About
www.abetterway.comABetterWay.com was founded in June 2004 by Brian Sutryk. In September 2005, ABetterWay.com was launched on a national level to include approximately 650 local regions throughout the US. It is a free marketplace for both For Sale by Owner (FSBO) and agent-listed properties. Unlike the typical FSBO and MLS websites, there is no fee to advertise or view properties, nor exclusive listings by either group. It is the perfect joining of these two markets.
ABetterWay.com earns its revenue from local and national sponsors. Their services are listed on the website as a resource for visitors to help with every aspect of the home buying or selling process – attorneys, appraisers, inspectors, movers, contractors, etc.
- Status
- Private Company
- Founded
- 2004
Company History
Tidewater Fibre Corp (TFC) began operations in Virginia in 1973 as a small recycling facility with a handful of employees. In 1981, we formed a separate disposal and hauling division called Econo Disposal. The objective of this collection company was to carve a niche and focus on customers that generated recyclables. Instead of hauling our customers’ waste to a landfill, TFC brought it back to our facility and recycled it. This was a win-win proposition, generating revenue for us and saving our customers the tipping fee.
In 1988, TFC was awarded a long-term contract to process and market curbside and drop-off recyclables collected by the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA). With this public - private partnership, TFC pioneered and developed the first Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Hampton Roads and became one of the first companies in Virginia to accept and recycle steel cans, plastic bottles and glass and other materials. Currently, SPSA serves over 150,000 households through curbside recycling and has numerous drop-off programs throughout the communities.
The past few years have been adventurous and prosperous for our company. First, we were selected by the City of Newport News, Virginia and awarded a five year contract to provide curbside and drop-off recycling services to 43,000 households. TFC purchased 11 new curbside recycling vehicles and opened a facility to serve the recycling needs of the Virginia Peninsula. This new venture has been very successful with participation rates averaging almost 50% per week. In addition, Newport News became the first city in Virginia to provide a lid for its curbside-recycling bin.
In 1997 TFC was awarded a contract to provide residential recycling services to the City of Virginia Beach, Va. This contract was a challenge from the beginning. TFC was responsible for purchasing 95,000+ 95 gallon automated recycling carts, assembling them, delivering them to every household in Virginia Beach and recording serial numbers to correspond to every household address. TFC had to purchase 20,000 18-gallon curbside recycling bins and deliver them to townhouse residents in Virginia Beach. TFC had to order and deliver 122 drop-off containers throughout the city. TFC had to purchase 20 chassis, convert them to dual side drive and have bodies installed to collect the recyclables. TFC had to receive a permit from the City of Chesapeake, Va. and submitted plans to the city to construct a 35,000 square foot warehouse. While the building was being built, TFC had to purchase and install all new, state-of-the-art processing equipment. As if this were not enough of a challenge, the program was to be fully implemented to the 115,000 residents within six months. TFC met our schedule and accomplished this feat on time.
The resulting automated recycling program serving the largest city in Virginia is also the first program of its type on the East Coast and one of the first in the world. Residents have overwhelmingly responded to the ease and convenience of this program. Participation rates and the pounds collected per household are one of the highest in the United States.
In 1998, TFC was selected by the Town of Southern Shores to offer the first automated curbside recycling program in North Carolina. Utilizing our existing MRF and vehicles, TFC began providing service to this seaside community of 1,900 households on October 5th
TFC also acquired a non-profit organization and signed an agreement with the City of Durham to provide curbside and drop-off recycling services to over 61,000 households. In addition, the County of Durham signed a curbside recycling contract with TFC. TFC began processing and marketing recyclables from its’ third MRF in Durham, North Carolina. The site covers over 21 acres and has over 110,000 square feet of warehouse space.
In 1999, TFC was selected by the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) to provide curbside recycling services to its member communities. The CVWMA recycling program consists of approximately 205,000 households and is the largest curbside recycling contract in Virginia. With the start of the CVWMA contract, TFC became the largest provider of curbside recycling services in Virginia and one of the largest independent providers of recycling services on the East Coast.
In 2000, TFC was selected by the Virginia Peninsula Public Service Authority (VPPSA) to provide curbside recycling services. The VPPSA serve about 40,000 households per week. In addition, the Virginia Peninsula Public Service Authority (VPPSA) also selected TFC to process and market drop-off recyclables collected by VPPSA.
In 2001, TFC was also selected by the City of Hampton, Va. to provide processing and marketing services for single stream recyclables collected by the City. TFC also finalized construction of its state-of- the-art Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Chester, VA. Located just south of Richmond, this MRF has single-stream capacity of over 20 tons per hour / 400 tons per day / 10,000 tons per month and consists of a capital investment of over $8 million dollars in facility and equipment.
In 2002, TFC and the City of Newport News, Va. finalized an agreement to provide automated curbside recycling service to over 40,000 households beginning in May 2003. This program provides residents with 65-gallon carts and collects commingled fiber and containers. TFC also was asked to provide manual curbside recycling services to an additional 4,500 town homes and operate a container drop-off program for the city. TFC and the City of Virginia Beach extended an existing contract to provide automated and manual recycling services to its residents. Virginia Beach is the largest City in the Commonwealth and this contract is the largest single recycling contract in the State.
In 2003, TFC began providing automated and manual curbside recycling services to the City of Newport News in May. The program serves over 44,000 households and includes drop-off recycling services. In addition, TFC reached an agreement with SPSA to provide automated curbside recycling services to the Cities of Norfolk and Franklin starting in 2004.
In 2005, TFC finalized an agreement with PCG Landfill Commission, Intercounty Public Transit Authority to provide recycling and solid waste hauling and processing services to the their 13 convenience sites in Northeastern North Carolina.
Early 2006, TFC began service to the Counties of Accomack and Northampton, on the Eastern Shore, for the collection of single stream recycling at their convenience sites. This program was easy to implement and designed to raise recycling rates in these rural areas.
On July 1, 2006, TFC began providing service to the North Carolina communities of Burlington, Haw River, Graham, Green Level, Elon, and Gibsonville. TFC will provide curbside recycling services to these municipalities through their Durham location on South Hoover Road.