Editor’s note: Lake Oconee News has partnered with Greene County to present business profiles of its local industries. This is the first of this series highlighting companies that provide jobs and a positive economic impact on the community.
Have you ever wondered where your Amazon returns went? Or, what about cost-cutter retailers, like Ollie’s, who sell remanufactured goods in their home aisles? A company in Union Point – ARC, America’s Remanufacturing Company – provides such services that support retailers across the United States. You have possibly stumbled upon a product handled by 50 workers in Union Point at 1061 Industrial Blvd., who either processed or remanufactured those goods.
ARC is a returns management and remanufacturing company serving both distributors and retailers. Its 110,000-square feet distribution center works to support store returns, processing, refurbishment and redistribution of consumer products. Headquartered in Augusta, ARC is the logistical hub for its clients, ensuring they will get back between 30 and 40 percent.
ARC’s industry was born from retailers’ needs to return to market a “like-new” product on shelves. Cost-cutter retailers and Amazon feature goods at a discounted rate that supports a return on investment back to the retailer. The industry currently generates $36 billion in revenue and employs over 133,000. Smaller versions sprang up in 2015 for quick product flips, and soon after, investors saw potential leading to the birth of an industry.
“We are proud to be part of a product’s life cycle,” said ARC’s Stephen Agler. “We fix and return. Each of our other four facilities in Augusta and Savannah are standalone production facilities with their own accounts. Most of our business here in Union Point is the refurbishment of products.”
Key accounts include Amazon, Briggs and Stratton, Nutribullet, Capital Brands, Spectrum Brands, Cranes and more. Every remanufactured Nutribullet seen at retailers across the U.S. originated at ARC in Union Point. Others are Briggs and Stratton and select consumer goods. Its warehouse operations include an independent production area, logistical operations, shipment, and product maintenance.
Chief Revenue Officer Paul Adamson went on to explain they have reshaped the returns processing space for consumer products based on the needs of branded product companies in the U.S.
“We also provide insight on the quantitative and qualitative state of returned goods,” he said. “Essentially, this supports the product’s design and revenue goals of Fortune 1000 manufacturers.”
Adamson joined the company in 2017 and has since helped grow and reshape its business model. The following year, they experienced a 43 percent compounded annual growth rate and expect the pace to continue over the next three to five years.
Employment needs are varied, and opportunities are available to those with little to no background. The company also offers jobs to those who seek an opportunity to work following judicial rulings, retirees, those attending schools and career development organizations.
Hourly pay is expected to increase upwards to $18-20 an hour as ARC hopes to grow a management program. It is currently seeking floor employees and both a logistical manager and a facility operations manager at the Union Point facility.