He claims the company is profitable, but just barely. RetroBox expects to double its volume in 2001. Resource One works mostly in the Columbus area, selling name-brand computers and services to companies there. And it's getting better. Faster life cycles mean more used PCs and laptops.
Companies use their computers for three years on average.
Environmental concerns are also fueling RetroBox' growth. PCs contain several toxic parts, including batteries and lead glass from monitors. Simply throwing them in the garbage is illegal, though the law is not widely enforced. Massachusetts, however, recently became the first state to pass a law forbidding the dumping of computers in landfills. Kraft Foods is among the minority of companies that dispose of computers the proper way.