Calbag Metals has been in the recycling business since 1907. Early on, the company recycled metals and burlap sacks used by Hood River fruit growers. Today, Calbag buys and processes non-ferrous scrap metals, including aluminum, tin, copper, lead, stainless steel, bronze, brass, titanium, nickel alloys, and steel scrap. “We collect scrap metals from various sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, public utilities, contractors, tradesmen, and the general public,” explained Jason Peterson, Calbag’s business development manager. “The scrap we purchase might find its way to many parts of the world, including China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, India, or it may stay here in the United States for domestic remelting, and ultimately transformed into new metal products. It’s a never-ending cycle and we do our best to keep it moving.”

Calbag Metals sees recycling as a human and emotional act. “We take special care to recycle properly,” Peterson continued.  “We’re the only recycling facility in the Northwest with ISO 14001:2015 certification, which means we have a documented, environmentally sound management system for every item we purchase. The respect between employees and the company is essential and mutual. Competitive compensation matched with a strong benefits plan and bonus program set the stage for employee tenure and the basis for reinvesting the capital for further growth. When we invest in our employees and our business, everyone wins. For example, Calbag installed a wire recovery production facility six years ago. At the time, we were the only recycling facility in the Northwest with this system. We anticipated off-shore markets would eventually lose some of their low labor cost advantages while demand for furnace-ready products would increase. The process—insulated copper wire goes in one end of the machine and pure copper comes out the other. Technologies like this have enabled us to stay ahead of the curve in terms of recycling standards and bringing jobs back to the U.S. that, for the past 20 years, were performed overseas.”

With facilities in Portland and Tacoma, Calbag employs roughly 100 people, including warehouse staff, material handlers, drivers and administrative personnel. Given the nature of day-to-day tasks on the recycling floor, the company has long understood the importance of a robust workers’ compensation insurance plan. “When assessing a provider, we were looking for reliability, accuracy and good customer and claim service, ,” said Livier Hufford, Calbag’s human resource coordinator and accountant..”

Hufford appreciates the efficiency of SAIF’s claims process. “We can submit claims online or via fax. Once it’s submitted, they take care of the rest. We are contacted if the claim adjuster needs further information, and we also receive updates on the claim status.”

The best strategy for streamlining workers’ compensation claims is preventing injuries from happening in the first place. With SAIF’s help, Calbag has taken aggressive measures to create a safe workplace. “Our managers have taken claim prevention classes offered by SAIF,” Hufford added. “These helped us focus first on prevention, and where necessary provide the effective claims processing should an accident occur.”