Surplus Exchange

What Surplus Exchange does

The Surplus Exchange is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 1984 and headquartered at 518 Santa Fe St, Kansas City, Missouri, that operates as a clearinghouse for donated business surplus and certified electronics recycling. It serves three customer groups: 1,400-plus member nonprofit organizations (charities, schools, and congregations) that receive preferential access and discounts on reused office furniture and equipment; business and corporate donors seeking tax-deductible, environmentally responsible disposal of end-of-life electronics and surplus furniture; and the general public and brokers who purchase items from the warehouse sales floor. The organization diverted roughly 1,100 tons of business equipment and furniture from local waste streams annually and has operated for more than 25 years as the established nonprofit link between Kansas City industry, charity, and environmental stewardship.

The technical and operational foundation is anchored by three certifications: e-Stewards certification (first in Missouri, among the first five in the world, with Executive Director Bob Akers serving on the e-Stewards Leadership Council), ISO 14001:2004 environmental management compliance, and Microsoft Registered Refurbisher status. Core processes include e-Stewards-compliant demanufacturing of end-of-life electronics, 3-pass DoD 5220-22.M data wiping on donated hard drives, and refurbishment of Pentium 4, Dual Core, and Core2Duo systems. Operations run from a 50,000-square-foot, six-floor warehouse (three floors dedicated to business furniture and equipment), supported by a 25-foot box-truck fleet for business pickups and a dozen-plus community e-waste events annually across the Kansas City metro. The Learn and Earn program, in partnership with the EPA, has equipped more than 600 junior and high school students to build and keep their own computers; the ConnectHomeKC partnership has delivered 1,900 refurbished computers to public housing residents.

Revenue is generated across six streams: refurbished electronics sales ($40–$300 per system), office furniture sales, recycling fees (cost-recovery only — no margin), computer service and data-wipe fees ($25–$45 per engagement), $50 lifetime nonprofit memberships, and general public/broker surplus sales. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the membership base drives demand, recurring community e-waste events drive supply and awareness, and business pickup scheduling captures corporate donors. There are no disclosed funding rounds, and in 2019 the organization transferred its assets to Connecting for Good, another Kansas City digital-inclusion nonprofit, in a consolidation driven by changing market conditions; the brand and operations have continued under that combined structure.

Name

Surplus Exchange

Legal name

The Surplus Exchange, Inc.

Website

https://surplusexchange.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Surplus Exchange is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 in Kansas City, Missouri, operating e-Stewards-certified electronics recycling, refurbished computer sales, and donated office furniture resale to serve 1,400-plus nonprofit members, corporate donors, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronics Recycling and Surplus Asset Reuse Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Solid Waste Collection (562111), Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (42393)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPALAIAB

E-waste Collection, Aggregation & Reverse Logistics

Business & Public Services/Waste Management & Remediation Services/Electronic Waste (E-waste) Recycling & IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)

SECONDARYEUAIANAD

Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Resource Recovery & Circular Economy Services (Reuse, Take-back, Refurbishment)

SECONDARYEUAIAIAA

Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/E-waste & Battery Recycling

SECONDARYTLAIAHAJ

Donation, Reuse & Sustainability Returns Programs

Transportation & Logistics/Third-Party & Fourth-Party Logistics (3PL/4PL) / Contract Logistics/Reverse Logistics & Returns Management (Repair, Refurb, Recycling)

Keywords

• Electronics recycling services
• Office furniture resale
• Computer refurbishment services
• E-waste processing
• Nonprofit surplus clearinghouse

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Refurbished Electronics Sales: Sale of refurbished and used computer systems (Pentium 4, Dual Core, Core2Duo), monitors (CRT $15, flat panel $20-$100), barebones computers, parts, peripherals, and cables through the KC Tech Shop and general public sales floor. Systems priced $40-$300.
2. Office Furniture Sales: Sale of donated office furniture including desks, chairs, file cabinets, tables, and shelving. Items sourced from businesses and made available to nonprofits at preferential pricing and to the general public through the Surplus Exchange KC Furniture Warehouse.
3. Recycling Fees: Processing fees charged for end-of-life electronics that cannot be reused. Fees cover environmentally sound demanufacturing, shipping, and labor. Examples: CRT Monitors $20, Copiers $50, Flat panel TVs up to 32" $20, printers $10, servers FREE.
4. Computer Service Fees: Fees for computer repair, diagnostics, data wiping, malware removal, and OS installation services. Diagnostics $25, repair $45/hour, malware removal $45, data wipe to DoD standard $15/drive.
5. Nonprofit Membership Fees: One-time lifetime membership fee of $50 for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, giving access to 25% discounts on furniture, want-list service, and discounted computer service rates. No renewal fees.
6. General Public Surplus Sales: Items not selected by nonprofit members are offered to the general public and brokers in surplus markets to offset operating costs and keep items out of landfills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Surplus Exchange is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates as a certified electronics recycler and surplus clearinghouse, collecting donated and end-of-life electronics and office furniture from businesses, refurbishing or demanufacturing the items, and reselling usable goods to nonprofit organizations and the general public at reduced prices. The organization combines e-Stewards certified recycling, a 50,000 sq ft furniture warehouse, a computer repair/refurbishment shop (KC Tech Shop), and an exclusive lifetime nonprofit membership program serving 1,400+ agencies in the Kansas City area.

Product overview

Surplus Exchange is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a clearinghouse for donated business surplus, combining three core service lines: Electronics Recycling (e-Stewards certified), the KC Furniture Warehouse (office furniture sales), and the KC Tech Shop (computer repair and refurbished systems). The organization serves nonprofit members through an exclusive membership program offering discounted furniture and computer services, while also selling NPO Technologies brand new computers exclusively to nonprofits. Additional programs include the Learn and Earn youth education initiative where students build computers to keep, free office supply distribution to teachers, and a dedicated Non-Profit Showroom for preferred access to incoming inventory. Revenue from public and broker sales helps subsidize operations serving the charitable community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NPO Technologies: New computers built specifically for nonprofit organizations, featuring new state-of-the-art components with parts and labor warranty. Available exclusively to nonprofit organizations.

Products and services

• Electronics Recycling

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,100 tons diverted from local waste streams annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Connecting for GoodflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2019In May 2019, Surplus Exchange consolidated assets with Connecting for Good, another Kansas City nonprofit bridging the digital divide through affordable internet, refurbished computers, and digital literacy training. The merger was driven by changing market conditions and the need to adapt the business model. Connecting for Good preserves and grows the legacy of Surplus Exchange, maintaining the certified electronics recycling commitment while adding Connecting for Good's warehouse, retail operations, job skills training, and donation pickup capabilities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Connecting for Good: Kansas City nonprofit that merged with Surplus Exchange in 2019, also focused on digital inclusion through affordable internet, refurbished computers, and digital literacy training. Operates a similar hybrid reuse/refurbishment model with donation pickup and retail.
• PCs for People: Nonprofit digital inclusion organization that refurbishes donated computers and distributes them to low-income families, mirroring Surplus Exchange's Learn and Earn and ConnectHomeKC-style programs. Similar nonprofit structure with mission-aligned computer refurbishment and digital equity programs.
• Blue Star Recyclers: Nonprofit e-waste recycler operating across multiple U.S. states, employing individuals with disabilities to refurbish and recycle electronics. Directly comparable e-Stewards-style certified nonprofit recycler with mission-aligned workforce and electronics reuse/refurbishment focus.

Broad incumbents

• Cascade Asset Management: U.S. ITAD provider offering certified data destruction, electronics refurbishment, and end-of-life recycling for enterprise clients. Comparable IT asset disposition and electronics reuse workflow, though targeting enterprise customers rather than nonprofit members.
• Sims Lifecycle Services: Global ITAD and electronics recycling division of Sims Metal Management, providing enterprise-scale data destruction, asset recovery, and e-waste processing. Comparable ITAD/e-waste recycling capabilities, but serving enterprise clients with broader geographic reach.
• Iron Mountain: Global information management company offering secure data destruction and IT asset disposition services, including e-Stewards and R2 certified recycling. Comparable certified electronics recycling and data sanitization capabilities as part of a much broader records-management portfolio.
• ERI Direct: One of the largest U.S. e-waste recyclers and ITAD providers, e-Stewards certified and serving enterprise customers nationwide. Comparable electronics recycling, data destruction, and IT asset disposition services, but as a for-profit at significantly larger scale.
• Goodwill Industries International: National nonprofit operating reuse retail stores and e-waste recycling programs (including Dell Reconnect). Directly comparable nonprofit reuse-and-recycle model at far larger scale, with similar donation-to-resale value chain and mission-aligned workforce development.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore: Nonprofit home-goods reuse retail chain operated by local Habitat affiliates. Comparable nonprofit surplus-to-retail model that accepts donated furniture and goods, resells to fund mission, and serves a similar community-membership customer base.

Emerging players

• Computers 2 Kids / InterConnection: Nonprofit refurbishing donated computers for distribution to underserved communities, with an online refurbished-equipment retail channel. Comparable nonprofit computer-refurbishment-to-mission model with overlapping donor and beneficiary communities.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thesurpexchange
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Need Youtube Page
• FacebookFacebook.com/pages/The-Surplus-Exchange/248167540897
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-surplus-exchange

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surplus Exchange