Doug King
President of Quality Recycling Equipment, Inc.
By: Christopher Everett Jr.

1) Information on your Education:
I graduated from Canton High School in 1965. Upon my graduation from Canton High School, I attended WCU from 1965-1967 before I went on to command at General Staff College (US Army).
2) Background Information on your business:
a. When was it started?
I started Quality Recycling Equipment in 1984, and we became incorporated in 2002.
b. Why did you start it?
I decided to start this business because I was selling garbage containers and through that business I saw that there was a need for equipment for handling waste and recycling. There was an opportunity in this area and I decided to take advantage of it and capitalize on it.
c. What is the timeline of events that lead to the start of your business?
The start of my business really had no type of timeline leading up to its start. I was selling hardware supplies when all of the sudden I had the urge to do this business. So I decided to get into a different line to sell, which came about more as a necessity than anything else.
3) What motivated you to start this business?
At the beginning of this business and with the start of its inception in my mind the high profit is what motivated me to start it. I wanted the monetary benefits of what could come from a business of its stature. Then once I became established in the business, I became more humble and the realization that I could help solve the garbage problem kept me motivated to continue this business and make it better.
4) What specifics of the industry helped you to decide to start a business of this type?
The need that I saw to manage municipal waste properly helped me to decide to start this business.
5) Where did you get your start up funds?
I wasn’t fortunate to have an inheritance to start my business like some of my friends that I know did. And I did not want to take out a loan and have to pay that back after time. So I started my business from scratch once I made my first sale, and did the job required off of the money earned through the sale. And from there I worked from sale to sale to start this company from the ground up.
6) How big was your business when you first started?
At the beginning of my business the only person that was affiliated with it was myself.
7) How big is your business now?
At this point in time I now have seven full time employees working up under me at our headquarters in Hendersonville, North Carolina. And we also have 12 dealers that are working for me worldwide. So as you can see, we are covering a big area with a small amount of workers. But we manage to get the job done well and efficiently
8) What exactly does your business do?
What Quality Recycling Equipment, Inc. does is we sell and install material recovery facilities and waste to energy systems.
9) What are your biggest challenges
The biggest challenges that we face are government regulations.

10) What are the biggest “perks” of your job?
The biggest perk of my job, especially owning it is to be able to travel and have a decent amount of money to spend. On top of me giving back to the community and my alma mater WCU.
11) Is your business international?
Yes, Quality recycling Equipment, Inc. is an international business
a. If so do you have any cultural barriers?
We are fortunate enough not to encounter any barriers in our international portion of our business that are different from what we encounter in the U.S., because everyone is looking to solve the same problems of waste and energy production worldwide. Which is why it is such a good business to invest into and to start.
12) Where do you see your business in the future?
a. Where would you like it to go physically? (Location)
Quality Recycling Equipment, Inc. will be one of the developers of a new age of energy production. We will hopefully remain located here in Hendersonville, North Carolina with offices in Charlotte, North Carolina.
b. Where would you like it to go economically?
Economically, we plan to be a $3,000,000,000 (three billion dollar) business within the next five to ten years if our projections plan out the way we plan for them to.
c. What would you like for it to accomplish?
What I wish to accomplish is saving the groundwater by eliminating the need for landfills and the eventual removal of existing landfills.
13) If you could change anything about your business, what would it be?
I wouldn’t change anything about my business. I love my coworkers, and I love the direction that we are heading. If everything works out the way we are projecting it to go we are on the “cuff” of knocking down a major barrier in the world and will make the future brighter for future generations to come.
14) How hard is it to balance your business and family life?
There really are no problems in this area, its fairly easy for me to balance it when I have a loving wife that is willing to work with me through it all. And my children are grown now, so I don’t really have to worry about that aspect. Only draw back is I tend to bring the stress level up at home from time to time.
15) What quote do you live by?
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”
*If you would like more information on Doug King and Quality Recycling Equipment, Inc. Please visit their website at: www.qualityrecycling.com *

Brian, how did Balsam Mountain Consulting Come About?

Well, in 2004, I took a lot of time off work to volunteer for the John Edwards campaign.  I was so fed up with George W Bush– I had been watching a lot of “Democracy Now” on TV– that I would have done jus about anything to help defeat him that November.  Living in North Carolina and being a populist, for me, Edwards was the  best bet.

So, I banged on doors in minus seventeen degree weather, made incessant phone calls, crashed in the floor of the downtown Des Moines YMCA and woke up to ice cold showers, in order to help the guy out.

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September 26, 2012

Q: Can you tell me about your background and how you got into this industry?

A: When I graduated from the University of Florida, I took a job with American Express. My job was to call on businesses that did not accept American Express and sit down with the owners of places and try to close them. I’ve been around the restaurant industry my whole entire career, but I knew that owning one was very risky and failure rate is very high. But, to answer your question, one of the main owners asked me to get involved and I originally said no. He pretty much twisted my arm and I finally agreed to be a part of the partnership.

Q: So do you like the decision you made?

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