"Rewards for a Job Well
Done"
Even back
in 1988 it was hard to find Allegheny pre-owned equipment because it
was in such demand. We happened to come in contact with a bank that
had decided to get away from doing its own shredding. They sold us their
equipment and allowed us to handle their shredding for them. The Allegheny
shredders we purchased used in 1988 are still running today.”
John Walsh,
Vice-President and co-founder of St. Louis Data Destruction, started
his company in 1985. As one of the first shredding services in the area,
the company found a market ready for expansion.
“We
recognized the need in the metropolitan St. Louis area for document
destruction,” John says. “I'm not going to say that
the company was an overnight success, but through time and diligence
we've grown to become the largest shredding company in Missouri.
We now have fifteen employees, seven trucks, and a client base of about
1,400 accounts—and we're continuing to grow.
“I started
the company out of a bedroom in my home,” John reminisces. “
I had one truck, and I was doing both the shredding and the marketing
myself. Eventually, I gained a number of nice-size accounts. On any
given day, after I completed the work on these accounts, I'd go
out cold calling. I'd visit people's offices, invite company
officers out to my truck, and let them see what I had to offer. They
were very receptive, and away I went.”
In 1987, John's
father, Ken Walsh, Sr., joined the company along with John's brother,
Ken Walsh, Jr. A year later, St. Louis Data Destruction moved into its
first off-site shredding facility, a 6,000 sq. -ft. warehouse. “We
purchased pre-owned Allegheny shredders,” John says. “It
was hard to find their used equipment because it was in such demand,
but through my father we happened to come in contact with a bank that
had decided to get away from doing its own shredding. They sold us their
equipment and allowed us to handle their shredding for them. They sold
us the machines out of friendship with my father, really, at a price
we couldn't refuse.”
John notes
that the Allegheny shredders he purchased used in 1988 are still running
today. Of course, he's added additional equipment as the company
has expanded, including several shredders used exclusively for product
destruction.
“With
the help of my father, my brother, and several key employees, we started
St. Louis Data Destruction at an opportune time,” John says. “We've
grown year-by-year, client-by-client. Now our momentum is outstanding,
and we're looking forward to continuing success.”
John will
soon celebrate his 19th year in business—and he has no desire
to leave the industry anytime soon. “We've built a long-term
relationship with out clients, and they've put a lot of trust
in us. We've been aware of the larger companies coming into town,
but we know what we have and what we're capable of doing. We feel
confident that we can outshine other companies in service, performance,
the quality of our personnel, the relationships we form with our clients,
and our ability to do many different things. These qualities have served
us well over the last eighteen years, and they'll continue serving
us in the future.”
John
Walsh, President
St. Louis Data Destruction
St. Louis, Missouri.
More
Case Studies 1 | 2
| 3 | 4
| 5 | 6
| 7
|
