JIM MICKLER...

His mother never bought name brands but always bought quality. As kids, the family lived in toughskins, not Levi’s. And Jim absorbed the lesson: “if it’s built well, and the price is right, you’re a fool not to grab it.”

That instinct sharpened at Maas Brothers during college, where he had first crack at the clearance racks. If something was 100% wool or Ralph Lauren and remotely his size—no matter the color—it went home with him. His contrarian streak came early: while others paid full retail, he hunted quality where nobody else bothered to look.

Even late-night pizza revealed a pattern. Before the age of “Hot-N-Ready,” Jim would drive to local pizza places just before closing, asking whether they’d made any mistakes. More often than not, he’d walk out with a full pie for $5. It wasn’t about cheapness—it was about spotting overlooked value. He didn’t yet know it, but the surplus business was in his DNA.

After college, Jim joined The Home Depot because of his grandfather, the only grandfather he knew—an old-school machinist who could make anything with his hands. Jim wanted to be like him. Retail taught him products, customers, and hustle—but retail hours wear a man out once he starts a family. So he pivoted.

When Buildscape arrived in the late 90s, Jim recognized the opening: surplus, closeouts, oddball inventories—the place where mispriced opportunity met practical value. He found home.

Buildscape became a catalyst for the first generation of online “opportunity buys,” including legendary promotions such as “Power Tools Starting at $1!” and wild liquidation events—like the time American Standard needed to unload five truckloads of rainbow-colored toilets. A plumbing dealer in Michigan bought the entire set for his annual sidewalk sale and turned the clearance pile into a crowd-drawing success story.

When the Dot Com bubble burst and Buildscape was eventually dissolved, Jim co-founded Surplus-Liquidation, Inc. (2001). What began as wholesale grew into a chain of five retail surplus stores under the Contractors Best and Home Renovation Outlet brands. Retail took a beating in the 2007 recession, but wholesale—the heart of the operation—kept thriving.

Today, through HG Liquidations (formerly Home Center Closeouts), Jim continues what he loves: finding overlooked value, solving problems for manufacturers, and helping surplus lumberyards and discount home-improvement outlets make strong margins with quality products. His business is built on Covey’s principle of trust as a speed advantage: straightforward dealing, no games, no smoke and mirrors—just honest numbers, fast communication, and deals that help both sides win.

Jim still loves the thrill of the hunt. He still has a nose for quality. And he still believes the best opportunities live where most people don’t bother to look.