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Great Falls Montana Cartridge Recycler Excels in Ink
Jim Delaney Jr. puts in long hours at his business, recycling printer cartridges, but he said he enjoys helping people and providing a good service.
Delaney and his wife, Paula, own Montana Ink & Toner in the Albertsons-Target shopping center at 2124 10th Ave. S.
The couple both grew up in Great Falls, but didn’t meet until college.
Delaney, 52, is a 1978 C.M. Russell High School graduate. He attended Montana State University for two years, taking engineering classes and later attended MSU-Great Falls College of Technology, where he took business classes.
He worked for the Montana Transportation Department in Great Falls for 18 years and then five years for NBS construction supplies.
In his spare time he hunts and fishes with friends or camps with his wife and their two daughters.
Delaney answered questions about the business.
Question: Where did you get the business idea?
Answer: A friend from Billings who runs a similar business suggested it while we were on a hunting trip. He said it was a relatively new business to get into with a good niche. There was a real need, and not too many people were doing it.
It’s a good idea to recycle, to prevent all those used ink cartridges from being thrown into landfills where they can take hundreds of years to decompose. And its good for the pocketbook too. We refill and re-manufacture cartridges, replacing parts such as drums and blades, and saving customers 30 to 40 percent over buying new cartridges.
Q: Why did you decide to go into business, after being an employee for more than 20 years?
A: We opened on July 5, 2006 as a Cartridge World franchise. I felt that running my own business was a good way to reap the benefits of my hard work. It’s turned out to be a lot of hours, up to 12 hours a day and 60 to 70 hours a week. But I feel pride in helping customers and provided a beneficial service. It’s also being able to provide full-time jobs at well-above minimum wages for five people. We test the cartridges, clean and refill them and replace aging parts. We also clean printers, a service we recommend every six months or so if they’re used frequently and show signs of stress, such as smeared or unclear print.
Q: How do printer and cartridge manufacturers view recycling businesses?
A: They think of us as competition taking a share of the after-market. Some have embedded commands in the printers that indicate an error message when recycled cartridges are used. Usually the customer can simply override that message by hitting “OK.” We can show them how if they bring in the printer, and if the replacement recycled cartridge doesn’t work, we’ll give them their money back. We also sell new cartridges from many of the manufacturers
Q: Earlier this summer you converted to being an independent business at the same location, renamed the business Montana Ink & Toner. Why did you do that and do you provide the same services?
A: The franchise owner and I came to a mutual agreement to part ways, and I can’t provide details because of the agreement. But I feel it gives me the freedom to better serve my customers. We have maintained the same staff and our procedures and standard of service will remain at the same high level. The only major change is I’ve purchased a different machine to better test the cartridges.
Q: How did you finance your business and select the site?
A: We started with a Small Business Administration loan and chose the Albertsons-Target mall because its on busy 10th Avenue South and those stores get a lot of business traffic.
Q: How has the economy affected your business?
A: We’re doing fine in a tough economy, retaining our customers and adding more through advertising word of mouth. The recession helped business somewhat, since people can save money by using recycled cartridges rather than buying new ones.
But freight and gasoline prices have increased with higher fuel costs. We run a regular route through Great Falls, picking up and replacing cartridges for commercial customers. We also provide recycled cartridges for resale in small businesses in Choteau, Conrad, Shelby and Chester.
Q: Do you have any future plans?
A: Yes. I recently obtained a dealership from an office supply vendor. I will offer office supplies to commercial and drop-by customers before the end of the year.
Jim Delaney Jr., owner of Montana Ink & Toner, 2124 10th Ave. S. The business refills and remanufactures printer cartridges.
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