ShopJimmy's Blog

Earth Day 2013: How We Reduce E-Waste

Ryan — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:32:40 +0000

In honor of Earth Day, we thought we’d give you a little insight into our recycling efforts. One of our goals at ShopJimmy has always been to reduce the amount of electronics waste (e-waste) produced in the US and beyond.

To acquire many of our TV parts, we recover new flat-screen TVs with screens that were damaged during manufacturer-to-retailer shipping. While the screens may be cracked and the TVs “broken beyond repair,” their internal TV parts are in perfect condition. We harvest these TV parts and then offer them to our customers to help fix flat-screen TVs across the globe. Pretty cool, right?

Well, since you’re smarter than us, you’re probably wondering what happens to the rest of the damaged TVs after we grab the new parts from them. We recycle nearly 100% of the remaining materials. We’ve partnered with both local recycling businesses and major waste management companies to properly recycle the electronics we can’t use or sell.

We also achieved ISO 14001 Certification, which is basically industry-speak for another way to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help the environment. Since Jimmy started the company in 2007, we’ve recycled over 6 million pounds of e-waste! If you want to know exactly how much we’ve recycled to date, check out our real-time recycling ticker.

Oh, and when we’re not recycling damaged TVs and electronics, we’re making cool office artwork. Happy Earth Day!

Jimmy’s a Taco Bell Franchise Owner!

Ryan — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:45:04 +0000

JIMMY VOSIKA OF SHOPJIMMY.COM BECOMES A TACO BELL FRANCHISE OWNER

BURNSVILLE, MN — April 1, 2013 — Jimmy Vosika, CEO and Director of Partology of ShopJimmy.com, today announced that he has become a Taco Bell (Yum! Brands, Inc., NYSE: YUM) franchise owner in Burnsville, MN.

This business development signals ShopJimmy.com’s commitment and dedication to its employees and surrounding community, as Jimmy plans to pilot new, value menu and “First Meal” items by September 2013. The deal also includes the renovation of an empty, former Taco Bell building just off Highway 13 in Burnsville. This location is conveniently located less than a quarter of a mile from ShopJimmy.com’s new headquarters.

“It’s really funny how this came about,” said Jimmy. “We settled on the new ShopJimmy location because of its close proximity to a Taco Bell, but ironically enough the Taco Bell closed down before construction was complete — so I bought it!”

Some of the new items on Jimmy’s Taco Bell menu — which he’s cooked at home for years and knows will be successful — include:

- The complete “First Meal” menu
- “Taco Balls” (Deep fried and rolled taco meat and cheese)
- “Chili Balls” (Deep fried chili cheese burrito blend)

Here is the building that Jimmy will renovate and reopen as a Taco Bell in July 2013:

About ShopJimmy.com

Founded in 2007, ShopJimmy.com is the global leader in TV parts and lamps, TV stands, refurbished TVs, and electronic accessories distribution. With a growing inventory of over 400,000 products, ShopJimmy.com made Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s “Fast 50 List” of the fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities. ShopJimmy.com also made the 2011-2012 INC. 500|5000 Lists, Minnesota Business Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2012, and the Star Tribune’s “Top Work Places” in 2012. For more information about ShopJimmy.com and to view career opportunities, please visit www.ShopJimmy.com.

About Yum! Brands, Inc.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system units with more than 39,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in more than 125 countries and 1.4 million associates. Yum! is ranked #213 on the FORTUNE 500 list, with revenues of more than $13 billion in 2012. The Company’s restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. Outside the United States, the Yum! Brands system opened approximately four new restaurants each day of the year, making it a leader in international retail development. The Company has consistently been recognized for its reward and recognition culture, diversity leadership, community giving and consistent shareholder returns.

Our First Town Hall in the New Office!

Ryan — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:43:41 +0000

We held the first “Town Hall” gathering in our new building with all of our new employees, many of whom were part of the Ness Electronics crew. Here are some pictures from the meeting for your Friday enjoyment!

Jimmy, Paula, Mike Ness, and Stuart chatting about the Ness acquisition and future plans!

A sea of old and new SJ’ers listening to Jimmy tell hilarious stories about the history of SJ.

We raffled away everything from Twins tickets to restaurant gift cards to an iPad Mini!

Of course, an SJ meeting wouldn’t be complete without a spread of delicious food.

Finding Art in TV Parts: ShopJimmy Tree Mosaic

Frank — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:49:09 +0000

ShopJimmy move update: This place is AWESOME! We are settling in nicely and accomplishing everything we set out to do.

Last month, we challenged our artistic skills and free-handed a 12′ high x 16′ wide mosaic of a tree, made entirely of broken TV parts. None of us had ever made a wall mosaic before, nor had we sculpted using circuit boards, but that didn’t seem to worry us too much.

The idea was simple, but the scope was massive! We cut hundreds of TV circuit boards into thousands of tiny pieces to create pixelated leaves and curved branches. Because of the weight of some boards and the fragility of others, we had to use an industrial adhesive to secure all parts to the wall. This glue is so strong that you can’t remove a board once it has dried without pulling off a piece of the wall! Needless to say, we only had one shot at this, so we documented the whole process with hundreds of photographs. I am happy to say that the whole project went according to plan and was finished in just over 3 weeks!

We are getting really close to cutting the red ribbon and giving you all an official tour of our new, 290,000+ square foot headquarters in Burnsville, MN! Until then, I would like to give you a glimpse inside of our new office and share a video of this special project that I had the great fortune of working on this past month. Enjoy!

It’s Our 6th Birthday!

Ryan — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:47:00 +0000

A Message from Chris, a ShopJimmy Customer Service Rep:

Hey all!

ShopJimmy is six years old! So, what now?

One of my favorite David Bowie songs is “Changes.” It bounces through my brain every time I walk through the front doors of the new, improved ShopJimmy.

You may be asking yourself, with a bit of healthy skepticism, “How new?” or “What do you mean, improved?”

Well, let me tell you a little more. We moved, we acquired Ness Electronics (a fellow titan in our industry), and a few people seem to be wondering if we are gearing up to become some vast, faceless corporation. It’s a natural concern. A lot of us here feel like we’ve moved off the “Millennium Falcon” and on to the “Starship Enterprise” with our stark, polished new digs in Burnsville, MN. [Author's Note: Yes, as you might've noticed, I'm a fan of sci-fi.]

I mean, we are bigger. We are diversifying. And we are certainly shinier. We’re also going to have new policies, new product offerings, new voices, new challenges and new opportunities. We’re evolving — there’s no way around it.

What we want you to remember is this: We’re still here with you. We don’t want to take over, we want to take care. That will never change.

This isn’t us playing a George Lucas, cashing in on the same old thing by re-releasing the original Star Wars trilogy with “improved” special effects. This is more like the Beatles re-tooling themselves as a studio band after touring became impractical. They upped their game for every following album so that they could be sure every fan got the most satisfying experience possible. And I assure you, the progressing ShopJimmy will — with your help, input and patience — be the TV parts distribution equivalent of Sgt Pepper’s.

With that said, not all things are changing. Jimmy still comes to work in a battered baseball cap and hoodie, cracking away at his laptop trying to improve everything from inventory control to site applications to vending machine offerings. Jon, our Customer Service Manager, still chugs the highest octane java available at his desk, doing his utmost to make sure the tone of ShopJimmy’s Customer Service remains the same: friendly, helpful, patient and informative.

And, most importantly, we sincerely thank you for your business these past six years. Yes, YOU! Don’t believe me? Give me a call today!

Hearts and Hugs,

Chris Meger
CSR
877-881-6492 Ex. 149
Almost 3 years with SJ and still loving every minute.

Original Philips, OSRAM, and OSRAM Neolux DLP Replacement Lamps Available!

Ryan — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:34:26 +0000

SJ Stat of the Day: 2012 E-Waste Recycling

Ryan — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:03:28 +0000

2,204,284*

*The number of pounds of electronics waste we recycled in 2012! This includes…

♻ 3,795 lbs. of Paper
♻ 1,860 lbs. of Containers
♻ 885,320 lbs. of Sheet Iron
♻ 307,252 lbs. of Plastics
♻ 144,024 lbs. of Corrugated Cardboard
♻ 99,769 lbs. of PCB
♻ 34,299 lbs. of Cables / Copper Wire
♻ 10,150 lbs. of Florescent Bulbs
♻ 722,920 lbs. of TV Panels

ShopJimmy + Ness Electronics

Ryan — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:22:48 +0000

Hey there! We’re excited to officially announce that we’ve joined forces with Ness Electronics! If you are unfamiliar with Ness, they’re a long-time, well-respected electronics parts distributor based in St. Paul, MN. Ness specializes in OEM DLP lamp distribution, components and soldering equipment, outdoor antennas, and other great CE products.

In the coming weeks, we will merge Ness — including all of their St. Paul-based employees and inventory — into our new ShopJimmy headquarters. It’s a big transition for both companies, but we couldn’t be happier with all of the insight and inventory that Ness with bring to ShopJimmy and we, in turn, will pass along to you!

Here are a few products that we’ll offer soon:

- OEM DLP lamps: Philips, OSRAM, OSRAM Neolux
- TV stands/furniture
- A broader selection of LCD/LED wall mounts and accessories
- More TV audio and speaker options
- Outdoor antennas and hardware
- Cables, connectors, adaptors, and wall plates
- Solder/desolder equipment and service tools
- Batteries, components, and more!

If you’re a current Ness customer for certain products, please continue to order through them. We will update you as we transition your account information and Ness’ inventory. Since we know Ness was a great distributor and easy to work with, we’ll do our very best to make sure your customer experience remains top-notch with ShopJimmy.

If you have any questions, please email us at sales@shopjimmy.com. Thanks!

For those who care to read more about the deal, our official press release is below.

————————————————————————————————————————————–

SHOPJIMMY.COM ACQUIRES ELECTRONICS PARTS DISTRIBUTOR NESS ELECTRONICS

BURNSVILLE, MN – January 15, 2013 – ShopJimmy.com, the global leader in TV parts and accessories distribution, today announced that is has acquired Ness Electronics, the long-time industry standard in DLP lamps and electronics components distribution based in St. Paul, MN.

This acquisition significantly enhances ShopJimmy’s inventory and market share, especially in the Midwest, as Ness Electronics also has branches in Milwaukee and Des Moines. The company, founded in 1964 by Don Ness and owned and operated by Mike Ness, is also a certified TV parts distributor for several major consumer electronics brands.

“We couldn’t be happier about this deal,” said Jimmy Vosika, Founder and CEO of ShopJimmy. “Mike Ness and Ness Electronics are so well respected in the industry and will bring decades of insight and experience to ShopJimmy. We’re also excited to continue their authority in DLP lamps distribution.”

ShopJimmy plans to merge all of Ness Electronics’ inventory and employees in St. Paul into its new Burnsville, MN headquarters in the coming weeks. Ness Electronics’ two satellite locations in Milwaukee and Des Moines will remain in operation.

“The combined strengths of ShopJimmy’s web presence and Ness’ 48 years of electronic parts distribution will make ShopJimmy a major force in electronic parts business nationwide and abroad,” said Mike Ness.

About ShopJimmy.com

Founded in 2007, ShopJimmy.com is the global leader in TV parts and lamps, TV stands, refurbished TVs, and electronic accessories distribution. With a growing inventory of over 400,000 products, ShopJimmy.com made Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s “Fast 50 List” of the fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities. ShopJimmy.com also made the 2011-2012 INC. 500|5000 Lists, Minnesota Business Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2012, and the Star Tribune’s “Top Work Places” in 2012. For more information about ShopJimmy.com and to view career opportunities, please visit www.ShopJimmy.com.

- END -

Samsung TV Repair Videos for LCD/LED/Plasma/DLP TV Parts

Ryan — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:05:58 +0000

We’ve Moved!

Ryan — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:22:56 +0000

It’s official! We’re settling into our new digs and loving them. We promise to post a few pictures as soon as the place is fully “presentable.”

In the meantime, please note our new address:

2300 West Highway 13
Burnsville, MN 55337