In an industry made up of rapid change and innovation, leadership vision makes all the difference. Jeff Jones, CEO and Founder of Apto Solutions, has been building a company that thrives amid shifts. In this conversation, he shares the story behind Apto’s beginnings, the challenges that shape the ITAD industry, and his outlook for the future.
How did you get started in this industry?
When I worked for a telecommunications equipment manufacturer in Corporate Finance, I was introduced to used technology. At this publicly traded company, we acquired companies that were buying and selling switching and wireless equipment. While on the M&A team, I was able to learn a lot about how their businesses worked. Unfortunately, my employer at the time didn’t make it when the dot-com and telecom bubbles burst in 2000. This resulted in a lot of assets that needed to be sold – and that was my opportunity to start something new.
What were you seeing in the industry that made you want to start your own company?
At the time, there were brokers buying and selling used equipment, but ITAD services – as it exists today – wasn’t a thing. Our vision was to create a business with full transparency for our customers. We felt like a revenue share model gave customers a better, long-term outcome and immediately invested in building software that provided that visibility. It really resonated with customers right off the bat and it became a cornerstone of what true ITAD looks like today.
How did you settle on the company name, Apto?
We knew a few things at the start. (1) We were working with IT assets. (2) Bankruptcies are cyclical. (3) We would need to adjust the offering to market conditions. (4) IT equipment was always evolving and changing, getting faster and better. So, as we searched for a name, we wanted to find something that personified adjusting and adapting to all of those changes – from equipment to industry to customers. The latin word that fit the narrative perfectly was Apto.
Since you started your business, what have you found as your greatest learning lesson?
As any business owner knows, there is a long list of lessons and they just keep coming. But, this is how we grow as a business, a team, and as individuals. With the expanding list of entrepreneurs in the workforce, people automatically think it must be nice to work for yourself. I think of it more like working for our customers and employees. You have to make decisions that benefit everyone or I the business will not succeed. By being a transparent company, we have learned that building trust with everyone in the chain, from customers to employees, leads to a cohesive team and better customer satisfaction.
You say Apto chooses their clients. What does it mean to make the right selection in clients and partners?
We are very fortunate to have some great customers, and we learned over the years that the best ones not only align with our company culture and values, but are also a pleasure to work with. Our business is one where our client service and account management teams interact frequently with stakeholders and project managers on the customer side. Flawless execution happens when expectations and communication are set and seamless, and that is where the highest level of customer satisfaction is achieved. Those are the types of relationships we want to continue to have as we grow the business.
What do you consider the most important priority for companies offering ITAD services?
Customers who partner with us are most interested in transparency and the quality of customer touchpoints. Our field services team handles on-site work, logistics, reporting, and value recovery very well, but their attention and care for a customer is most important. Our investment in our systems, people, and processes ensure that our customer satisfaction scores are the best in the industry.
What is the biggest challenge for the ITAD industry right now and in the next 10 years?
Right now, according to the ITU, only 20% of global eWaste is accounted for through verified channels, like ITAD providers and recyclers. Companies have an opportunity to make sure their end-of-life IT assets go through a verified company. Apto addresses this by eradicating their data, providing a second life for the assets, and making sure everything else is recycled responsibly. The biggest challenge for the industry over the next 10 years is to capture the remaining 80% of global eWaste that still doesn’t go through verified channels, which is estimated by some to be worth in excess of $50 Billion.
What does success look like to you in the future (both in industry and at Apto)?
The outlook has never been better, with AI and other new technologies all needing new IT hardware and faster refresh cycles. Offering more awareness about what we do, the growth seems endless at this point. I hope to continue building on the platform we have created and continue to innovate as a leader in the industry.