News: Laser Wolf transforms trash into opportunity

Each year, more than 200 million tons of printer cartridges end up in our landfills. Sandra Wolf turned this problem into a business opportunity and amission. Her company, LaserWolf Supplies and Service Inc., recycles printer cartridges and distributes the remanufactured cartridges. In addition, thecompany provides services and support for laser and ink-jet printers and fax machines. With the simple goal of giving customers the best service and products in the business, Wolf is building a fast-growing, community-oriented,environmentally-sensitive company. At LaserWolf’s headquarters on Smith Street in Fort Collins, Wolf displays jars that vividly illustrate what happens to a used cartridge in the landfill
or in a body of water. In one jar, a cartridge floats in an inky soup. In another, toner has settled in a black mass on the bottom. Each jar mimics a
miniature oil spill. “We need to make people aware that they’re throwing these in the trash and it’s toxic waste,” Wolf said. Of the ink-jet cartridges available on the market, 95 percent are made outside the United States, Wolf said. But 100 percent of those recycled are
remanufactured in the United States. So recycling them makes sense for the U.S. economy, too, by creating jobs while saving resources. After initially trying to collect the used printer cartridges herself, Wolf soon realized it was a task too monumental for a small staff of employees. So
she developed a fund-raising program that benefits not only her company but the community as well. Participating clubs or community groups collect
the cartridges for her. In return, they get needed money for their special projects. This fall, Poudre School District R-1 will participate in LaserWolf’s fund-raising program. With classrooms working together as teams, each school
will have one of LaserWolf’s traveling trophies. The classroom collecting the most cartridges each month will enjoy the trophy. That, and other incentives, will hopefully save numerous cartridges
from the landfill and provide a refreshing option to more-traditional fund-raisers. Another aspect of LaserWolf’s fund raising involves 16 to 20-year-old high-risk kids from the Larimer County Youth Conservation Corps. The
campaign will educate the public on the need to recycle printer cartridges. With their grant money decreasing by 20 percent each year, the youth group
needs an alternative source of funding to support its programs. Working with LaserWolf, they’ll set up a site at the landfill to collect cartridges that
would otherwise be thrown away. “It’s win-win for our kids, for our landfills, of course for us, and of course for the industry, because we’re taking something that needs to be taken
out of the landfill,” Wolf said. In an attempt to promote their recycling efforts, LaserWolf attended this year’s Earth Day celebration at City Park in Fort Collins. Afterwards, the
company received requests from all over the country for their recycled cartridges, and demand for their product has skyrocketed. “We could sell 150,000 cartridges each week,” Wolf said. “And the demand is global, not just in this state.” Tom Kolakowski, sales manager, agrees. “The product sells itself, really,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the word out to people.” As Wolf worked on the recycling aspect of her company, she recognized the need for a better service business than was currently available. LaserWolf
now offers complete repair and maintenance on printers, including free pickup and delivery and providing a loaner printer while the customer’s is
being repaired. “We respond very, very quickly to any problem,” Kolakowski said. “And a lot of people are amazed at that.” Amy Whitman, of Prudential Prime Properties in Fort Collins, has used LaserWolf’s service and remanufactured cartridges. “Whenever I’ve called them for toner cartridges, they’ve been here within a couple of hours. And for repair services, too, they’ve come right away,”
Whitman said. “On both counts, I’m very happy with them.” Even as a service provider, LaserWolf is developing a symbiotic relationship with the community. Jack Knight, director of service and repair, sees his
department as being in a position to provide at-risk kids with career opportunities. One of his goals is to offer different levels of training to individuals
who are not college-bound and might not otherwise find acceptable employment. It’s obvious from Wolf’s enthusiasm that her rewards in the business are measured in more than dollars and cents. “It’s just a fun business,” Wolf said. “I love it because it fulfills the nurturing in me. I’m a caretaker. This is satisfying. Not a day goes by that I don’t
want to be in this. It is rewarding everyday.” Though her company is barely more than a year old and has seen some immediate success, Wolf has ambitious goals for the future. “We want LaserWolf to be known globally,” she said, “and we will be successful when no one throws a cartridge away any more.”