U.S. Micro to recycle computers at new Las Vegas HQ

Bulky gray pieces of outdated equipment line the wall of a conference room at tech recycler U.S. Micro Corp.’s new Las Vegas headquarters which opened Thursday at 7608 W. Teco Ave.

The first-generation electronics will be encased in glass displays in time for the 130,000-square-foot facility’s grand opening during the International Consumer Electronics Show in January. Thousands of other pieces of yesterday’s tech won’t be so lucky. The Las Vegas-based company recycles old desktop computers, laptops, printers and other electronic castoffs from upgrades.

Jim Kegley, founder and chief executive officer of U.S. Micro Corp. expects to hire 100 new employees in Las Vegas in its first year of operation.

Nevada Development Authority President and CEO Somer Hollingsworth, who helped the company navigate its move to Nevada, said U.S. Micro will have an estimated $56 million economic impact on Las Vegas over the next five years.

Hollingsworth counts the tech company as a Nevada economic diversification success story.

After buying old hardware, U.S. Micro Corp. technicians wipe all data and ship the equipment to facilities in either Las Vegas or Atlanta, where it is stripped for parts, resold or recycled.

U.S. Micro Corp. counts Fortune 500 companies among its clients. Kegley said his business is one of the few that clears data before shipment to ensure customers that no private information will be leaked.

The new facility is closed to the public, but the company plans to let consumers drop off old electronics once or twice a year.

U.S. Micro chose Las Vegas for its West Coast headquarters after meeting with the Nevada Development Authority last year and deciding Nevada was a more attractive option than California or Washington state.

As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, U.S. Micro in June received a sales tax abatement that will save the company $85,000, deferred sales tax collection of $28,000, a $14,000 modified business tax reduction and a $55,000 training grant from the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.

"We kept coming back to Las Vegas and Southern Nevada because we knew it would be very easy to get our customers here as far as interest level," Kegley said. "A lot of our customers are in Las Vegas at least once or twice a year for trade shows and conferences."

U.S. Micro boosted operations this week for the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers conference at Aria, which the company co-sponsored. Conference attendees were bused from Aria to tour the new facility.

Hollingsworth said he expects a multiplier effect from U.S. Micro’s relocation to Las Vegas.

"They will draw other companies … It’s not just about them being here, it’s about them opening doors for us," he said.

Computers, fax machines and printers aren’t the only things being recycled at U.S. Micro, however. The company purchased Clyde the Camel, a Las Vegas relic, from the Sahara liquidation sale.

Contact reporter Caitlin McGarry at cmcgarry@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273.