Tech Allies Impact Story: mender + HKS

Meet mender

We are excited to spotlight our Tech Allies sponsor, mender, and their transformative role in IT asset disposition. We spoke with CEO Kent Taggart, who is also a Tech Allies mentor, on the ways mender is making strides in optimizing IT hardware asset lifecycle management through cutting-edge solutions.

mender Leadership

Taggart’s career began in high school with IT sales on eBay, setting the stage for his future in the tech industry. From selling his initial business when he graduated high school to working in sales management with major clients like Walmart and General Motors, Taggart’s path has been one of constant evolution. In 2019, he combined his passions for sales, entrepreneurship, technology and conservation when he co-founded mender, a venture that is focused on reducing the demand for new mining ventures (which come at great cost to our environment) by reintroducing used tech hardware into emerging markets and recycling older tech into commodities which are used in manufacturing.

Revolutionizing IT Asset Retirement

mender distinguishes itself with a specialized focus on IT hardware asset retirement programs. The company excels in managing the entire lifecycle of IT equipment—from recycling timelines to data security and environmental compliance. mender simplifies the recycling and resale of depreciating assets, crucial for companies with global operations.

One of the many standout features of mender’s services is its ability to manage their client’s intricate, global recycling and value recovery needs. The company’s portal provides insights into environmental and data security compliance, alleviating the challenge of finding local solutions for worldwide operations. Taggart’s passion for these innovative processes is clear as he underscores the importance of converting depreciating assets into budget credits while mitigating data security risks and helping to save the planet.?Mender supports datacenter, mobility and endpoint hardware types and support clients ranging from 500 employees to 100,000+.

A Platform for Connection

Taggart’s involvement with Tech Allies has been instrumental in his professional development. His decision to sponsor and mentor through Tech Allies stems from a belief in the value of connecting with growth-oriented individuals. This engagement has enabled him to form valuable relationships with industry pioneers and foster mutual growth.

“As a leader, I feel like I have this responsibility to interact with the next generation of leaders, and with people who are trying to advance their careers and embark in a new space,” Taggart said. “Through the Tech Allies mentorship program, I have the opportunity to pour into others the way others have poured into me in the past.”

Taggart’s effort to nurture and enhance the skill set of his mentees is paying off in a big way for both parties. His mentor from the Spring 2024 semester was hired for an internship at mender, which proved successful as the internship was extended for an additional semester.?

“We had the opportunity to bring my mentee, Maha, on as an intern and he has done some amazing things for us,” Taggart said. “We actually extended his internship through the fall and that's a huge win for mender as an organization. It's a testament to the value of the Tech Allies mentorship program. We as a company, by engaging in Tech Allies, reap the benefit of the community's leadership and passion.”

An Impactful Network

mender’s participation in Tech Allies has translated into tangible business benefits. One example of this is mender’s collaboration with HKS—a global architecture firm who lacked a structured IT asset retirement program. Both companies’ involvement with Tech Allies facilitated a valuable business relationship between them. The partnership allowed mender to showcase what it does best: the “mender method,” effectively addressing data risk and optimizing asset disposition processes.?

“When we first engaged with HKS, they didn't have an established program for the disposal of their IT assets,” Taggart explained. “An established program for IT asset disposition that also manages the clearing of data is absolutely critical for data security. mender has that process, and we work with clients like HKS to learn what their exact needs are.”?

“Our goal is to mitigate the cost associated in that data security risk and return our clients as much value as we possibly can,” he continued. “In this case with HKS, the return came in the form of process - which is auditable - and data that supports the recycling and resale of their assets. Then transferring that to a credit for them, or a revenue stream that comes from the disposed or depreciating equipment. We call our process the ‘mender method.’”

HKS IT Unified Communications Manager Nicole Firebaugh recalled beginning their client relationship with mender. mender’s method was effectively recycling and repurposing HKS technology back into the tech ecosystem and actually created a new stream of revenue for HKS from the IT department. The mender method worked to tangibly add value to HKS while making a positive impact on the environment by keeping hazardous waste out of landfills.?

Had it not been for the principles at Tech Allies introducing Taggart and Firebaugh, the two likely would never have crossed paths. mender offered a service HKS didn’t even realize it could be taking advantage of, and because of that, HKS was able to increase revenue while decreasing their carbon footprint.?

“The Tech Allies team is intentional about understanding my work, my interests, and my personal life, and then plugging me into this network with people who can relate or resonate with those things either personally or professionally,” Taggart said. “Where else can you get that? They are like business matchmakers.”

Why Tech Allies?

Taggart’s experience with Tech Allies highlights the value of building and strengthening professional relationships, and it doesn’t stop with HKS.

“There's 20 other names I could list off of people I have met through Tech Allies, and every day we are unfolding more opportunities through those relationships,” Taggart said. “There's another client we are actively servicing, Cantex, which is another company we met through Tech Allies. We are on the verge of sending them their first check from tech items and materials mender was able to safely recycle or repurpose.”

Professional collaborations like these make Tech Allies so much more than an industry networking group – it’s a community space where business leaders can connect, collaborate, and grow.

“I see Tech Allies as a tight-knit, intimate community that's built with professional people but also people who care. As a result, I have been able to create relationships here without being looked at as a shark,” Taggart said. “I am seen as a peer, and there's a ton of value in that. Most other groups like this don't have the level of intimacy that the Tech Allies principles are really intentional about creating in this space.”

For mender, Tech Allies has been an invaluable B2B resource. For Taggart, Tech Allies has proved a profusion of like-minded, growth-oriented, successful executives who he can look to for mentorship, inspiration, collaboration and friendship.?