Scott Robertson Jr., owner of Robertson’s Auto Salvage in Wareham, Mass., does not have Gates’ name recognition – or his fortune – but the two share a common philosophy about business competition and success.
Robertson’s, a family-owned and operated salvage yard since 1969, has survived and prospered through at least half a dozen recessions, the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s, the Clean Water Act, depressed scrap prices, and more. Founded by the current owner’s father, uncle, and grandfather, Robertson’s is a lesson in staying nimble. “It’s a constant evolution in a salvage yard,” Robertson says. “You have to change with the times to be able to make money.”
Originally established to supply parts to the family’s gas and repair station in Boston, Robertson’s transitioned totally to the salvage business when the oil company reclaimed ownership of the gas station. In the ensuing four and a half decades, Robertson’s has sold repairable wrecks; established, participated in, and eventually closed a salvage pool; launched a GMC dealership that continues today and opened and subsequently closed two additional salvage yards.
Through all the changes inside and out, Robertson’s continues to supply repair shops, body shops, insurance companies, and other wholesale customers in New England and coast to coast from its tightly packed, 24-acre original location.
There has been a lot of change in the times in the last 30 years in the Salvage Yard Business.