Brian Moore and Jay Hines left the corporate industry in 2005 to make their own dreams become a reality.
“We wanted to do something better on our own,” Moore said.
Their company, GreenCells, has shed a new light on cellular devices in today’s society.
After breaking a cell phone, a consumer must pay the full price for a new one through their cell phone provider. GreenCells offers its consumers cell phones that have been recycled for reuse at an affordable price. Phones are available in all conditions, from new to decent.
“The price of the phone is almost always 50 percent less than what a consumer would pay at a provider,” Moore said. “We want to give the customer a package of what they’re looking for.”
GreenCells purchases cell phones directly from cell phone providers, or straight from customers looking to get rid of their phones. If a phone is in good shape, GreenCells will pay for it.
“There are approximately 5,000 phones in stock,” Hines said.
But offering customers cheaper phones is not Hines and Moore’s goal for GreenCells.
“We tried to create a business that when it’s successful, it creates more than just a profit,” Moore said.
By using a recycled cellular phone, the cell phone electronic waste that is being sent to Third World countries is decreased by 40 percent. GreenCells tells its customers about their contribution to environmentalism.
Moore and Hines sell about 100 cell phones a day and their Web site, www.usedcellphoneshop.com, receives more than 3,000 hits each day.
GreenCells, at 88 Eisenhower Lane North, Lombard, offers its customers a variety of features, such as free shipping, cash for old cell phones, no contracts and a 30-day guarantee.
Notable
Both Hines and Moore each have more than 15 years of experience in the telecom and service industry fields, giving them a combined total of more than 30 years experience.
Quotable
“We’ve been together since 1987,” said Moore, reflecting on the friendship between the owners. After college graduation, they worked together in the corporate world.
Philosophy
By choosing to reuse, the life of a phone is extended, while also helping slow cell phone electronic waste, which goes to Third World countries, by 40 percent.
Moore’s Favorites
Cell Phone iPhone
Book “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau
Music My Chemical Romance
