Andrea Harwood
By Andrea Harwood
Tyler Russell and wife Julia Sanzen are planning to open a second Rocket Recycling location in Queensbury in about seven months, with a third location also in the process.
Russell opened the first location mid-March at 255 Ridge St. in Glens Falls, in the former Stewart’s location across the street from the newer, larger Stewart’s. Russell described the property as nearly turn-key upon purchase.
“It was game plan from the start to have three locations opened in the area,” said Russell. “From there, we will continue our growth forward.”
“There’s a need and an opportunity locally,” he said.
The second location is at the circle roundabout near Evergreen Plaza (known locally as the Sokol’s Plaza), off Aviation Road. The facility is a former gas and service station from many years ago and has been empty for years. Tyler said the property was just waiting for the right idea and the right business. Rocket Recycling fits that bill.
The building has a three-bedroom apartment above the garage, but Russell said there are no plans for that space just yet.
“We’re focused on getting bottles and cans in the door right now,” he said.
Russell anticipates opening the store for business as soon as National Grid finalizes the last step of power connection.
The inside of the building required cleaning up, similar to the outside, said Russell. Renovations outside included patching some holes, updating some lighting and putting a fresh coat of paint on everything, he said.
“It’s a cool old former garage and gas station, and we wanted to go with that look and feel,” he said.
The exterior of the building has been painted white, with blue accents and a custom rocket painting on the side of the building.
“I’ve always desired an old garage station in a 1950’s style. This is awfully close. We really love this cool space,” said Russell.
Russell chose the location because of the heavy organic traffic. The road is directly en route to the Queensbury schools, and adjacent to the roundabout formed by Dixon Road, Aviation Road and Farr Lane.
“There’s a real need for a recycling on that side of town,” said Russell. “It’s centrally located to the Northway. It will be our area hub facility, where we will process large quantities of bottles and cans from our other facilities. As we grow with more locations, that will be our hub.”
Russell describes himself and his family as “serial entrepreneurs.” He is co-owner of StoriedBoards, a flooring company specializing in the use of authentic barn board and reclaimed wood. StoriedBoards can be found at www.storiedboards.com and just celebrated 10 years in business.
The family also owns Sunnyside Par 3 golf course, located at 170 Sunnyside Road in Queensbury. Russell and his wife ran a restaurant for 5 years as well.
During COVID, Russell and his wife began exploring the recycling industry to see if it was a viable business model. They decided that the need and the opportunity existed.
Russell already has a third location purchased and almost ready to open. The facility will be located at 88 Main St. in Hudson Falls, next to the Walgreens just south of Juckett Park. The building’s interior was gutted after a fire in 2016. The renovations are still in process, as rehabilitation was extensive. Russell anticipates opening the it in early 2023.
The company website is www.rocketrecycling.com.