By Michele RobertsonThe Carlsbad Wrecking Co. has been in operation since 1958, providing Carlsbad residents with access to scrap parts and a place to bring their old vehicles. Bobby Nance and his dad Buster bought the yard in November of 1985. Theyclosed its doors on June 7th, 2021.The duo worked together for around 25 years, before Buster decided it was time to retire at 83 years young. When they bought the yard, both men were facing changes within their current jobs, so they decided to pool their money together to purchase the yard. Now it is Nance’s turn to retire. “I’ve been working since I was 11, it is time to move on,” Nance shared. He also shared that some upcoming surgeries would keep him off his feet for a while. The business is for sale, has four acres, is zoned for heavy commercial, and all permits are good until March 2022. A great business opportunity for someone interested in the wrecking and salvage industry. The need for wrecking yards is great, as we are a society that uses carsregularly. Having the ability to scrap a car minimizes the impact on landfills, saves customers money when looking for parts, and plays a vital role in the automobile industry. When a car comes to the end of its life, whether it is from an accident, mechanical problems, or because it is old, a wrecking yard is a great option for recycling parts. Scrap yards or wrecking yards started to boom with World War I, and continued to do so during World War II. The ability to build new machines with recycled material helped war efforts. Afterwards, people realized they could make use of the yards for their own personal needs.“People don’t realize what salvage and wrecking yards do,” shared Nance. Yards recycle all aspects of vehicles. What cannot be recycled is properly disposed of. Costs can be cut with recycling cars and most components can be reused in another way. Sometimes the crushed cars will be smelted to be used as rebar or building steel. These instances use a mix of recycled and virgin materials. Nance shared that parts like bumpers use only virgin materials. There was a time when the company would crush cars twice a year. Nance said it was ideal to haul off 30 truck loads of crushed cars, and that each truck could hold 15 cars. Once the car is inside the crusher, it doesn’t take long to create a compact chunk of metal. Nance’s favorite part of the job was selling parts. As a wrecker, the job can be a 24/7 deal. “You’d just sit down for dinner and get a call to pick up a car,” he said. The availability of wrecking yards is dwindling, with only two legal ones within about a hundred mile radius, one in Roswell and the other in Hobbs. It would be beneficial for Carlsbad to continue having its own wrecking yard. These days scrap and salvage yards are well regulated and more organized than when they began. In most cases you can call one up and let them know
what you are looking for and they can tell you if they have it or not since automated systems have made keeping track of thousands of parts much easier. Nance and his wife Carolyn celebrated 50 years of marriage in February 2021. The couple married in 1971, six weeks after they met. Nance is nearing the end of a four year project restoring a 1964 Chevrolet Supersport Malibu. “It’s a labor of love, and will be my retirement car,” Nance shared. Wishing you all the best in your retirement Mr. and Mrs. Nance.