"At that time, there must have been 250 hotlines out there," said Ware, a long-time auto recycler, "and all of them copied what Jerry was doing. He always did everything professionally, and he always did it the right way."

Those have been two of the cornerstones of Brock's half century in the auto recycling business, a career that has included owning a recycling facility, running a hotline and establishing one of the leading auto recycler supply companies in the country.

"We've always managed to be at the right place at the right time," said Brock. "I think that's because I've been a dismantler all my life, and I've been able to keep track of what people wanted."

Today, Brock is best known as founder and president of Brock Supply Co., whose 35 employees and 50,000-square-foot warehouse are responsible for shipping 75,000 packages a year. There are few auto recyclers in the country, said Ware, that don't use a Brock Supply item, whether yellow markers or engine stands.

But that's far from Brock's only contribution to the industry. He is a second-generation recycler whose roots date to the early 1950s, when he worked for his family before starting his own business in 1963. Also part of his legacy is the B & B hotline, which he ran for almost 25 years.

"Jerry, from the time I met him when he was just getting started as a recycler to today, if he told you something, you could put it in the bank," said Herb Lieberman, the recent past president of ARA and a recycler for more than 40 years.

Brock's supply business evolved from his own auto recycling. Brock had found that other facilities needed items - like the markers - that he had found on his own. One thing led to another, he said, and soon he was selling supplies as well as parts. It wasn't much of a leap of faith to sell the recycling facility and open Brock Supply in 1983.

"The response to what little we had was so good that we kept expanding. The whole thing was pretty exciting. My only regret was that we didn't ramp up faster," said Brock.

Today, Brock Supply has outgrown those simple beginnings. Instead of mimeographed sheets, there are sales territories and a full color catalogue. There's a state-of-the-art system that guarantees same-day shipping, and a developer on retainer who spends six days a month working on upgrades.

"I don't know if I'm qualified to answer about what's going to come next in the industry, but I do know this," said Brock. "No matter what the technology, you're still going to have to take the car apart the same way."

And that means someone will still need a yellow marker from Brock Supply.