By Morgan Bryce
Editor
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling recently expanded into the Auburn-Opelika area through Columbus-based franchisee Nick Bain and his business partner Ryan Struck.
Both are military veterans, with Bain serving from 2002 to 2016 in the Army as a medical laboratory technician. He has been in the Reserves the last three years while Struck is still on active duty.
While transitioning from full-time service, Bain said he and Struck discussed the possibility of pursuing a business venture together. Since JDog was founded in 2011 by Army veteran Jerry Flanagan, Bain said the duo were drawn to the company’s military mindset and overall business approach.
“(We) were looking for a way to serve the community to get that same feeling of contribution I had when I was in the military. When you read about the company, it’s sold specifically to veterans and veteran family members,” Bain said. “They really drive the respect, integrity and trust concepts that the Army values are formed around, which was a no-brainer for us in terms of the direction we wanted to go.”
In November 2017, the duo opened their first franchise based in Columbus, with a service region extending into Phenix City and Smiths Station, later expanding into the Auburn-Opelika area and LaGrange last fall.
Growth has been slow but steady through their emphasis on word-of-mouth advertising.
“We employ those company values into each job we do. Every person has a neighbor or a friend and hopefully we’ll become a go-to in their minds for our services,” Bain said.
JDog’s list of services include commercial and residential junk removal, labor services like yard clean up and moving appliances or furniture in or out of a home and preparing homes for showings for local real estate agents.
Currently, four veterans are employed with JDog’s local franchises, creating a work environment that is both familiar and facilitates trust.
“It’s a rewarding experience knowing that we will be able to trust each other like we did in our military careers when our lives counted on it and extending that over to civilian life. We understand that everybody here is there for everybody else and that knowledge just makes us that more cohesive as a team,” Bain said.
Another important aspect of JDog’s services according to Bain is their environmental consciousness, which includes repurposing 60% to 80% of all items they collect.
“We understand that as soon as something goes into the landfill that it’s there to stay. With every project, we try to keep as much out of the landfill as possible with that understanding,” Bain said. “If there’s some lightly used furniture that we can donate to a local nonprofit, we will so somebody can get some use out of it.”
The cost of JDog’s services vary job to job, with junk removal normally being calculated by overall bulkage and labor jobs by the hour.
Their hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon by appointment on Saturday.
For more information, call 706-616-4002, like and follow their Facebook page “JDog Junk Removal & Hauling Columbus” or visit www.jdogjunkremoval.com. Their office is located at 700 5th Ave. in downtown Columbus.