The team from Constructing Hope, along with author Kimberly Stowers Moreland, recently published a new book, Building Legacy: BIPOC Construction Trailblazers in Oregon, that was handed out at their annual event.

The book does a great job of covering the history of the African Americans and people of color’s impact to Oregon’s construction trade and workforce diversity.

Constructing Hope described it this way, “You will learn about the vast contributions of a few champions of color who have opened doors for others, and we hope you are inspired to envision a more diverse, complete workforce in Oregon.”

The book features two COR team members, it’s founder Alonzo “Al” Simpson, and his son and current COR CEO, Alando Simpson. The book covers COR’s history in Portland’s waste management and recycling industry, and COR’s future in sustainability and the circular economy in Oregon. 

We like the book’s coverage of the history of BIPOC companies in Oregon so we’re sharing their stories about COR leaders so more people can learn about this publication, COR’s founding, and Constructing Hope’s great project.

Alonzo “Al” Simpson
Founder, City of Roses (COR) Disposal and Recycling

Al Simpson is a Portland, Oregon native. While he grew up seeing thriving black businesses in Portland, including his uncle’s deli, he also saw how this quickly changed. Noticing a lack of black-owned businesses in Oregon, particularly in the waste and recycling industry, Alonzo was inspired to make a change.

By no fault of his own, in 1994, Al was fired from his job for following the instruction of the upper management. While he was later hired back, he notes that this incident sparked him to take matters into his own hands. With three small children at home, he took a second mortgage on his house to fund his first roll-off waste truck.

“I mortgaged my house to buy a roll-off truck and dumpster. And I said, ‘Look, you got to take a chance. On the back of that other job, you’re either going to work till you’re 70 years old to retire, or you got to take a chance and give these kids and this community opportunities.’ Because Portland didn’t have a lot of, you know, there weren’t a lot of black businesses in Oregon.”

Al is no stranger to hard work. While working for the City of Portland, he had a landscaping service on the side. He also highlighted that when first running COR, he also worked a swing shift at a second job. This work ethic was instrumental in Al’s ability to provide for his family and grow COR’s business. Al commented that you have to hustle and give it your all as an entrepreneur.

By 2005, Al had acquired a two-acre property that would later develop into COR’s recycling facility. COR is truly a family affair. By 2006, Alonzo’s oldest son, Alando Simpson, joined the COR team, and soon after, his youngest son, AJ, came on as well. His youngest daughter, Jasmine, works as COR as office manager, and is responsible for all of COR’s commercial and industrial real estate. Alonzo’s oldest daughter, Crystal, is a schoolteacher who over many years also helped the company during her summer’s off.

In 2018, COR scaled up again and moved its operations to a 12-acre site that would eventually become the only entirely black-owned facility of its kind in the nation (with a transfer station, waste collection, and recycling & sustainability solutions).

Al states that when his son Alando joined the business, he pushed him to work with Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME) and other community-facing outreach organizations in Portland. His son AJ Simpson received his finance degree at Portland State University and as COR’s COO, he’s heavily focused on the numbers. Alando Simpson (who attended Oregon and also finished his degree at PSU) has the passion and talent for sustainability that is now driving the direction of COR’s future.

Starting with his own family, Alonzo and his work with COR has provided opportunities and positive examples for those in the Portland minority community.

“My sister, my wife, my daughters… everyone has pitched in and made this thing what it is, you know, it blows me away the way we started and where we are now with almost 100 employees,” said Al. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Alando Simpson
CEO, City of Roses (COR) Disposal and Recycling

Alando Simpson was born and raised in North Portland. Through his work as CEO of COR, his nonstop engagement with the community, and focus on sustainability, Alando demonstrates his passion for encouraging and inspiring Portland’s BIPOC community to overcome their challenges.

Alando grew up near Interstate Ave and Rosa Parks Way (known at the time as Portland Blvd). He attended the affluent Ainsworth public school on the other side of the city, the only Spanish-immersion public school in the city at the time.

With this educational opportunity came a stark contrast to what he experienced in his neighborhood. He lived in a dichotomy between his strict and affluent school environment and the harsh realities of poverty in the Portland community. But, witnessing the outcomes of poverty is what catalyzed his desire to help and inspire people in the black community to think outside of the circumstances they were subjected as minorities.

Alando grew up observing the work ethic and sacrifices his father made to own and grow a business as a minority in-order to support his family. This work ethic was instilled in Alando at an early age, as he would accompany his dad and work on sustainability and recycling projects on days off of school.

While he grew up around his father’s business, after graduating from Portland State University, Alando initially had no interest in the family business. However, in 2006, he became more serious about COR, with the goal of aiding his father in accomplishing his dream of building a black-owned recycling and sustainability facility in Portland.

After years of planning and hard work, Alando and the COR team did just that, opening their first recycling facility dedicated to sustainability in 2014.

By 2018, COR had upscaled their facility to a 12-acre site that could collect a wider array of materials. Simpson proudly notes that COR’s waste and recycling transfer station is the only solely black-owned facility of its kind in the nation.

Next up for COR has been using the manufacturing process to turn perceived waste ((plastic, wood, metal, fiber, textiles, organics, aggregate, etc.) into something valuable for someone else, creating a circular economy in Portland and the Northwest.

Alando shared that his father has always been an advocate for recycling and that this sustainability mentality was embedded in his DNA from a young age. Alando notes that when you come from little means, you have to be resourceful and sustainable: people living in poverty often develop sustainability simply out of necessity.

Some of Alando’s proudest accomplishments with COR are being able to shine a light on what his father embodies and stands for, including hiring a diverse workforce (and 2nd chance employment), and growing the number of ways that COR is using sustainability to make a positive environmental and economic impact to the Portland community and beyond.

COR continues to be a family run business

If you’re ready to partner with COR for your waste, recycling, and sustainability needs, contact us today.