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Irvine Device Refurbisher Sold to Illinois Company

Irvine-based Full Circle Wireless Inc.—which resells and recycles used mobile phones, tablets and other devices—has been acquired by Clover Holdings Inc. in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Terms of the transaction, expected to close later this month, were undisclosed.

Full Circle Wireless buys businesses’ mobile phones, BlackBerrys, notebooks, two-way radios and other devices. It removes sensitive information, and then refurbishes and resells or recycles them.

It sees about $6 million in annual revenue, according to executives.

Clover is one of the largest recyclers of ink jet and toner cartridges, and provides other recycling services for small electronics.

It has about $600 million in annual revenue, according to the company.

Full Circle’s focus on mobile devices from the business sector was an attraction, according to Brian Regan, executive vice president of Clover’s environmental group.

“It’s a really nice fit to what we’re doing,” he said.

Full Circle started in 2004 by targeting elementary and high schools. It soon got a batch of cell phones from the L.A. Times, and cofounder Shelton Basham and Troy Engar decided to focus on businesses.

Full Circle has worked with businesses ranging from Irvine-based chipmaker Broadcom Corp. to the New York Yankees and San Diego Chargers, among others.

Full Circle sells the refurbished products through online retailers and resellers. It sometimes sells devices back to the companies it originally bought them from, according to Basham.

Clover plans to add administrative, processing and distribution personnel at Full Circle’s offices here to meet growing demand.

“There’s room to grow the business there,” Regan said.

Full Circle employs more than 50 people in Irvine, where it leases 15,000-square-feet of office and warehouse space.

It processes some 20,000 units a month, with capability for more than 100,000, according to the company.

Clover Holdings employs more than 6,000 people worldwide.

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