ERA Comes to America: From a 2018 Announcement to Florida Warehouses

On October 12, 2018, our Canadian parent organization — the Electronic Recycling Association, founded in Calgary in 2004 — announced its expansion into the United States under a new name: the Electronic Reusing Association, with first locations planned for Seattle and San Jose.

"Opening an ERA office in the US has been a dream of mine for quite some time," Founder and President Bojan Paduh said in the announcement.

First donations: Seattle, 2019

The dream became concrete in 2019. In March, ERA made its first US donation alongside Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold. Twenty laptops went to Southwest Youth & Family Services (SWYFS), and an iPad to Seattle GOOD.

The numbers were small; the signal was not. The same model that had put refurbished computers into hundreds of Canadian charities, schools and shelters worked just as well south of the border: collect retired business equipment, destroy the data with certified processes, refurbish what still has life and donate it where it is needed.

Finding our American home

Seattle and San Jose were the opening chapter. Today, ERA USA's operations are centered in South Florida, with warehouses in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach and a presence in Chicago and Houston. From those facilities we offer businesses free equipment pickups, certified data destruction with full documentation, and a donation program that puts refurbished devices into the hands of nonprofits, charities, schools and care facilities.

Part of a bigger story

Between 2018 — the year of that announcement — and 2025, the ERA network donated more than 11,400 devices, supporting 500+ charities, schools and nonprofits. And demand keeps growing: more than 1,000 organizations are currently on the network's donation waitlist.

Help us write the next chapter. Book a business pickup in South Florida, Chicago or Houston — or apply for refurbished technology for your organization.