Dead computers do tell tales -- the news is full of their stories.

A computer bought from a second-hand store in Utah contained the Social Security numbers and employment records of employees at a local health-care company.

A decommissioned computer from the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame held test scores and Social Security numbers from graduate students.

These are among stories told by Jeff Zeigler, founder and chief executive of TechTurn, which refurbishes and recycles computers.

A dead computer may not have been purged properly before landing in the office basement or storage area. Maybe it was earmarked for charity. But was it properly scrubbed? Were all the disks removed from their drives?

Even if a computer no longer carries important data, it's an environmental hazard. The cathode ray tube contains lead; chips and circuit boards are made with precious metals and toxic chemicals.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2 million tons of discarded televisions, personal computers, printers, scanners, faxes, mice, keyboards and cell phones were discarded in 2005, primarily in landfills.

TechTurn, an Austin, Texas-based company whose East Coast office is in Ashland, specializes in the proper disposal of technology equipment.

At its Lakeridge Parkway site, about 50 employees process computers as new as a few months -- returned to retailers -- and as old as 10 years.

There, a slow-moving, silver conveyor belt transports electronic devices. Technicians assess their potential for future use. Some devices are refurbished. Others are harvested for parts.

A short path in the center of the warehouse is flanked by boxes full of the discarded computer components, including a tangle of thousands of white and black mice destined for recycling. Plastic computer stands are piled high, headed for the shredder.

TechTurn clears out corporate closets. It doesn't accept computers from individuals, but plans to later this year.

The age of the computers is no obstacle, Zeigler said. While clients come from the corporate world, the company also sells computers to individuals from its Web site, www.techturn.com.

. . .

The company handles iPods, laptops, desktop computers, mainframes and hand-held devices.

This is a growing market, said David Daoud, an analyst with IDC, which tracks technology products and market share.

"There is a lot of demand for second-hand devices," Daoud said. "It's a market driven by emerging and underdeveloped economies throughout the world, as well as budget-conscious consumers."

Last November, TechTurn became Microsoft's first worldwide-licensed refurbisher, which allows the company to use Windows products.

Bob Maiorano, a director of managed services with Northrop Grumman, handles IT for more than 100,000 employees. Before he found TechTurn, he used different vendors who offered removal, refurbishing or disposal -- but never all those features at one stop.

"We erase the data three to seven times," Zeigler said. The firm also demagnetizes the drives.

TechTurn created and runs a Web site for Northrop Grumman to sell refurbished company equipment to the defense contractor's employees.

"There are privacy issues that make selling a used computer problematic for retailers and employers," Zeigler said. Even a computer that was only in a customer's hands for a few days and returned to a retailer is no longer viable merchandise.

. . .

Zeigler, a 1988 graduate of St. Christopher's School in Richmond and Virginia Military Institute in 1992, plunged into the computer world after college.

He landed in Austin and, in 1999, started ComputerResale.com to market used computers online and Newmarket IT to refurbish electronic devices. He renamed them TechTurn last year.

The Ashland facility handles 1,500 to 2,500 devices a day, Zeigler said. The Virginia and Texas sites handle a combined total of 1.6 million to 2 million devices a year.

The firm has developed partnerships with equipment manufacturers and retailers. It also handles equipment for leasing agencies. The equipment is refurbished and returned or sold to other companies or individuals.

The processes in the warehouse are automated, Zeigler said. Computers, which ride along the conveyor belt to be diagnosed and appraised, can be tracked at any point in the process. The goal is to return refurbished computers to owners within three to five days.

"A lot of customers don't know what they have in the way of equipment," Zeigler said. His company can assess the value of disposed equipment, which then can be used by clients for tax and inventory purposes.

The business, Zeigler said, is a new category -- clean tech -- which combines environmental protection, information technology and trash disposal.

Zeigler sees more growth with each truckload of computers unloaded at the Ashland site. Last year, he brought on an equity partner to help finance the expansion.

"We will continue to grow, both organically and through acquisitions," he said. Europe and Asia are in his sights.
Contact Linda Dunham at (804) 775-8126 or ldunham@timesdispatch.com.