Employee Spotlight! Todd Anderson
Welcome to April, the month when Earth Day reminds us that we can do more to take care of our planet. We're celebrating Earth Month here at Abt, and while we love Mother Earth, it's the perfect time to celebrate Abt's monthly Employee Spotlight, Todd Anderson, too! Todd helps advance our Green Initiatives with his work in the warehouse every day—some of his tasks involve crushing cardboard and salvaging scrap metal that might otherwise end up in landfills. Todd's expertise helps Abt stay greener, and we wanted to hear more about his experience here from this veteran Abt employee.
A New Opportunity Just Down The Street
Todd Anderson first started at Abt nearly 26 years ago when the store was at its previous Morton Grove location. "I had been employed at the place next door ... I went to the bus stop and I saw the white trucks going right by me, so I decided to go next door." He followed the trucks to Abt and found a new career with new possibilities.
Our April Employee Spotlight began on trucks and as a warehouse worker, unloading trucks on the docks. In 2025, we have machines that do 90% of that work, but Todd was on the team that took care of the hard work 25 years ago. With the machines doing more of the heavy lifting these days, Todd has a chance to focus on new opportunities—like cardboard crushing.
Crushing Cardboard: What's the Big Deal?
You might not think that cardboard crushing and recycling is that important—but for a business like Abt where everything is shipped and wrapped, cardboard is everywhere. Whether you're shopping for a refrigerator, a TV or a grill, it's shipped to Abt in a cardboard box. Now multiply that by how many products we carry and you're looking at a lot of waste. That's why we have Todd to run the cardboard crusher in the warehouse.
"When I started, we had two smaller machines instead of this big one," Todd said. He mentioned that as he tossed bundles of folded boxes into the impressive machine. The machine has a limit of 9,500 pounds, giving it a massive capacity and the ability to tackle large amounts of materials at once.
Managing More Than Just Cardboard
Todd walked us through how the cardboard crusher worked all while other warehouse employees continued to drop off materials. The crusher went to work with loud pulverizing sounds and heavy-duty pressure, tackling massive amounts of raw materials in just three minutes. The finished products were large, crushed cubes that were then moved to pallets. When asked how many of these are produced a day, Todd responded that it can be anywhere from two to three a day, and "even six a day during grill season. Grills have lots of cardboard."
At Abt, we work with more raw materials than just cardboard. By Todd's workstation, you can see where some of the warehouse's paper shredding, woodshop scrap metal and styrofoam end up sorted and separated from the garbage. And with new product boxes piled all the way up to the ceiling across a warehouse that's over 100,000 square feet large, there's a lot of waste to recover. We're glad Todd's on the job to help keep as much waste as possible out of landfills and out of our yards. "I used to be a landscaper, and you don't want that in anybody's yard."
Todd's Favorite Part Of Abt? Our People
Next, we asked Todd what his favorite memories of working here at Abt were. He mentioned that he'd have to think about it for a bit, then immediately arrived at the answer. "It's the people who work here," he said. He mentioned fun memories and individuals, like a fellow employee on the trucks who could install an over-the-range microwave on his own—with no one else holding up the weight of the appliance while he installed it. "Some guys are so smooth, with the big TVs and refrigerators."
He recounted working with some of the folks at our Recycling Center when they were together driving trucks. Our Recycling Center is another area where we dedicate ourselves to doing good to the planet; here, we recycle old appliances, more styrofoam, other raw materials and more. The employees in the Abt Recycling Center work in tandem with Todd to keep as much of Abt's waste reduced, reused and recycled.
Happy Earth Month from Our Recycling Experts!
Todd and our entire team in Abt's Recycling Center work each day to ensure that Abt's Green Initiatives are top of mind. And while our Employee Spotlight works to recycle and reuse materials inside the warehouse, you can do your part as well. Drop off your recyclables and e-waste right here at Abt.
So, what can you, the shopper, recycle at Abt? Bring cardboard, white styrofoam (not food containers), wood pallets, as well as certain appliances and e-waste like tube TVs and computers. For an itemized list of what we'll recycle here at Abt, check out our Green Initiatives page. Our Employee Spotlight is just one of many employees who dedicate themselves to keeping Abt green, whether they're keeping an eye on our roof of solar panels, maintaining our renewable rainwater irrigation system or just helping customers with their recyclables.
Earth Month is the perfect time to make a push toward a greener lifestyle. Check out our recent post on eco-friendly products to learn new ways to make easy, eco-friendly choices.
