From Calgary to the World: The ERA Story
In 1996, Bojan Paduh emigrated from Croatia to Canada with his family. Like many newcomer families, they couldn't bring much. Then a church group gave them a donated computer — and for Bojan, it changed everything. That one machine led him into computer science and left him with a conviction he has carried ever since: a working computer in the right hands can change a life.
Years later, he watched perfectly working computers being dumped at a landfill. He started collecting them, fixing them and passing them on. In 2004, he founded the Electronic Recycling Association in Calgary, Alberta, because he knew firsthand what a donated computer means to a family that can't afford one.
Growing across Canada
- 2005 — expansion to Vancouver
- 2016 — Alberta Emerald Award (Community Group & Non-Profit: Grassroots) and a new Toronto depot
- 2017 — Shell Canada donates $1M worth of technology through ERA, benefiting First Nations communities
- 2018 — donations reach 200+ organizations Canada-wide, including 550+ devices to 28 organizations on a single Giving Tuesday
Coming to America — and the world
In October 2018, the organization announced its US expansion under the name Electronic Reusing Association. Today, ERA USA operates warehouses in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with a presence in Chicago and Houston — part of a network that donated more than 11,400 devices between 2018 and 2025.
The network's reach now extends far beyond North America, with international donation partners including Futed in Chile, MFT in Madagascar, Kompjuteri Nade in Bosnia, the Isa Mundo Foundation in Mexico and Rainmaker Enterprise in South Sudan.
The same idea, two decades on
Paduh remains ERA's Founder and President, and the mission hasn't moved an inch from the kid with the church computer. "At ERA, we believe technology should be accessible to everyone," he said in May 2026.
Hundreds of tons of equipment have been securely repurposed since 2004, but the work is far from finished: more than 1,000 charities, schools and nonprofits are on the network's donation waitlist today.
Be part of the next chapter. Book a business pickup or apply for refurbished technology for your organization.