news and updates on the situation in Haiti please visit CNN.

Going the Extra Mile

2009-12-11T15:51:00.012-05:00

At Junk my Car we strive for more than just excellent customer service. We are more than just an ordinary company; we are a family who makes every effort to give back to the community, the environment, and other countries where help is needed.

Junk my Car recently helped out our team in the Philippines. They endured a natural disaster and lost many of their possessions. To help give back, employees raised as many donations within the company as we could, so that they could restore the necessities that they had lost. We knew that the contribution would not restore all the memorable items that they had, but it would restore what they needed to live and move on with. To add to the generosity the company matched all the donations we had contributed for this unfortunate event. They were very pleased at how giving and caring we were to their situation.

This holiday season a couple of the Junk my Car employees held a food drive. Once again we were lending that helping hand to families in need of a decent Thanksgiving dinner. As a company we donated 2 boxes filled with food so that others may enjoy their holiday meal as anyone should.

Junk my Car has also recently participated to help donate to the Special Olympics. There was a charitable event called the Penguin Plunge held in East Haven Town Beach, CT on December 5th, 2009. Every person that participated would bring in $50 towards the charity. Everyone would have to dive into the frigid cold beach water then come right out. Many of us at Junk my Car joined in this event, and all dived in with much pride. Personally, this had to be the most exhilarating thing I have done yet. Yes, it was crazy, but something that I will always have as an exciting story and has been an experience that I will forever cherish because it was for a great cause.

We are a vehicle removal and recycling service, but we want to touch lives as well. Our company wants to set an example, opening the eyes of people so that they may all help go that extra mile with their customers, the community, and the world so we can look back and be proud of what we have accomplished. With great dignity and pride I can say that I work for a company that goes that extra mile.

Over the Counter Culture

2009-11-25T15:51:00.032-05:00

What is Company Culture? Certainly it is a complex subject, I mean, a Google search returns 127,000,000 results.

According to businessdictionary.com, "Organizational culture is the sum total of an organization's past and current assumptions, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and are expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations."

Many believe that this culture begins with an understanding of the stories, folklore, symbols, and rituals that implicitly direct employees, partners, and even customers about “the right way”, “how things really work”, and “what’s really valued”.

Recently we JMCers received the "Story of Junk my Car" in our email boxes. As one of the people who can say that I lived through some of those early years, it suddenly dawned on me that we were beginning the groundwork towards publishing our company culture in written form for the first time.

So what's the big deal? Well, one writer goes so far as to say that "...[Culture] can make or break your company... and companies with an adaptive culture... routinely outperform their competitors with some studies reporting a difference at 200% or more." (Company Culture What It Is And How To Change It)

Take an amazingly innovative company like Google whose "commitment to innovation depends on everyone being comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. Every employee is a hands-on contributor, and everyone wears several hats." (http://www.google.com/corporate/culture.html) As a result, Google employees give the company a 4.0 (satisfied) rating, meaning employees generally like the company, like the leadership, and like their jobs.

Take a look at another innovative company like Zappos who take it a step further. The Zappos' Blog provides remarkable insight into their "Work hard, play hard" culture.

There are several other examples that we can seek out, but these two companies make it pretty clear that successful business cultures of today are not only about passion, but also about creating and as a result, they are fun. A point not missed by Edward O. Welles in The Fun Factor where he writes, "What's really driving the new economy – and confounding the grand pooh-bahs of the old one – is that individuals are having a huge impact. And an awful lot of fun"

This vantage point paints a clear picture that to have fun and more-so to be successful, the next generation of businesses require a winning team of people. It makes having the "right players on the bus" as Jim Collins puts it in "Good to Great", vital to a high productivity workplace.

The "right players on the bus" translates to a basic understanding that while the company takes great strides to create the culture, it is ultimately the employees and their actions that bring the company's culture to life.

This is why culture has to be worked on from all angles and from each employee within the company. It is also why the culture must evolve as the company grows, even if slightly, because each new employee brings their own values and practices to the group and thus into the culture.

Proper orientation, training and instilling your company's culture is no small feat. Neither is ensuring that your present day employees all "get it". I suppose this is a direct correlation to my previous google search regarding the subject matter.

Regardless, I believe it is clear that from job seekers to high level representatives, business culture is an ever evolving, ever changing life form. And while it is not as easy to obtain as something you can just get at your local pharmacy or grocery, the biggest and best companies prove that it is exactly what the proverbial doctor ordered to ensure the healthy success of a company.

R.O.W.E. – What it takes to be a Results Only Employee

2009-09-17T14:07:00.007-04:00

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who make excuses and those who get results. An excuse person will find any excuse for why a job was not done, and a results person will find any reason why it can be done. Be a creator, not a reactor."

The above quote by Alan Cohen, says a lot about the kind of people that the environment we work in at Junk my Car requires.

Prior to joining the Junk my Car team, I worked in your average “Corporate America” style call center for about 4 years. It did not take me so long to realize how rigid this call center environment was, as if a constant game of micro-managing and “babysitting” adults was the real job of managers and supervisors.

After proving to be able to contribute to the company as a whole, I found I was still being scrutinized for signing into my phone 20 seconds late, and threatened with being fired for being out sick because I did not pre-plan my “time off”. As absurd as this seemed, it very quickly became part of my normal life. I soon became accustomed to the constant whirlwind of work-related stresses, referring to them as the “norm” for all call center employees.

At that time, I remember talking to an employee of “Junk my Car” and being completely perplexed that this call center he worked for took into consideration the fact that he had children and a family, and was complete with bonuses, growth opportunities, and a bunch of co-workers who were actually EXCITED to come to work every day!

Still I kept drudging along, until somehow my resume crossed the path of the owner of this company. I came in for an interview, and was surprised that I sat, not with some supervisor who had never even met the CEO of the company,but with the owner himself. There was something different about this place…The break room had video games, popcorn machines, and actually looked inviting. Was this for real?

A year and a half later, I can tell you it IS real. I've been working at Junk my Car since March of 2008, and can tell you, I am STILL excited to come into work every day.

In February of 2009, The CEO rolled out this new and even more exciting reason to come to work – R.O.W.E.—the Results Only Work Environment. What did this mean? This meant that the era for micro-managing and baby sitting was GONE… I would actually be working for a company that treated adults like adults. No more rigid schedules or getting written up for being a minute late. ROWE meant that if I wanted to come in at 8am today, and at 11am tomorrow, I could do that! All that mattered was that my customers were serviced, my tasks were completed, and I did everything in my power to see to it that no one was falling off the “boat”. This was a dream come true.

Right now, the R.O.W.E. principles are starting to be used in companies like GAP, Best Buy, and each day more and more companies are turning to this new-world approach to work.

What I’ve learned since Junk my Car went “ROWE” is that it takes more than one motivated person to make R.O.W.E. possible. It takes a bunch of employees that believe 2 things: First, That they work in what is, hands down, THE best company there is to work in, and second, that what they do matters.

You see, Corporate America teaches people to make excuses—R.O.W.E. teaches people to GET RESULTS. I encourage every person reading this to adopt a R.O.W.E. attitude. Not just for work, but for life. Don’t focus on how you can explain why you didn't measure up, find a way to get where you need to be. If you want something from your life, go for it full force, and MAKE it happen. It’s not those who have good dreams that get us far in life, it’s those who are willing to do what it takes to turn those dreams into reality.

Be a creator, not a reactor.

It’s more than what it takes to be a R.O.W.E. employee, it’s what it takes to grab hold of your own destiny. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a results person!

- Debilee

Vibe Times

2009-09-08T10:39:00.007-04:00

As the summer comes to an end, I like to sit back and reflect on all the things I did. One of them was go to this year's Gathering of the Vibes. It may not be Woodstock but you sure do have the same fundamentals going on. Jiving music, ideals of love and peace, and or course green-thinking.

Old school hippies were the epitome of green-thinking from the beginning in the 60s. New school hippies are no exception. With the growth of technology and the expansion of not only the information highway but also our city highways, they have come a long way from the street corner pamphlets and home gardens.
As I chatted with a girl over a cup of coffee, I learned that she had brewed it using water from the very ocean I was looking at. I would have never known the difference if she hadn't told me. She was part of an organization called The Sky is Not The Limit. They are a non-profit that explores the use of sun batteries and desalination of ocean water using renewable resources.

Another interesting person I ran into was the "Solar Bus Guy” Gary Beckwith and his solar bus. Contrary to it's name this bus runs complete on bio-fuels. Examples would be bio-diesel, veggie oil, and waste veggie oil. The bus also had a bunch of solar cells on top that were linked to a large battery bank that generates clean energy. He was able to have some of the comforts of home like a fan in the middle of a camping ground. A girl was even able to plug in her hair dryer to his bus. He travels around the US promoting bio-fuel friendly autos and re-usable energy. When asked what I did and told him I worked for Junkmycar.com, he joked with me that we may see an influx in business once he gets his next idea on the road. He has been working on converting the cars that we use every day into bio-fuel friendly options and marketing to car companies to adopt these methods which is less expensive than making the hybrids they make now.

Hippism is more than flower power and eating vegan and I was happy to see that the old school has come into it's own with the new school. It also made me happy to respond back to what I do as a profession. As a JMCer, we strive to be as green as we can get. From our own recycling efforts in the office to being a paperless company, we are not just green-thinkers, but doers. So even though the Vibes is a once a year gig, it's nice to know in part, i'm working hippy all year round.

- Di

Head in the Cloud

2009-08-06T10:21:00.005-04:00

Maybe it's because I grew up during the tech age, where improvements to technology happened so fast the computer you bought yesterday became obsolete today. Whenever I get an opportunity to learn about technological improvements I always jump in. This is true in every aspect of my life and even more so here at Junk my Car; where being on the cutting edge of technology is not only strongly encouraged, but necessary.

Recently I was introduced to the concept of "Cloud Computing". It's not that I had never used this technology before; I just hadn't understood the term. Growing out of research in grid computing, cloud computing transforms once expensive resources into a readily available, cheap, and in many cases, free alternative. The cloud is a term for networked computers that distribute processing power among many machines. Now instead of needing localized software, you can use web based software. Anywhere there is a computer with internet access, your information is readily available.

Of course, as with all things, there seems to be proponents on either side of the spectrum as to the benefits and downfalls of such technology. Some believe that Cloud Computing would force users to sacrifice their privacy and personal data to a third party. Others tend to speculate that this the wave of the future. While I understand the concerns of the former, entrusting your work and data to the a 3rd party is a commitment of trust to each service provider where private data will continue to be available forever, I still tend to lean towards the later. This type of technology is the beginning of a new generation of mobility and true virtual working.

The greatest part? The benefits of Cloud Computing are not just for "work". Products like Indaba (http://www.indabamusic.com/) allow musicians to create music with like minded artists from all over the world with online recording sessions. Because it resides on "the network", it makes it easy to share documents, collaboratively edit, and effectively manage new versions of data. Google Docs ring a bell? (https://www.google.com/docs) No longer are we confined to buy the latest software only to upgrade and patch it over and over, not even mentioning all the license fees and compatibility issues with the latest operating system. No longer do we have to concern ourselves that our files are on our office computer and we can't access it without physically being there. I can log in from anywhere and be able to be work effectively. The benefits don't end there though, a greener solution comes into play. Without boxes to ship, and software to store, users don't have to worry about all that cardboard and plastic being wasted.

Without question the buzz word of the day is Cloud Computing. Where we end up from here is beyond my understanding, but with companies like Google working on a new operating system dedicated to this type of powerful, cheap alternative, I know the sky is the limit.

Bob Marino

* Photo Created by Sam Johnston using OminGroup's OmniGraffle and Inkscape (includes Computer.svg by Sasa Stefanovic). Used under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License

JMC is Trimming the Fat

2009-07-15T16:11:00.006-04:00

I believe that all employees at Junk my Car are very special. We’re motivated, hard working, dedicated, and all bring something very special to the table. We truly are a great team. Now, as a team, we’re doing an amazing out of work activity.

Junk my Car is currently undergoing a company weight loss competition. This is a weight loss event with bi-weekly measurements of success. A large percentage of our company has decided to participate in this event. I don’t really like calling it a competition though, because it’s really just all of us coming together as a team and keeping each other motivated to live a healthier lifestyle. Whether it be someone committing to being their friend’s gym buddy, groups of people going to yoga together, or someone helping with advice on how to eat healthier.

This contest officially started on June 29, 2009. Our first weigh in was July 13. We as a company lost a total of 81 pounds. Many of our employees have started to participate in Bikram Yoga on a regular basis. Others have gone the gym route. Some other people are into Pilates. Regardless of how, our employees are getting fit. So besides doing the best we can at our job, we’re living our life the best we can.

We have a great team and I’m very proud to be a part of this company and this weight loss event. It’s so much easier to do this with other people. Go Team!!!

Jason DeLorenzo

Treating adults like adults.

2009-06-29T13:45:00.006-04:00

It’s one of my favorite key points in the interview process, and believe it or not it’s one of the most baffling ideas most interviewees encounter.

I understand the confusion, because it was only after working under a Results Only Work Environment (R.O.W.E.) myself that I was able to truly get it:

Allowing employees to work when they are most efficient in turn creates efficiency and happier employees.

It allows people to be treated like individuals instead of being forced into some standardized schedule, regardless of what type of person they may be.

Chaining people to their desk and requiring that they stay from 9-5, regardless of what they accomplish or if the “work” is done, does not necessarily promote productivity, and surely doesn’t guarantee eight hours worth of work. It is also an inflexible way of working, during a time in which flexibility is becoming increasingly important.

R.O.W.E. changes the entire way we handle our work here and the whole thing has the feeling of college. Where you know that you have classes to go to and that to get through you have to make the grade.

If you miss class or an assignment because sometimes life happens, well, you know that to get the grade, you have to get the information and make an impact the next day or maybe even the day prior.

Is it risky?

Sure, R.O.W.E. isn’t for everyone; it’s for adults, for the people with the where-with-all to understand how to schedule their lives to be 100% functional for them.

Most people have a hard time imagining an environment where it is entirely possible to catch an afternoon movie and still get the job done with a high level of customer satisfaction. But I’m here to tell you that it does exist.

It’s about understanding that work isn’t necessarily some place you go, it’s something that you do. And, it’s a concept with broader reaching impact if other companies could use it as well.

Imagine a day when rush hour traffic wouldn’t exist, or where pollution reaches an all time low because more and more people are working remotely.

Sound like a dream job? It is. But don’t take it from me; join us and you’ll have the opportunity to dream BIG too.

Goodbye White, Hello Green

2009-06-22T10:54:00.009-04:00

Just recently I helped Junk my Car take the next step in developing a green office. With the use of the SpringCM integration into Salesforce and a HP digital sender, we are now able to scan our documents online to a useful, secure location. This means goodbye filing cabinets filled with bleached white paper.

Going paperless and developing a greener environment has been a very important initiative here at Junk my Car. From in house recycling bins to recycled tires for potting to recycled cardboard pens, we've really been trying to make strides in the green direction.

Being in an office setting, it is difficult to go completely paperless but hopefully with these efforts and more to come we will be able to reduce our carbon footprint as a company, and eventually be able to help more companies reach their green potential.

Change for Change - DonorsChoose.org

2009-06-10T16:42:00.009-04:00

Junk my Car has started a donation collection in our office for the organisation DonorsChoose.org.

Donors Choose is a website where teachers from all around the U.S. can request funding for classroom projects or equipment to benefit children in high poverty school systems. Junk my Car has donated to the site in the past to benefit an elementary school in Bridgeport, Connecticut (our home state!) and received a thank-you letter and photo from the class. With our help they were able to purchase a "big book" stand with white board.

Even with a small donation you can make a big impact on a child's education. We are asking our employees that have any spare change, to drop it into our parking meter donation bank to support the cause.

Junk my Car is also matching the total donated amount from employees when we cash the change in towards the total donation! I highly recommend everyone check out DonorsChoose.org.

The Slow Walk

2009-06-01T10:35:00.000-04:00

Everyday, around the world, you can see people doing the "slow walk" into work. Carrying their coffee and other accessories making certain every step they take wastes a little bit of their work day. It is as if you can read their minds and hear their sighs of distress. In the middle of one of those sure footed steps they should stop and ask, "why the hell am I working here?"
Working at Junk my Car, I do not slow walk to work with a frap in hand; I almost want to sprint through the door. Immediately walking into the office door I am enveloped in the junking world and culture. The excitement of ping pongers, the greenery of bamboo makes Junk my Car a place to stay rather than a place to punch a timecard. I've been involved with Junk my Car since 2005 and I've been able to see this company start as a vehicle removal service, and grow into a thriving soceity where a diverse group of employees can lock arms to make it more than just a service, we make it an experience worth having.
I pity these slow walkers of the world and hope one day they can find a place where they can enjoy these working days at an exiciting company, rather than be distasteful towards them.

An Employee Perspective, by Mike Bandy

2009-05-28T15:06:00.005-04:00

Hello all...

I guess I'd like to start by introducing myself...my name is Mike, and I am the newly appointed Team Development Specialist here at Junk My Car (as of June 1st). I've been with the company for almost two years (my anniversary is 6/20), and I love working here. I can honestly say that this is the most unconventional place I've ever worked; I've never worked for a company that put up with my different hair colors or pants with chains on them! That is what's so cool about working for Junk My Car...I'm allowed to be who I am. But I digress...

During the course of my time here at Junk My Car, I've held a couple of different positions, most recently being a Team Lead and supervising a group of 4-6 people at a time. When I started here, though, I was just a customer service rep, answering phones and assisting our customers as best as I could. Right away, I noticed that the people who work for Junk My Car were distinctly different from people who work in other call centers, and the biggest difference is that everyone here LOVES their job, and you can hear it when they answer the phone.

Too many times I've been a customer of a call center, like when I have to call the phone company (I'll be civil and not say which one)...most people who answer the phones for places like that are doing just that: answering phones. They don't have a lot of desire for what they do, and when they answer the phone, they almost sound bored, or even worse, angry. I think that that's probably because, ultimately, if someone doesn't pay their phone bill, the employees in the call center are not generally affected.

Here at Junk My Car, the customer never has to experience a bad time on the phone with an employee, because everyone here is invested in the work that we do, and we're all like one big team working together for the common goal: to help our customers get their vehicles removed in a timely manner, and to have an experience that they'll remember and share with others!

I was able to give a customer an experience like that on more than one occasion, but the one time that sticks out in my mind was the woman that I helped in California. She had submitted her vehicle to us, and we had sent her an email with all of her vehicle information, and it contained some mistakes as far as the condition of her car. She called in, and she sounded a little distraught by the situation, and she asked for my help. I performed the tasks that I usually would: I went into her account, changed the information to her specifications, and resent the email. I assured the customer that the mistakes would in no way affect the timely removal of her car. I thanked her for calling and strongly suggested that she have a nice day.

Half an hour later, an email came through our system, and I happened to be the one to receive it....it was from that customer, and she was writing about me! One of the first things she said was, "I cannot believe that I talked to him on a Saturday and he spoke to me as if he loves what he does, cares personally about my experience, and did not mind at all working on a Saturday." She went on to say that, "This guy really values his customer's time. And not once did he mention that he was not my initial contact. He took ownership of the issue with efficiency and GREAT ATTITUDE."

The customer ended the email by stating that I was a great asset to the company, and thanked us for taking the time to read her letter. I still have this email posted at my desk, and it serves as a constant reminder of what I'm in this for, and also as a constant reminder that when you give your all to help people and go out of your way, they will go out of their way to show their appreciation. That's what it's all about for me.

Now that I'm moving on into a position in the HR department, I'm really looking forward to helping out our company in new and creative ways, and being able to be a part of the team in a bigger way than I already am. It's going to be very different from anything I've ever done before, but I'm so excited for the challenge, and for the opportunity to bring new and exciting people into our growing company. We're going to be able to help so many more people!!

I'm thrilled that we now have a blog where we can share our experiences with people, and I know it's going to be a huge success!! Thanks for reading, and remember, if you have a junk vehicle to remove, please visit www.junkmycar.com to get the process started! We're waiting for your call right now!! :)

-Mike

A Diamond in the Rough

2009-05-27T17:01:00.010-04:00

Last night Junk my Car's employees ventured to Bridgeport Connecticut for a Bluefish baseball game. It was a great time aside from the crummy rain and we even had box seats! The Bluefish won the game against Somerset 7-2.

I thought the stadium was in a pretty cool location. You have this big factory in the backdrop and the Metro-North train tracks run right by the field as you can see in this picture. At one point they actually had to pause the game to wait for one of the trains to go by. I wonder how many trains have been hit by baseballs! There also was a port behind the stadium wall and at one point the ferry was passing by which could be seen from our seats.

I have not been to a baseball game in quite some time but will have to make an effort to see more live games like this, even if it is just the minors. There's an exciting atmosphere to it all.

And...We're Back!

2009-05-19T12:31:00.017-04:00

So the first post on this blog was a shameless plug. Can you blame me? I did not think I would be using blogger as our main company blog but let's see how it goes. There's a few choices I need to make regarding the template design and integration with this blog into our site but for now this will do.

A little about me.. I'm Rob and I handle the marketing around here. I have been with Junk my Car, LLC since January 07. I am excited to start blogging about the company and I'm sure there will be many changes as time goes on which is always fun. It also gives me a chance to work on my writing skills.

At Junk my Car great things are happening. We recently returned from our first trade show at the iT Auto & Truck Recyclers Review on May 15th and 16th. It was a great success in our eyes. We met many of the towing and salvage companies we work with in person which was nice, and spoke with some prospective companies we may work with in the future. Here's a pic of our booth setup: http://twitpic.com/57rmp

It was our 100 day anniversary of being a Results Only Work Environment which we started testing in February and officially launched in March. There has been road bumps along the way but we have adapted, creating quotas and point systems to keep employees focused. Every day we find something new to be tweaked, but there's no going back. We have fully embraced R.O.W.E. and we will be putting out a Press Release on that soon.

How to Junk my Car

2006-12-05T19:32:00.014-05:00

Click Here to get started!or call 1-877-JUNK-MY-CAR

Junk my Car is a free junk car removal service covering all 50 US states and Canada. Junk my Car has been providing this unique service for over two years and is recognized as the premier company of its kind. Simply put, if you have a vehicle you would like taken away, Junk my Car is here to help.

Our mission statement is to provide fast, free, no-hassle removal of junk vehicles in every corner of North America. Our team of dedicated vehicle removal specialists are available seven days a week and will do their utmost to provide the best service possible. No matter what your situation may be, our knowledgeable team combined with our vast network of affiliate towers will be sure to help. The sampling of testimonials from our very satisfied users listed on this page shows our commitment.

The junk car removal process could not be easier. Once your information is either submitted through this website or given to one of our representatives, a towing company will be in touch with you in less than 48 hours to schedule your junk car removal. On your removal date, your vehicle will be taken away free of charge. Junk my Car oversees that entire process from the day you request removal, to the day your vehicle is picked up. We ensure that your junk car removal is fast and without any hassles.

Junk my Car handles each removal request with unrivaled speed and a dedication to customer service that is unsurpassed. We are truly one of a kind. If you have a junk car or unwanted vehicle that you wish to be rid of, you have found the service to get this done. Just call the toll-free phone number 1-877-JUNK-MY-CAR or enter your zip/postal code online to junk your car!